Old School Fan Posted June 22, 2023 Share Posted June 22, 2023 G1 Climax Certificate Match: Hiromu Takahashi (C) vs Konosuke Takeshita Comments: Special Singles Match: Jay White vs Will Ospreay Comments: IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Aussie Open Comments: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi) vs ACE Entertainment (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Claudio CSRO) Comments: YOH & Bandido vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN) Comments: CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) vs Oskar Leube & Oleg Boltin Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted June 23, 2023 Author Share Posted June 23, 2023 NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2023- October 22nd, 2023Attendance: 11,000 at Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. King of Pro-Wrestling kicked off with a video hyping up our three big matches tonight in Tokyo. Can Aussie Open win back the IWGP Tag Team Championships? Will Jay White finally get one over on Will Ospreay? And will Hiromu Takahashi's dreams of challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship go up in smoke? We'll find out all of that and more tonight at King of Pro-Wrestling! After a brief introduction from our commentary team, we went straight into our opening contest... VS CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) vs Oskar Leube & Oleg Boltin CHAOS has been in a bit of a holding pattern as of late, with Okada growing a bit frustrated with the lack of success the group has had recently. Meanwhile, Nakamura is in his first contest following his tough loss to Hiromu Takahashi at Destruction in Kobe. This match was nothing more than a squash match that CHAOS completely dominated. Okada & Nakamura had their way with the two young lions, though Boltin did have some moments to shine, taking Nakamura off-guard on a few occasions. In the end though, Okada was able to finish off Leube with the RAINMAKAH!!! to secure the win for CHAOS.WINNERS: CHAOS VS YOH & Bandido vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN) This one was supposed to be a six-man tag team match between Roppongi 3K & Bandido and the full team of The Scourge, but both WATO & SHO weren't medically cleared tonight to participate following their war in the final of the Super J Cup last night. WATO's at ringside with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but SHO is still recovering in a hospital bed in Tokyo. So, despite being without SHO, YOH & Bandido are left to continue their war against the demonic Scourge that's been trying to take over NJPW! This match was a great match and the crowd was solidly behind YOH & Bandido. YOH and AKUMA started things off with YOH hitting AKUMA with a flying forearm smash. YOH then started unloading punches onto AKUMA, only stopping when referee Marty Asami threatened to disqualify him. YOH then tried tearing AKUMA's mask, but AKUMA stopped him by poking YOH's eye. YOH recoiled in pain as AKUMA hit him with an enzuigiri. AKUMA then went to the apron and hit YOH with a springboard diving knee. AKUMA went for the cover, but YOH kicked out at two. AKUMA then went to the top rope and attempted a moonsault, but YOH rolled out of the way at the last second and hit AKUMA with a German suplex. YOH then tagged out to Bandido, who hit AKUMA with a running tilt-a-whirl headscissors. AKUMA crashed into his corner, where AKUJIN tagged himself in. AKUJIN went to the top rope and hit Bandido with a missile dropkick. AKUJIN then threw Bandido into the corner and hit him with a barrage of knife edge chops, ultimately finishing with an enzuigiri to the side of Bandido's head. AKUJIN then went to the apron and attempted a springboard forearm smash, but Bandido rolled through it and hit AKUJIN with a springboard cutter! Bandido then tagged out to YOH, who started beating the hell out of AKUJIN with a bevy of stomps. YOH eventually relented and hit him with a spinning back suplex. The match came to an end when YOH tried setting up AKUJIN for the Direct Drive. AKUJIN managed to wiggle out of it and in the ensuing struggle, both men ran into Marty Asami! As YOH tried waking up Asami, AKUMA sneaked into the ring, turned YOH around, and hit YOH with the poison mist! YOH writhed in pain as AKUJIN took out Bandido and locked YOH in the Underworld Descent! Asami eventually recovered just to see YOH tapping out!WINNERS: The Scourge VS Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) vs ACE Entertainment (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Claudio CSRO) Each of these group's respective third members are squaring off in the main event tonight, with LIJ's Hiromu Takahashi defending the G1 Climax Certificate against the newest member of ACE Entertainment, Konosuke Takeshita. And because Shingo & Naito really can't stand Tanahashi, a tag match was scheduled to settle the score! This match was a great match and the crowd was solidly behind Shingo & Naito. Shingo & Tanahashi started things off with Tanahashi not really paying attention to Shingo. In fact, Tanahashi started resting on the top rope, a la Naito, and mockingly told Shingo "Tranquillo! Tranquillo!" In response, Shingo ran at him and kicked him down to the mat! Shingo then unleashed a bevy of stomps onto Tanahashi in the corner before running to the opposite corner and knocking out Tanahashi with a running big boot! Before Shingo could go for the cover, Tanahashi rolled to the outside. Shingo followed him out there, but was stopped by Claudio CSRO, who engaged in a staredown with Shingo, stopping him from going after the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. That staredown was broken when Naito dropped down from the apron and attacked CSRO! While those two were brawling, Shingo tried going after Tanahashi, but was stopped when Tanahashi thumbed him in the eye. Tanahashi then threw Shingo back in the ring and hit him with a running knee drop. Tanahashi then tagged out to CSRO, who hit Shingo with a few uppercuts before launching him across the ring with a German suplex. CSRO then threw Shingo into the corner and hit him with a few knife edge chops before launching Shingo across the ring again with a belly to belly suplex. Shingo recoiled into his corner where Naito tagged himself in and hit CSRO with a Thesz press. Naito picked up CSRO and hit him with a running powerslam. As CSRO got to his feet, Naito got behind him and hit him with a running bulldog. The match came to an end when CSRO was able to tag out to Tanahashi. Tanahashi and Naito then began brawling with each other, with neither man giving an inch until Naito was able to take control with a stiff forearm smash. Naito then tried finishing things off with the Destino, but Tanahashi stopped him before he even got started and hit him with a stiff German suplex! Tanahashi then went to the top rope and hit Naito with the High Fly Flow! Tanahashi then made the cover as CSRO took out Shingo and got the three.WINNERS: ACE Entertainment IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: VS The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Aussie Open The Samoan SWAT Team of Jimmy & Jey Fatu made their shocking debut at Forbidden Door back in June, attacking Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks to take their spot in the IWGP Tag Team Championship three-way tag match. They won that match, dethroning Aussie Open in the process. Fletcher & Davis tried winning their titles back at Southern Showdown, but were stopped when TMDK inserted themselves in that match and took the loss. Now, they get their one-on-one (or two-on-two in this situation) rematch tonight at King of Pro-Wrestling! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Aussie Open. The Fatus didn't even wait for the bell to ring, as they ambushed Fletcher & Davis before the match even started! The IWGP Tag Team Champions beat the living hell out of Aussie Open on the outside, throwing them into the ring steps and the turnbuckle posts. Eventually, they threw them in the ring to get things started. Jimmy Fatu and Mark Davis started things off with Jimmy hitting Davis with a few forearm strikes before hitting him with an enzuigiri. Davis stumbled into his corner, where Jimmy hit him with a running big boot. Jimmy then threw Davis off the ropes and tried hitting Davis with a Samoan Drop, but Davis was able to elbow out of it and hit Jimmy with a uranage. Davis then threw Jimmy into his corner and tagged out to Kyle Fletcher. Davis then lifted Jimmy up for a suplex, but instead Fletcher kicked Jimmy with a roundhouse kick! Fletcher then threw Jimmy off the ropes, ducked a lariat, and hit Jimmy with a Pele kick. Fletcher then attempted another roundhouse kick, but Jimmy dodged it and clipped Fletcher's plant leg! Fletcher fell to his knees in pain, which allowed Jimmy to hit him with a superkick! Jimmy made the cover, but Fletcher kicked out at two. Jimmy then threw Fletcher into his corner and tagged out to Jey. Jimmy & Jey hit Fletcher with a double superkick before Jey hit Fletcher with a northern lights suplex. Jey then threw Fletcher off the ropes and attempted a Samoan Drop, but Fletcher rolled through it into a pin! Jey kicked out at two, but walked right into a jumping cutter from Fletcher! The match came to an end when Fletcher tagged out to Davis, who blasted Jey with a lariat. Davis picked up Jey and tried hitting him with a military press slam, but Jey wiggled out of it and kicked Davis in the leg! Davis went down to a knee as Jey hit him with three consecutive superkicks! Jey then tagged out to Jimmy and the two men hit Davis with the 1D! Fletcher tried breaking up the ensuing cover with a springboard splash, but was kicked out of mid-air with a superkick from Jey Fatu!!! Jimmy then made the cover and got the three! The Samoan SWAT Team have retained the IWGP Tag Team Championships!WINNERS: The Samoan SWAT Team VS Jay White vs Will Ospreay White & Ospreay have feuded pretty much off-an-on for nearly a year now, with White almost winning Ospreay's G1 Climax Certificate back at King of Pro-Wrestling last year. Now, White's been slighted by Ospreay yet again. This time it came from Ospreay challenging 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor to an IWGP United States Championship match immediately after Lawlor defeated White back at Destruction in Kobe. White didn't take too kindly to that and beat the daylights out of Ospreay, challenging him to a match tonight at KOPW. Ospreay accepted, giving White a beatdown of his own to accept the challenge! This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Ospreay. The match started with Ospreay running at White, ducking a lariat, bouncing off the ropes, and hitting White with a running Spanish Fly! The crowd gasped in amazement as Ospreay made the cover, which only got a two count. A stunned White got up, but walked right into a roundhouse kick from Ospreay! White fell to a knee, but was immediately met with a 720 kick to the back of the head! Instead of going for another cover, Ospreay slowly waited for White to get back up before jumping off the middle rope and hitting White with the OsCutter!!! Ospreay made another cover, but White got his foot on the rope at the last second! Will Ospreay threw it all there to kick things off, what more does he have to do to finish off the leader of Bullet Club?!? Ospreay sought to answer that question by attempting the StormBreaker, but White managed to reverse it by first raking Ospreay's eyes and then hitting Ospreay with a reverse DDT. White then scooped Ospreay up and hit him with the Kiwi Krusher! Instead of going for a pin (probably knowing that Ospreay would kick out), White used the time while Ospreay was down to catch his breath and recover in the corner. Ospreay slowly got to his feet, only to be met by a lariat from White that sent him flying inside-out. White scooped up Ospreay and hit him with a Death Valley Driver. White then tried finishing off Ospreay for good with the Blade Runner, but Ospreay reversed it into a damn Poisonrana!!! A stunned White rolled to the outside, but there's no rest for the wicked as Ospreay ran off the ropes and hit White with a suicide dive! The match came to an end when Ospreay threw White back in the ring. Ospreay went to the apron and tried hitting White with a springboard forearm smash, but White plucked him out of mid-air and hit him with the Blade Runner!!! White then made the cover... 1! 2! NO!!! Somehow, someway, Will Ospreay kicked out of the Blade Runner! A furious White pounded the mat before picking up Ospreay again and attempting the Blade Runner. This time around, Ospreay wiggled out of it and hit White with a superkick to the back of the head! Ospreay then ran off the ropes and hit White with the Hidden Blade! Ospreay scooped up White after that and hit him with the StormBreaker!!! Ospreay made the cover... 1! 2! 3! Will Ospreay has beaten Jay White in an absolute war! Ospreay was clearly pissed off following his brutal assault at the hands of White last month at Destruction in Kobe and boy he did that anger out on him tonight!WINNER: Will Ospreay After that brutal match, we cut to a video hyping up our main event of the evening, the G1 Climax Certificate match between Hiromu Takahashi and Konosuke Takeshita. The video shows how Takeshita made his NJPW debut in the G1 Climax earlier this year, where he & Hiromu Takahashi immediately hit it off. Videos from each man's respective Twitter accounts were then played, showing the two hitting the bars, doing karaoke, the whole nine yards. Then, as Hiromu said in the video, Takeshita disappeared, stopped answering his texts, calls, etc. That all changed when Takeshita re-emerged at Destruction in Kobe. Initially, it appeared that Takeshita had returned to save Shota Umino from a two-on-one ACE Entertainment beatdown. However, that all changed when Takeshita beat the crap out of Shota himself and officially joined ACE Entertainment. Shortly thereafter, Takeshita laid down the challenge to Hiromu Takahashi for his G1 Climax Certificate in an attempt to give Hiroshi Tanahashi an easy win at Wrestle Kingdom. Will Hiromu Takahashi keep his Wrestle Kingdom hopes alive or will Konosuke Takeshita make ACE Entertainment and Hiroshi Tanahashi proud? We'll find out tonight in Tokyo! G1 Climax Certificate Match: VS Hiromu Takahashi (C) vs Konosuke Takeshita This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Hiromu. Hiromu started things off by getting in Takeshita's face and simply asking him "Why did you do it man? Why'd you sell out and join Tanahashi?" Takeshita responded by hitting Hiromu with a massive forearm smash, which sent Hiromu crashing to the mat. Takeshita then got in Hiromu's face, yelling at him "I DIDN'T SELL OUT, I BOUGHT IN!" before hitting him with a kick to the chest. Takeshita scooped up Hiromu and hit him with a rolling Death Valley Driver before hitting Hiromu with a standing moonsault, which only got a one count on an ensuing pinfall attempt. Takeshita then picked up Hiromu and hit him with a brainbuster, quickly following that up with a second brainbuster. Takeshita then went to the top rope and hit Hiromu with a diving elbow drop, quickly transitioning it into a crossface submission! Hiromu clawed for the ropes and was eventually able to reach them, but the damage might have been done. Takeshita certainly thought so, as he set up Hiromu for Absolute Thunder. Hiromu was able to escape it though and hit Takeshita with a hurricanrana that sent Takeshita crashing into the ropes. As Takeshita laid groggily on the second rope, Hiromu decided to take a page out of the legendary Rey Mysterio's playbook and hit Takeshita with the 619! Hiromu then followed that up by going to the top rope and borrowing another move from another legendary junior heavyweight by hitting Takeshita with the Phoenix Splash! Hiromu made the cover, but Takeshita kicked out at two. Hiromu scooped up Takeshita and hit him with the Dynamite Plunger before picking him back up and hitting him with a reverse STO. Takeshita tried regrouping on the apron, but Hiromu noticed this and attempted the suicide spear. However, Takeshita moved out of the way at the last second, leading to Hiromu crashing to the outside! As Hiromu writhed in pain on the outside, Takeshita dropped down from the apron and threw Hiromu into the ringside barricade. Takeshita rolled back in the ring to break the count before heading back out and lifting up the ringside mats to expose the concrete below. Takeshita then grabbed Hiromu and hit him with a powerbomb onto the concrete!!! The crowd audibly gasped as Takeshita threw Hiromu back in the ring. The match came to an end when Takeshita grabbed Hiromu by the face, looked him square in the eye, and told him "WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS!" Takeshita then set up Hiromu for Absolute Thunder, but somehow Hiromu reversed it into a Canadian Destroyer!!!! Hiromu went for the cover... 1! 2! NO! Takeshita somehow kicked out at two! Hiromu didn't miss a beat though as he scooped up Takeshita and hit him with the Time Bomb!!! Hiromu made the cover... 1! 2! 3! Hiromu Takahashi has once again successfully retained his right to face Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 18! King of Pro-Wrestling came to a close as Hiromu celebrated in the ring over his fallen friend-turned-enemy.WINNER: Hiromu TakahashiFINAL GRADE: Popularity: Increased in 42 Regions. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 This was supposed to come out yesterday, but ya boy was under twilight anesthesia for a tooth removal, so unless you wanted a post-show presser under the influence, then it was better to wait for today lol NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2023 Post-Show Press Conference Jimmy Fatu (in English): "YEAHHH BOY! Tonight the Samoan SWAT Team entered Tokyo and took care of those punk asses known as Aussie Open!" Jey Fatu (in English): "That's right Uce, Fletcher and Davis thought they could just walk in here on SWAT Team territory and take what we took from them? Both Fatus (in English): "NOT A DAMN CHANCE!" Jey (in English): "So, what's next for the Samoan SWAT Team uce?" Jimmy (in English): "The answer's simple Jey, we're coming to take over the World Tag League and cement our spot in New Japan Pro-Wrestling! Why? Because we're the Samoan SWAT Team and- Both Fatus (in English): "WE'RE ON TOP!" Jay White (in English): "F*CK F*CK F*CK THAT F*CKING DICKHEAD WILL OSPREAY! THIS ISN'T THE END BILLY, I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU LOVE!" Will Ospreay (in English): "What a win lads! Y'know, I was hoping to but this Jay White situation behind me, but eh, if he wants another ass-kicking, United Empire is more than happy to give it to him. So, hey, at Power Struggle, why don't you gather up two of your buddies and I'll bring Aussie Open to kill this beef once and for all in a six-man tag team match! Hiromu Takahashi: "KONOSUKE!!! You brought this upon yourself man, this could have gone in a completely direction if you didn't sell out to the powers that be at ACE Entertainment. It's a shame really, you were such a cool guy before that, but now you're just blinded by power and greed. And there's only one person to blame for that really, Hiroshi Tanahashi! Are you watching the clock Tanahashi? Do you see what today's date is? It's only 74 days until Wrestle Kingdom 18. That means it's also only 74 days until ACE Entertainment is destroyed by a ticking time bomb! So, Hiroshi, you better enjoy these next few months, because the doomsday clock is ticking. Tick tock, tick tock-" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidKnightDreary Posted June 26, 2023 Share Posted June 26, 2023 Idk... drugged up post-show could have been fun 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted June 28, 2023 Author Share Posted June 28, 2023 Meanwhile in America, the closing moments of IMPACT Bound for Glory 2023... IMPACT World Championship Match: VS VS Josh Alexander (C) vs Karl Fredericks vs Steve Maclin ...What a match this one has been folks! Josh Alexander, looking to continue his historic year and a half reign as IMPACT World Champion, Karl Fredericks, looking to step out of the shadows of DEATH RIDERS and into stardom, and that dastardly Steve Maclin, trying to win what's eluded him for over a year now. All three men are down on the mat and the crowd here in Nashville are going crazy, it's anybody's match folks! Maclin was the first to get up, with him grabbing Alexander and hitting him with a German suplex that sent the IMPACT World Champion flying across the ring. Maclin then got in Alexander's face, yelling "THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE A LONG TIME AGO JOSH!" Maclin then rolled outside, lifted up the ringside mat, and exposed the concrete floor below. Maclin then grabbed Alexander and teased piledriving the champ on the floor, but Alexander was able to wiggle out of it and began sparring with Maclin. Suddenly, they were stopped by a flying Karl Fredericks, who hit both men with a suicide dive! Alexander crashed over the barricade as Fredericks grabbed Maclin, threw him back in the ring, and hit him with Manifest Destiny!!! Fredericks made the cover... 1! 2! 3! Karl Fredericks is your new IMPACT World Champion! The legendary reign of Josh Alexander has come to an end at the hands of New Japan's own Karl Fredericks! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 1, 2023 Author Share Posted July 1, 2023 (edited) NJPW Road to Power Struggle Night One- October 30th, 2023Attendance: 2,005 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -Togi Makabe, Tiger Mask IV, & Yuji Nagata defeated young lions Shoza Mori, Yasahiro Yoshinobu, & Tenzan Choshi in a bad match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. The New Japan dads easily took care of the young lions tonight, though the debuting Tenzan Choshi looked pretty impressive in limited action. Things came to an end when Makabe finished off Mori with the King Kong Knee Drop in just under eight minutes. Afterwards, Makabe announced that he had secured a sponsorship with sweets company Hi-Chew and that the newly-christened "Sweet Gorilla" would challenge Jeff Cobb for the NEVER Openweight Championship next week on the Road to Power Struggle! (38/D-) -Team Filthy's Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors defeated TMDK's Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste in a good match. In a preview of next month's World Tag League, Coughlin & Connors looked pretty dominant against the veteran Australians. That's not to say TMDK had their chances to win, because their experience nearly got them the win at a few points. However, in the end, youth won out as Connors finished off Nicholls with the Trophy Kill in just under 14 minutes. (75/B-) -The Scourge defeated Strong Machine J, Mascara Dorada, & Ryusuke Taguchi in a good match. This was both WATO's first match since becoming the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and his first match with Taguchi after breaking up Six or Nine. Taguchi was mostly confused by the whole situation, but that confusion quickly turned to anger when WATO slapped him across the face. While Strong Machine, Dorada, & Taguchi had their moments to shine, The Scourge was just too much for them tonight in Tokyo. In a bit of a poetic ending, Taguchi fell victim to WATO's Eternal Damnation to give The Scourge the win. (79/B) -CHAOS's Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Sabre-gun's Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi in a good match. With Okada issuing the challenge to The Samoan SWAT Team for an IWGP Tag Team Championship match at Power Struggle (which was accepted by the champs), him & Nakamura looked to gain some momentum tonight in Tokyo. They did so with a solid win over a pair of former IWGP Tag Team Champions in Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi, as the tension between those two reached a boiling point tonight. Sabre & Taichi both argued with each other throughout the match and that eventually became their undoing when Taichi was too busy arguing with Sabre to realize that he walked right into the RAINMAKAH!!! from Okada. Okada made the cover and got the three. Afterwards, Sabre grabbed a mic and said that Sabre-gun would be holding a town hall next week to discuss the future of the group. (81/B) MAIN EVENT: VS Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) vs ACE Entertainment (Claudio CSRO & Konosuke Takeshita) Los Ingobernables de Japon's Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi defeated ACE Entertainment's Claudio CSRO & Konosuke Takeshita in a great match to close the show. With IWGP World Heavyweight Champion/ACE Entertainment leader Hiroshi Tanahashi conspicuously absent tonight, it was up to Claudio CSRO & Konosuke Takeshita to keep the ball rolling for ACE Entertainment tonight in Tokyo. They failed to do so, despite their best efforts, as CSRO fell victim to a Last of the Dragon from Shingo in just under 18 minutes. Afterwards, Shingo grabbed a microphone and said that, despite Hiromu challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom, he wanted Hiroshi Tanahashi in an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match at Power Struggle! A stunned Hiromu didn't even say a word as Shingo laid down the gauntlet to close the show, telling Tanahashi to stop hiding because he knows he can't compete with Shingo! FINAL GRADE: Edited July 1, 2023 by Uncrewed 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 2, 2023 Author Share Posted July 2, 2023 NJPW Road to Power Struggle Night Two- November 4th, 2023Attendance: 2,500 at Niigata City Gymnasium (Niigata, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -The Scourge's AKUMA & AKUJIN defeated young lions Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube in a decent match to kick things off tonight in Niigata. The two demons easily dispatched of the young lions tonight, with AKUMA eventually finishing off Leube with the Gates of Hell in just under nine minutes. Afterwards, it was announced SHO was medically cleared to compete and the originally scheduled six-man tag match between Roppongi 3K & Bandido and The Scourge would happen at Power Struggle! (70/C+) -CHAOS's Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Ren Narita defeated Team Filthy in a good match. This one was a good tune-up for Okada & Nakamura going into their match with The Samoan SWAT Team at Power Struggle, as the two veterans held control over Team Filthy for most of this contest. Lawlor did look pretty good against CHAOS though, with the IWGP United States Champion nearly choking out Nakamura on a few occasions. In the end though, CHAOS won out after Okada was able to catch Coughlin with the RAINMAKAH!!! (82/B) -United Empire's Will Ospreay & Aussie Open defeated Bullet Club's Juice Robinson, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows in a good match. After Will Ospreay defeated Jay White at King of Pro-Wrestling, Bullet Club demanded another shot at United Empire, which they'll get at Power Struggle. They also got a match tonight, but it didn't go that well for Bullet Club. After just under 17 minutes of back-and-forth action, Will Ospreay got the win for United Empire after hitting Karl Anderson with the StormBreaker! (81/B) The Sabre-gun town hall happened and it was certainly eventful. Sabre pretty much ran down every member of the group, calling Taichi a "shadow of his former self," Lance Archer a "monster, but a low-budget one like you'd see at midnight on some shitty TV movie network," Yoshinobu Kanemaru a "drunk who's so intoxicated he can't even win matches anymore," and simply asking DOUKI who the hell he even was! The only person he spared was El Desperado, calling him the one man who didn't disappoint him this past year. Sabre then announced that he was making some changes to Sabre-gun as a result of recent "performance issues." Suddenly... TMDK rushed the ring and attacked! Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste, & JONAH easily dispatched of the non-Sabre members of Sabre-gun (sparing El Desperado), with JONAH landing the killing blow on Taichi with a giant TSUNAMIIIII!!! A stunned Desperado just stood there and watched as Sabre introduced TMDK as the newest members of Sabre-gun! Sabre then turned to Desperado and offered him a chance to stay with Sabre-gun, because he knew that Desperado was the only other person (aside from himself) that was worth a damn in Sabre-gun! After a bit of thinking, Despy grabbed the microphone from Sabre and told him "F*CK YOU!" to a huge pop from his hometown crowd! Before Despy could do anything else, he turned around into a huge lariat from some masked man! Despy fell to the mat as the masked man bumped fists with the rest of Sabre-gun. The masked man then unmasked to reveal... JAMIE HAYTER?!? That wasn't a man delivering a lariat to Despy, that was a huge Southampton Sidewinder from Jamie Hayter! Sabre officially welcomed Hayter into Sabre-gun with a kiss before Sabre grabbed the microphone once more, saying that he had one more announcement to make. There was still one more member of Sabre-gun that had yet to appear, the "crown jewel" of Sabre-gun... GABRIEL KIDD?!?!? We haven't seen Kidd in years! Kidd made his way down to the ring and immediately shared a handshake with Sabre. Sabre then called Kidd the spitting image of himself before Sabre finished things up by saying that this new version of Sabre-gun would spare nobody! -Jeff Cobb defeated Togi Makabe to retain the NEVER Openweight Championship. It's unfair to call this one a match as the "Sweet Gorilla" started/ended the match by running at Cobb right into a Tour of the Islands from the NEVER Openweight Champion! Cobb then put his foot on Makabe's chest to get the win after 15 seconds! Afterwards, Cobb stood tall in the ring until the lights went out! When they came back on... Shota Umino was standing behind him! Shota decked Cobb with a lariat before unleashing a barrage of punches onto the Guamanian powerhouse. Shota then yelled in Cobb's face "THIS IS FOR KUSHIDA!" before scooping him up and hitting him with the DEATH RIDER DDT! Cobb quickly fled the ring, a rarity from Cobb, as Shota laid down the challenge, he wanted Cobb in a NEVER Openweight Championship match at Power Struggle! MAIN EVENT: VS Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, & Tetsuya Naito) VS ACE Entertainment (Hiroshi Tanahashi, Claudio CSRO, & Konosuke Takeshita) -Los Ingobernables de Japon's Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, & Tetsuya Naito defeated ACE Entertainment's Hiroshi Tanahashi, Claudio CSRO, & Konosuke Takeshita in a great match to close the show. Before this one started, Tanahashi officially accepted Shingo's challenge for Power Struggle, telling Hiromu Takahashi that it would be a preview of their Wrestle Kingdom match. Hopefully for Tanahashi, this match tonight won't be a preview of how his matches with Shingo & Hiromu will go. In the end, Shingo was able to get the win for LIJ after about 20 minutes of action after hitting CSRO with the Last of the Dragon. FINAL GRADE: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 NJPW Road to Power Struggle Night Three- November 7th, 2023Attendance: 2,800 at EDION Arena Osaka (Osaka, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -Sabre-gun's Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd defeated young lions Shoza Mori & Tenzan Choshi in a dull match to kick things off tonight in Osaka. A few nights after kicking out the rest of Sabre-gun and replacing them with TMDK, Jamie Hayter, and a returning Gabriel Kidd, Sabre & Kidd easily took care of the young lions in their first match together. The two men shared some good chemistry as Kidd finished off Mori with his new finisher, the Slick Kick (Running Single Leg Front Dropkick). Afterwards, it was announced that Sabre & Kidd would face two former members of Sabre-gun, El Desperado & Taichi, at Power Struggle. (61/C) -Ryu Lee & Dralistico defeated Bandido & Mascara Dorada in a good match. Both of these teams will be participating in the upcoming Super Junior Tag League, so this was a bit of a preview. And if this contest was anything to go by, then this year's Super Junior Tag League is sure to be an exciting one, as both teams wowed the Osaka crowd with their impressive variety of lucha libre moves. In the end, Ryu Lee won this one after hitting Dorada with the Desnucadora after just under 16 minutes. (80/B) -The Scourge defeated CHAOS's YOH, Robbie Eagles, & Tiger Mask IV in a good match. YOH didn't want to wait for Power Struggle, as he recruited his fellow CHAOS member Robbie Eagles and the legendary Tiger Mask IV to take on The Scourge tonight in Osaka. That ended up being a bad move, as The Scourge was able to somewhat easily take care of CHAOS & Tiger Mask tonight. In the end, AKUMA finished off Tiger Mask with the Gates of Hell in just under 16 minutes. Afterwards, as YOH tended to Tiger Mask, WATO got in the ring and sprayed YOH with the black mist!!! YOH thrashed around in pain as The Scourge stood tall. (80/B) -CHAOS's Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Ren Narita defeated United Empire's Aussie Open & Great O-Khan in a good match. Okada & Nakamura scored another big win going into their matchup with The Samoan SWAT Team at Power Struggle, this time over the team that lost the IWGP Tag Team Championships to Jimmy & Jey Fatu, Aussie Open. To United Empire's credit though, it was a very back-and-forth contest, with Aussie Open nearly getting the win on a few occasions. However, Mark Davis let his guard down for one moment and walked right into the RAINMAKAH!!! from Okada to give CHAOS the win. (82/B) MAIN EVENT: VS -ACE Entertainment's Hiroshi Tanahashi & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon's Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito in a great match to close the show. ACE Entertainment scored a big win going into Hiroshi Tanahashi's IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match with LIJ's Shingo Takagi at Power Struggle tonight against Hiromu & Naito. Though tonight's win was mostly thanks to SANADA's continual mind games with Naito, as the ex-LIJ member appeared at ringside just as Naito was about to hit Tanahashi with the Destino. That allowed Tanahashi to escape, hit Naito with a slingblade, and hit Naito with the High Fly Flow to get the win. Afterwards, SANADA grabbed a microphone and got in the ring. SANADA said that, while it was fun messing with Naito, he wanted to end things once and for all. SANADA then issued a challenge for Wrestle Kingdom for a match with Naito! SANADA finished things off by saying that he was looking forward to killing the legacy of Naito, the man who held him back for so long, at Wrestle Kingdom and closed the show by throwing the microphone in Naito's face. FINAL GRADE: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 6, 2023 Author Share Posted July 6, 2023 NJPW Power Struggle 2023 Prediction Key IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shingo Takagi Comments: IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) Comments: NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shota Umino Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open) Comments: Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd) vs El Desperado & Taichi Comments: Bandido & SHO vs Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shingo Takagi Comments: IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) Comments: NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shota Umino Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open) Comments: Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd) vs El Desperado & Taichi Comments: Bandido & SHO vs Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidKnightDreary Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shingo Takagi Comments: Ace has enough tricks up his sleeve to steal this one. IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) Comments: Day one ish NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shota Umino Comments: Sorry shooter, Cobb is on another level Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open) Comments: Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd) vs El Desperado & Taichi Comments: Bandido & SHO vs Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyllanK17 Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shingo Takagi Comments: IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) Comments: NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shota Umino Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open) Comments: Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd) vs El Desperado & Taichi Comments: Bandido & SHO vs Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandal Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shingo Takagi Comments: IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) Comments: NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shota Umino Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open) Comments: Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd) vs El Desperado & Taichi Comments: Bandido & SHO vs Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 7, 2023 Author Share Posted July 7, 2023 Thanks everyone for the predictions! Power Struggle will be up tomorrow night, so you've got 24 hours to get any final predictions in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 9, 2023 Author Share Posted July 9, 2023 NJPW Power Struggle- November 11th, 2023Attendance: 16,000 at Osaka-jo HallCommentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. Power Struggle kicked off with a video running down our major contests of the evening. Will Shota Umino end the dominant reign of Jeff Cobb as NEVER Openweight Champion? Can the legendary duo of Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura dethrone The Samoan SWAT Team and take the IWGP Tag Team Championships? And finally, can Shingo Takagi pull off a huge upset and end the reign of Hiroshi Tanahashi before his Los Ingobernables de Japon teammate can at Wrestle Kingdom? We'll find out all of that and more tonight in Osaka! After a brief introduction from our commentary team, we went straight into our opening contest... VS SHO & Bandido vs Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube SHO & Bandido were supposed to team with YOH tonight to take on The Scourge in six-man tag team action, but that all changed when YOH was sprayed with black mist from WATO! YOH's been in a hospital since then, leading to that match being cancelled. SHO & Bandido still wanted to get some action in and two of our newest young lions were more than happy to step up. That may have been a bad move, as SHO & Bandido completely dominated them for the entirety of this eight-minute contest. In the end, SHO finished off Hasegawa with the Shock Arrow to get the win.WINNERS: SHO & Bandido VS Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd) vs Taichi & El Desperado Last week, on the Road to Power Struggle, Sabre kicked out the entirety of Sabre-gun (including Taichi & El Desperado), claiming that they had become too weak. Sabre replaced them with TMDK, Jamie Hayter, and his "protege" Gabriel Kidd. Now, Taichi & Despy are out for revenge tonight in Osaka! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Taichi & Despy. Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi started things off with Taichi immediately launching into a Thesz press onto his former partner. Taichi then started unloading a barrage of strikes onto Sabre, only stopping when referee Marty Asami threatened to disqualify him. Taichi relented, only to pick up Sabre and hit him with a running powerslam. The leader of Sabre-gun stumbled to his corner as Gabriel Kidd tagged himself in. Kidd ran at Taichi and hit him with a big boot before picking him up and hitting him with a swinging neckbreaker. Kidd then began working over Taichi's leg, locking in an Argentine Leglock! Taichi was eventually able to reach the ropes, but the damage may have been done. Kidd tried locking in the Argentine Leglock again, but Taichi was able to kick him away and launch him across the ring with a German suplex! Taichi then tagged out to Despy as Kidd tagged out to Sabre. Sabre and Despy stared each other down, with Sabre yelling at him that "IT COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT MAN! YOU WERE THE ONLY GOOD ONE!" Despy responded by hitting Sabre with a jumping DDT! Despy picked up Sabre and hit him with a military press slam before hitting Sabre with a standing moonsault. Despy then tried ending things early with the Pinche Loco, but Sabre wiggled out of it and hit Despy with a dragon suplex, quickly transitioning it into an ankle lock! Despy quickly escaped the hold by rolling through it, sending Sabre crashing headfirst into the turnbuckle pad! The match came to an end when Despy tagged out to Taichi, who quickly launched an assault on Sabre that culminated with a big exploder suplex! Taichi then tried finishing off Sabre with the Taichi-style Last Ride, but Sabre was able to wiggle out of it, stomp the back of Taichi's leg, and lock in the Orienteering With Napalm Death! The crowd popped at Sabre's technical prowess as Taichi quickly scrambled for the ropes. Sabre kept the hold locked in though and Taichi eventually had no choice but to tap out.WINNERS: Sabre-gun VS Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open) The war between Bullet Club and United Empire continued last month at King of Pro-Wrestling. That was when Will Ospreay defeated Jay White in an absolute war that ended with Ospreay hitting the StormBreaker on White. A furious White demanded another match with Ospreay, and though he didn't get a singles match, he'll get another shot at him tonight. This time though, with the help of fellow Bullet Club leader Prince Devitt and the dangerous Juice Robinson. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind United Empire. Kyle Fletcher and Prince Devitt started things off with Devitt mocking Fletcher, telling him that Flethcer was in his diapers when Devitt was winning championships! Fletcher responded by laughing sarcastically and hitting Devitt with an enzuigiri! Devitt stumbled into the corner, where Fletcher hit him with a running big boot. Fletcher then tagged out to Davis as Flethcer hit Devitt with a running penalty kick and Davis quickly followed it up with a running senton! Davis scooped up Devitt and hit him with a sitout powerbomb, which only got a two on an ensuing pinfall attempt. Devitt crawled back to his corner, where Jay White tagged himself in. White launched himself at Davis, hitting the big man of Aussie Open with a flying forearm smash. White then threw Davis into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop. As Davis recoiled out of the corner, White ran up from behind and hit him with a running bulldog. White then tried finishing off Davis with the Blade Runner, but he was too busy jawing with Will Ospreay to hit it. That allowed Davis to wiggle out of it and hit White with a German suplex! Davis then tagged out to Ospreay, who hit White with a springboard forearm smash! Ospreay then hit White with a hurricanrana that sent the leader of Bullet Club crashing into his corner. Juice Robinson tagged himself in and caught Ospreay offguard with a big lariat. The match came to an end when Juice grabbed Ospreay and tried hitting him with Pulp Friction, but Ospreay reversed it into the StormBreaker!!! Ospreay made the cover as Aussie Open took out White & Devitt and got the three! A furious Jay White frothed at the top of the entrance ramp as Ospreay and co. celebrated in the ring.WINNERS: United Empire NEVER Openweight Championship Match: VS Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shota Umino Cobb's last defense of the NEVER Openweight Championship came two months ago at Destruction in Taipei. That was when he defeated KUSHIDA in a hellacious match, a match that ultimately ended with KUSHIDA being rushed to the hospital from the damage Cobb inflicted on him. KUSHIDA's DEATH RIDERS's teammate Shota Umino didn't take too kindly to that and attacked Cobb last month as revenge. Now, Shota gets a chance to get the ultimate revenge on Cobb by taking away the NEVER Openweight Championship and ending his monstrous reign once and for all! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Shota. Shota didn't even wait for this one to start, as he took out Cobb with a suicide dive as Cobb was making his entrance! The two men then brawled on the outside, with neither man getting an advantage. Cobb looked like he gained control when picked up Shota in a military press and tried throwing him into the ring post, but Shota wiggled out and shoved Cobb head first into the ring post instead! That busted Cobb open before the bell even rang! Cobb stumbled into the ring and Shota was right behind him, officially starting this contest. Shota kept the pressure on Cobb with a series of kicks, which eventually got the NEVER Openweight Champion to his knees. Shota then tried finishing things off with a Yakuza Kick, but Cobb ducked it and hit Shota with a uranage! As Cobb's face became more bloody, he hit a throat slit gesture and hit Shota with the Tour of the Islands! Cobb didn't go for the pin immediately, instead taking a minute to recover in the corner. By the time he went for the cover, Shota sprung up and caught Cobb in a small package! Cobb was able to kick out at two, but as he got up, he walked right into the DEATH RIDER DDT!!! Shota made the cover... 1! 2! NO! Cobb somehow kicked out at two! The match came to an end when Shota picked up Cobb and tried hitting him with another DEATH RIDER DDT, but stopped when he noticed someone at the top of the ramp... It was Konosuke Takeshita! Takeshita simply stared Shota down, which caused Shota to drop Cobb and start jawing with Takeshita. That allowed Cobb to clobber Shota with a lariat to the back of the head! Cobb then threw Shota off the ropes and hit him with not one, not two, but three Tours of the Islands! Cobb made the cover and got the three! Takeshita smiled at the top of the ramp as the young lions tended to Shota and Cobb unleashed a primal roar of victory.WINNER: Jeff Cobb IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: VS The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura) Jimmy & Jey Fatu have been completely dominant since winning the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Forbidden Door back in June. They've beaten former champions in FTR and Aussie Open and the most dominant tag team in Australian wrestling in TMDK. But now, they face their toughest test in two NJPW legends, Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura! This match was a great match and the crowd was solidly behind CHAOS. Shinsuke Nakamura and Jey Fatu started things off with a bit of a standoff, with neither man willing to make the first move. Nakamura eventually grew frustrated, telling Jey to "COME ON!!!" Jey took the bait and tried hitting Nakamura with a superkick, but Nakamura ducked it and hit Jey with an enzuigiri! Nakamura then threw Jey into the corner and started hitting him with some "good vibrations" before hitting him with a running big boot in the corner! Jey stumbled out of the corner, right into an exploder suplex from Nakamura. Nakamura made the cover, but Jey kicked out at two. Nakamura tried locking Jey in a triangle choke, but Jey quickly wiggled out of it and hit Nakamura with a stiff forearm smash. Nakamura stumbled back, but then walked right into a superkick from Jey! Jey then threw Nakamura off the ropes and hit him with a Samoan Drop before tagging out to Jimmy. Jimmy and Jey then hit Nakamura with a double suplex before Jimmy hit Nakamura with a running senton. Jimmy scooped up Nakamura and hit him with a spinebuster before calling Jey in to hit the 1D. Jimmy then threw Nakamura off the ropes, but Nakamura was able to shove Jimmy into Jey, sending Jey crashing out of the ring. Nakamura then hit Jimmy with a spinebuster before tagging out to Okada. Okada immediately got to work, attacking Jimmy with a bevy of strikes, culminating with a dragon suplex to one half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions. Okada then threw Jimmy off the ropes and hit him with a beautiful-looking dropkick. Okada then locked Jimmy in the Money Clip, but Jimmy was able to escape it by kicking himself off the turnbuckle and launching himself over Okada. Jimmy then stunned Okada with a superkick, which sent Okada crashing off the ropes and into a Samoan Drop from Jimmy! The match came to an end when Okada recoiled into his corner, where Nakamura tagged himself in. Meanwhile, Jimmy tagged out to Jey, who hit Nakamura with a flying forearm smash. Jey tried hitting Nakamura with a superkick, but Nakamura ducked it and hit Jey with a shotgun dropkick! Nakamura then called for the Bomaye, but missed it when Jey rolled out of the way! Jey then hit Nakamura with a big superkick before calling for Jimmy to get in the ring. The Samoan SWAT Team then hit Nakamura with the 1D!!! Jey made the cover and got the three! The Samoan SWAT Team have defeated two of the biggest wrestlers in NJPW history to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championships!WINNERS: The Samoan SWAT Team After the match ended, Shinsuke Nakamura was left hobbling in the ring as Kazuchika Okada sulked on the apron. Nakamura eventually got up and invited Okada to come in the ring. Okada hesitantly accepted the offer before grabbing a microphone. Nakamura offered Okada a handshake for a good effort in their match, which Okada declined, much to Nakamura's confusion. Nakamura offered a conciliatory hug, but Okada once again declined. An even more confused Nakamura tried grabbing the microphone from Okada, but Okada responded by shoving Nakamura to the mat!!! The crowd gasped in shock as Okada started yelling into the microphone...Okada: "THAT'S IT, I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU! What happened to you man?!?!? You used to run CHAOS, you used to run NJPW, you used to run pro-wrestling in general! But now? Now you're nothing more than a shell of your former self!" The crowd started booing as Okada shook his head and finished his little spiel with an interesting proposal.Okada: "Hey, if you want to prove me wrong and show me why they called you the 'King of Strong Style,' then you'll accept my offer for a match at Wrestle Kingdom!" The crowd popped as Nakamura got to his feet. Nakamura shook his head and said he respected Okada too much to fight him one-on-one. Okada responded by shoving Nakamura again, but this time, Nakamura rebounded off the ropes and shoved Okada to the mat! Nakamura then grabbed the microphone...Nakamura: "FINE! IF IT'S A MATCH WITH THE KING OF STRONG STYLE THAT YOU WANT, THEN IT'S A MATCH YOU'LL GET! WRESTLE KINGDOM 18, TOKYO DOME, KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS SHINSUKE NAKAMURA!" The crowd exploded as Okada smiled in approval. Before things finished, Nakamura issued one final warning to Okada...Nakamura: "Oh and by the way, if you come for the king, you better not miss! YEAOH!!!" IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: VS Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shingo Takagi With Hiroshi Tanahashi facing Shingo Takagi's Los Ingobernables de Japon teammate Hiromu Takahashi at Wrestle Kingdom, Shingo Takagi decided to inject a little bit of chaos (the word, not the group) into those plans at the beginning of the Road to Power Struggle Tour. That was when he challenged Tanahashi to an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match, much to Hiromu's confusion. Tanahashi accepted the challenge, telling the media at an ACE Entertainment press conference that he looked forward to sending Hiromu a message by destroying one of his closest friends! Will that happen or will Shingo Takagi shock the world and make the main event of Wrestle Kingdom an all-LIJ affair? This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Shingo. Shingo started things off hot by running off the ropes and hitting Tanahashi with the Pumping Bomber! Shingo made the early cover, but Tanahashi kicked out at two. Tanahashi quickly got back up, but got hit with another Pumping Bomber!!! Shingo made the cover again, but Tanahashi kicked out just before referee Red Shoes counted the three! Shingo tried a third Pumping Bomber, but Tanahashi ducked it this time and hit Shingo with a dropkick. After a few seconds to catch his breath, Tanahashi grabbed Shingo and hit him with a butterfly suplex. Shingo quickly got back up, but Tanahashi ran off the ropes and hit him with a slingblade. Tanahashi then tried locking Shingo in the Texas Cloverleaf, but Shingo kicked him away and hit Tanahashi with a German suplex. Shingo then scooped up Tanahashi and hit him with a brainbuster, which only got a two count on the ensuing pinfall attempt. Shingo then attempted to end things with the Last of the Dragon, but Tanahashi wiggled out of it and locked Shingo in some sort of dragon sleeper! Shingo was able to quickly escape the hold and hit Tanahashi with a pumphandle gutbuster. Shingo then attempted the third Pumping Bomber, but Tanahashi ducked it once more and hit Shingo with a uranage. Tanahashi then went to the top rope and hit Shingo with a diving crossbody. Tanahashi then went back to the top rope to attempt the High Fly Flow, but Shingo got up and met him there. Shingo then hit Tanahashi with a superplex!!! The match came to an end when Shingo picked up Tanahashi and hit him with the Pumping Bomber!!! Shingo went for the cover... 1! 2! NO! Tanahashi kicked out just before the three count! Shingo didn't wait to complain as he picked up Tanahashi and attempted the Last of the Dragon. The failed as Tanahashi wiggled out of it and, in full view of Red Shoes, kicked Shingo below the belt! Red Shoes called for the DQ as Shingo writhed in pain on the mat. Shingo Takagi was announced as the winner, but Tanahashi didn't care, he was still IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and that's all that mattered.WINNER: Shingo Takagi (by DQ) After the match ended, Hiroshi Tanahashi continued his beatdown of Shingo Takagi. Tanahashi grabbed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and hit Shingo with it before going to the top rope to hit the High Fly Flow. Before he could hit it... Hiromu Takahashi ran down to the ring! Tanahashi tried escaping after Hiromu slid into the ring, but Hiromu ran off the ropes and took out the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion with a suicide dive!!! A stunned Tanahashi stumbled to the back as Hiromu got in the ring and helped Shingo to his feet. The two LIJ members shared a fist bump before Hiromu grabbed a microphone and promised the Osaka crowd that this would be the last time they'd see Tanahashi as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Hiromu finished things off by telling Tanahashi that he may have gotten away with his title tonight, but that would be far from the case at Wrestle Kingdom 18! FINAL GRADE: Popularity: Increased in 32 Regions. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 NJPW Power Struggle 2023 Post-Show Press Conference Kazuchika Okada: "I know I didn't get to hoist those IWGP Tag Team Championships tonight, but I got something better. I got to see that fire I haven't seen in Shinsuke Nakamura since he left NJPW six years ago. Now I know Nakamura isn't too thrilled about how I did that, but hey, I couldn't be happier. So, Nakamura! Wrestle Kingdom 18! The 'King of Strong Style' vs the 'Rainmaker,' you better bring your A-game, because I'll be bringing my A+ game my good friend... Shinsuke Nakamura: "OKADAAAAAA!!!! There are some things you just don't do Okada. You don't take candy from a baby, you don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't poke a bear, and you DON'T MESS WITH THE KING OF STRONG STYLE! I'm more than happy to meet you in the ring at Wrestle Kingdom, because maybe then you'll finally learn what it means to be second-best! YEAOH!" Hiroshi Tanahashi: GAH! What the hell was that guys! Where the hell were you?!? Claudio CSRO (in English): "Well, you see- Hiroshi Tanahashi: "I don't want to hear any excuses! I could have lost the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship tonight. Do you know what that means? That means you two morons would have been out of a job! Now, Konosuke, I don't know what your thing is with Shota Umino, but get your head straight, because you two have two objectives from now until Wrestle Kingdom. ONE, make sure no one gets to this IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. TWO, win the World Tag League and make ACE Entertainment proud! You got that? And for you, Hiromu Takahashi, your day of reckoning will soon come. Not only will you be exposed as a flash in the pan, but you and the rest of LIJ will be forced to bow down to ACE Entertainment once and for all after I pin you square in the middle of the ring in the Tokyo Dome! GO ACE!" 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyllanK17 Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Trouble brewing in ACE Entertainment 👁️👁️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 13, 2023 Author Share Posted July 13, 2023 MEET THE 2023 WORLD TAG LEAGUE PARTICIPANTS: IWGP Tag Team Champions THE SAMOAN SWAT TEAM- JEY FATU & JIMMY FATU United Empire AUSSIE OPEN- KYLE FLETCHER & MARK DAVIS ACE Entertainment CLAUDIO CSRO & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Sabre-gun ZACK SABRE JR. & GABRIEL KIDD Sabre-gun TMDK- MIKEY NICHOLLS & SHANE HASTE Team Filthy ALEX COUGHLIN & CLARK CONNORS Bullet Club KARL ANDERSON & DOC GALLOWS United Empire AARON HENARE & GREAT O-KHAN CHAOS REN NARITA & TORU YANO AEW/House of Black THE KINGS OF THE BLACK THRONE- MALAKAI BLACK & BRODY KING The 2023 World Tag League kicks off November 17th exclusively on NJPW World. You won't want to miss this! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 13, 2023 Author Share Posted July 13, 2023 MEET THE 2023 SUPER JUNIOR TAG LEAGUE PARTICIPANTS: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions EITA & EL LINDAMAN United Empire FRANCESCO AKIRA & MIKE BAILEY Bullet Club ACE AUSTIN & CHRIS BEY The Scourge AKUMA & AKUJIN BANDIDO & MASCARA DORADA RYU LEE & DRALISTICO EL DESPERADO & DOUKI FLYING TIGER- ROBBIE EAGLES & TIGER MASK IV AEW TOP FLIGHT- DANTE MARTIN & DARIUS MARTIN The 2023 Super Junior Tag League kicks off November 16th exclusively on NJPW World! You won't want to miss this! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted July 13, 2023 Share Posted July 13, 2023 2 hours ago, Uncrewed said: The 2023 Super Junior Tag League kicks off November 16th exclusively on NJPW World! You won't want to miss this! You know we won't, especially if there's predictions to be made. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidKnightDreary Posted July 13, 2023 Share Posted July 13, 2023 I predict north of 3 DQ's for the demons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 15, 2023 Author Share Posted July 15, 2023 First show of the Super Junior Tag League will be up tomorrow, but since I forgot to announce the 10th team of the tournament, I figure I'd introduce them now.. INTRODUCING... ALEX ZAYNE & TOZAWA MUSCLE SAUCE! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 16, 2023 Author Share Posted July 16, 2023 NJPW Super Junior Tag League Night One- November 16th, 2023 Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan) Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger -Bullet Club's Cutest Tag Team defeated young lions Hoshiko Hasegawa & Oskar Leube in a dull match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. Ishimori & Phantasmo were a bit pissed that they weren't invited to the Super Junior Tag League this year, so they took that anger out on the young lions tonight. In the end, Phantasmo finished off Hasegawa with the CR2 after just under eight minutes. Afterwards, Phantasmo found a camera and said "F*CKIN FLYING TIGER OVER US?!?" (64/C) -Super Junior Tag League Match: Ryu Lee & Dralistico defeated Flying Tiger in a good match. Eagles & Tiger Mask have been desperate for a win and they'll have to continue to wait following a disappointing performance against the brothers Lee & Dralistico. Lee & Dralistico easily dispatched of the veteran junior heavyweights tonight in Tokyo, with Ryu Lee eventually picking up the win for his team after hitting Tiger Mask with the Desnucadora after just under 11 minutes of action. (80/B) -Super Junior Tag League Match: El Desperado & DOUKI defeated Bandido & Mascara Dorada in a good match. Despite both being kicked out of Sabre-gun, Despy & DOUKI have continued to team up. That might be a good thing too because they looked pretty good tonight in Tokyo against a surprisingly off-their-game Bandido & Dorada. In the end, after 14 minutes of action, Despy dodged a superkick from Dorada, spun him around, and hit him with the Pinche Loco to pick up the win. (78/B) -Super Junior Tag League Match: The Scourge's AKUMA & AKUJIN defeated Muscle Sauce in a great match. With WATO and a new, smaller masked figure in some sort of oni mask standing beside him, AKUMA & AKUJIN pretty easily handled Akira Tozawa & Alex Zayne tonight. That's not to say that Tozawa & Zayne had their moments, as their combination of speed and high-flying did nearly get the win on more than a few occasions. In the end though, AKUMA & AKUJIN won out after AKUMA hit Zayne with the Gates of Hell. (88/B+) -Super Junior Tag League Match: Bullet Club's Ace Austin & Chris Bey defeated United Empire's Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey in a good match. This was a pretty good revenge match for Austin & Bey, who lost their shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships back at Dominion to Akira & Bailey. Though Akira & Bailey held serve for most of this contest, Bey & Austin pulled out the oldest tricks in the Bullet Club book (aka cheating) to gain control. The BC junior heavyweights eventually finished off Bailey after Austin hit him with The Fold in just under 16 minutes. (80/B) MAIN EVENT: VS Super Junior Tag League Match: Eita & El Lindaman vs Top Flight Top Flight defeated Eita & El Lindaman in a good match to close the show. This one was a pretty big upset in the main event tonight, with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions somehow losing to one of AEW's hottest-rising tag teams. That might be because Eita & Lindaman didn't take Dante & Darius Martin seriously, toying with the two brothers instead of going for the win on more than a few occasions. Things came to an end after about 16 minutes when Eita & Lindaman set up Dante for the Cruz del Oro. However, Dante rolled out of the way at the last second, leading to Eita & Lindaman colliding into each other! Dante then tagged out to Darius, who hit Lindaman with a Shooting Star Press, made the cover, and got the win! FINAL GRADE: 2023 Super Junior Tag League Post-Night One Standings: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 17, 2023 Author Share Posted July 17, 2023 NJPW World Tag League Night One- November 17th, 2023Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -David Finlay & KENTA defeated young lions Tenzan Choshi & Yoko Akamatsu in a dull match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. KENTA & Finlay showed a lot more of an aggressive side to them against the two newest young lions tonight, beating the living hell out of them for nearly eight minutes. KENTA eventually finished the beating by hitting Akamatsu with the Go 2 Sleep. Afterwards, KENTA & Finlay went up to the commentary team and told them that it's time to get down to business. (60/C) -World Tag League Match: The Kings of the Black Throne defeated Bullet Club's Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows in a good match. The creepy Malakai Black & Brody King really creeped out Korakuen Hall tonight with their otherworldly entrance. Their performance in the ring also impressed the crowd, with the two AEW stars bringing a very hard-hitting style to their debut in the World Tag League, leaving Anderson & Gallows on the ropes. In the end, Black caught Anderson with the Black Mass (Spinning Roundhouse Kick) to get the win for The House of Black. (80/B) -World Tag League Match: Team Filthy's Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors defeated TMDK in a good match. This battle between veterans and youngsters didn't disappoint, with Coughlin & Connors showing off what they've learned from 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor and TMDK showing why they've made it this far in wrestling to begin with. In the end though, the youth won out, with Connors finishing off Mikey Nicholls with the Trophy Kill after just under 14 minutes of back-and-forth action. (80/B) -World Tag League Match: Aussie Open defeated CHAOS's Ren Narita & Toru Yano in a good match. CHAOS's resident odd couple couldn't get a win tonight in Tokyo against the former IWGP Tag Team Champions, much to the audience's chagrin. Narita looked pretty good with his strong style strikes and Yano did his best to cheat to win, but he ultimately fell victim to Fletcher & Davis's Coriolis after just under 15 minutes, which gave Aussie Open their first points of the tournament. (82/B) -World Tag League Match: ACE Entertainment's Konosuke Takeshita & Claudio CSRO defeated United Empire's Aaron Henare & Great O-Khan in a good match. With Hiroshi Tanahashi taking the next month off to prepare for his Wrestle Kingdom 18 fight with Hiromu Takahashi, it was up to Konosuke Takeshita & Claudio CSRO to keep up the honor of ACE Entertainment. They certainly did so tonight, taking care of the United Empire duo of Henare & Khan in just under 15 minutes. Takeshita got the win for his team, finishing off Henare with Absolute Thunder. (80/B) MAIN EVENT: VS World Tag League Match: The Samoan SWAT Team vs Sabre-gun (Gabriel Kidd & Zack Sabre Jr.) The Samoan SWAT Team defeated Sabre-gun's Gabriel Kidd & Zack Sabre Jr. in a great match to close the show. Kidd & Sabre put up the greatest fight to Jimmy & Jey Fatu since they arrived in NJPW in tonight's main event. The two Sabre-gun members' technical abilities were able to ground the IWGP Tag Team Champions and prevent them from hitting their patented superkicks. In the end though, all it took was one slip up from Kidd, which allowed Jimmy & Jey to hit him with the 1D to get the win for the IWGP Tag Team Champions. Jimmy & Jey quickly fled the ring after the match, knowing full well they got away with one tonight. FINAL GRADE: 2023 World Tag League Post-Night One Standings: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted July 18, 2023 Author Share Posted July 18, 2023 NJPW Super Junior Tag League Night Two- November 18th, 2023Attendance: 1,000 at KBS Hall (Kyoto, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger -Bullet Club's Juice Robinson, El Phantasmo, & Taiji Ishimori defeated young lions Shoza Mori, Oskar Leube, & Oleg Boltin in a decent match to kick things off tonight in Kyoto. The Bullet Club trio completely dominated the young lions, with only Boltin getting any amount of offense in. In the end, Juice grabbed Shoza, spun him around, and hit him with Pulp Friction to get the win. (61/C)-Super Junior Tag League Match: Bullet Club's Ace Austin & Chris Bey defeated Flying Tiger in a good match. Tiger Mask's age was definitely showing here, as he was pretty much outclassed by the Bullet Club junior heavyweights for most of this 13-minute contest. Austin & Bey's cheating antics were eventually stopped by Robbie Eagles, who was able to show some impressive fire that we haven't seen from him in a good while. In the end though, the cheating paid off as Ace finished off Eagles with an eye poke and a devastating Fold to get the win. (76/B-)-Super Junior Tag League Match: Top Flight defeated El Desperado & DOUKI in a good match. After scoring a huge upset a few nights ago over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions (Eita & El Lindaman), AEW's Top Flight scored another big win tonight over the junior heavyweight duo of El Desperado & DOUKI. Dante & Darius did look out of their element on a few occasions thanks to Despy, but in the end, they were able to recover and hit DOUKI with their finisher, the Twin Killing (O'Connor Roll from Dante into High-Angle German Suplex from Darius), to get the win after 14 minutes. (79/B)-Super Junior Tag League Match: Eita & El Lindaman defeated Muscle Sauce in a good match. While the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions may have lost to Top Flight a few nights back, they rebounded nicely tonight with a win over Alex Zayne & Tozawa. That's not to take anything away from Zayne & Tozawa though, as Zayne wowed the crowd with his daredevil-esque attacks and Tozawa impressed the crowd with his pure strength. In the end though, Zayne slipped up, which allowed Eita to lock in Numero Uno on him and get the win. (81/B)-Super Junior Tag League Match: United Empire defeated Ryu Lee & Dralistico in a good match. Akira & Bailey won their first match of the Super Junior Tag League tonight in Kyoto, but that was only after going to war with the hard-hitting luchador duo of Lee & Dralistico. Lee nearly got the win on a few occasions for his team, but Dralistico couldn't really hold up his end of the bargain. In fact, Dralistico was the one who fell victim to the Fireball from Akira after just under 16 minutes of action. (78/B) MAIN EVENT: VS Super Junior Tag League Match: The Scourge vs Bandido & Mascara Dorada The Scourge defeated Bandido & Mascara Dorada in a great match to close out the show. The Scourge continued their dominant ways tonight, with WATO and his oni-masked accomplice watched on from ringside. That's not to say that Bandido & Dorada held their own, because they nearly got the win on the demons on more than one occasion. Hell, Bandido even hit AKUJIN with the 21-Plex, but the ensuing pinfall was broken up by AKUMA. After about 17 minutes of action, AKUJIN picked up the win for The Scourge after locking Dorada in the Underworld Descent and getting the submission. FINAL GRADE: 2023 Super Junior Tag League Post-Night Two Standings: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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