NJPW: King of Puroresu

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Hyper Battle- April 9th, 2023
Attendance: 11,000 at Momotaro Arena (Okayama, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

Hyper Battle kicked off with a video package hyping up the biggest contests of the night. It's a battle between CHAOS and ACE in our two biggest matches, culminating in the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura! Plus, YOH finally gets his hands on the demonic AKUMA and Toni Storm defends her IWGP Women's Championship against her former friend-turned-foe Jamie Hayter! All that and more tonight in Okayama! After a brief rundown from our ring announcer, we went right into the action!

 

VS

Bullet Club (SHO, Taiji Ishimori, & El Phantasmo) vs Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima
The Bullet Club junior heavyweights haven't really gotten much going since the year began, but with the Best of Super Juniors coming up soon, they're looking to get some much-needed momentum. This match was nothing more than a squash match that the Bullet Club completely dominated. After just under 10 minutes of one-sided action, SHO hit Fujita with the Shock Arrow to get the win.
WINNERS: Bullet Club

 

 

 VS 

Bandido & Ryu Lee vs Six or Nine
Bandido & Lee had some serious chemistry issues following their loss at Wrestle Kingdom 17 to Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey. They went on a pretty long losing streak, which only ended with a surprisingly difficult win over two young lions. But recently they've been on a roll, defeating every team that's stood in their path. Now the only thing standing in-between them and another shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles is the team that they beat for the titles to begin with, Six or Nine! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Six or Nine. Ryu Lee and Ryusuke Taguchi started things off with a collar and elbow tie-up, in which Lee hit Taguchi with a snap arm drag. Lee then tried hitting Taguchi with a dropkick, but Taguchi ducked it and hit Lee with a flying hip attack! Lee scuttled into the corner, but he was met by Taguchi, who hit him with a barrage of knife edge chops. Taguchi then went to the middle rope and attempted a jumping DDT, but Lee caught him and hit him with a belly to belly suplex! Lee then tagged out to Bandido and the two men hit Taguchi with a spinning neckbreaker, standing double foot stomp combo. Bandido then threw Taguchi off the ropes and hit him with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Bandido then went to the top rope and attempted a moonsault, but Taguchi rolled out of the way. Bandido managed to land on his feet, but he was immediately greeted by a flying hip attack from Taguchi! Taguchi then tagged out to Master Wato, who hit Bandido with a running shotgun dropkick. The match came to an end when Wato attempted a spinning heel kick, but Bandido blocked it and hit Wato with a powerbomb! Bandido then attempted the 21 Plex, but Wato blocked it and sent Bandido crashing into Ryu Lee! Wato then hit Bandido with a backstabber before going to the top rope and hitting Bandido with the RPP! Wato then made the cover and got the three!

 

 

After the match, Ryu Lee helped a downed Bandido back to his feet. Lee then consoled Bandido for a second before hitting him with a big forearm smash! Lee quickly followed it up with a spike hurricanrana that sent Bandido crashing to the mat directly on his head! Lee then picked up Bandido and hit him with three straight Desnucadoras! The young lions rushed the ring as Lee yelled at Bandido in Spanish that he was "dead weight" and a "disgrace to Lucha Libre!"
WINNERS: Six or Nine

 

 

 VS 

Jeff Cobb vs Great O-Khan
Cobb has been on a rampage since losing his shot at the NEVER Openweight Championship to Zack Sabre Jr. back in February. His rage culminated at the New Japan Cup semifinals where he brutally injured Hiromu Takahashi, taking him out of action for months. Since then, he's completely snapped, turning on his United Empire brothers and signalling his intention to challenge for the NEVER Openweight Championship currently held by Will Ospreay. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Khan. Khan started things off by attempting a lariat, but it had no effect on Cobb! Cobb responded by blasting Khan with a forearm smash and throwing him straight out of the ring with a hard Irish whip. Cobb followed Khan to the outside and threw his former partner into the ring steps and the ringside barricade. Cobb then threw Khan back in the ring and hit him with a devastating running powerslam. Cobb then lifted Khan up and hit him with the Tour of the Islands! Not content with just one, Cobb hit Khan with four more Tours of the Islands! Cobb had completely snapped at this point and was going to go for his sixth one but referee Marty Asami used his medical discretion (seeing Khan was completely unconscious by this point) and called for the bell. Jeff Cobb was declared the winner after just five minutes of a complete and utter slaughter of his former United Empire brother.
WINNER: Jeff Cobb

 

 

IWGP Women's Championship Match:

 VS 
Toni Storm (C) vs Jamie Hayter
These two women were the best of friends for a decent amount of their careers. They toured all around the world together, but something changed over the past year. While Hayter has found her footing as a fan favorite tough-as-nails badass in AEW, Storm has discovered a side of herself we've never really seen, a dark side. With Bullet Club behind her, Storm's been unstoppable as the first ever IWGP Women's Champion, but can her former friend snap her out of it and win the title from her in the process? This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Hayter. These two women just skipped the comradery and went right into beating the living hell out of each other. Storm and Hayter exchanged a quick barrage of punches, which was only broken up by a stiff forearm smash from Hayter. Hayter then threw Storm off the ropes and hit her with a big back body drop that sent Storm crashing to the outside. Hayter then ran off the ropes and hit Storm with a suicide dive that sent Storm crashing over the ringside barricade! The two women then began brawling around the ringside area, with both making it back in before referee Red Shoes counted them out. Hayter tried catching Storm by surprise with the Southampton Sidewinder, but Storm rolled out of the ring to avoid it. Hayter responded by hitting Storm with a baseball slide and throwing her back in the ring. Hayter picked up Storm and hit her with a powerslam. Hayter then threw Storm off the ropes and attempted a spinebuster, but Storm reversed it into a tornado DDT. Storm then ran off the ropes and hit Hayter with a flying hip attack. Storm then threw Hayter into the corner, ran to the opposite corner, and hit Hayter with the Yakuza Kick! Storm made the cover, but Hayter kicked out at two. The match came to an end when Storm attempted the Storm Zero, but Hayter reversed it into a German suplex! Hayter then went to the corner and charged at Storm, hitting her with the Southampton Sidewinder!!! Hayter made the cover...

 

 

 

 

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TONI GETS HER FOOT ON THE ROPE AT THE LAST SECOND!!!

A stunned Hayter picked up Storm and attempted another Southampton Sidewinder, but Storm ducked it and hit Hayter with a back elbow smash! Storm then picked up Hayter and hit her with the Storm Zero! Toni made the cover and got the three to retain the IWGP Women's Championship.
WINNER: Toni Storm

 

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:

 VS 
YOH (C) vs AKUMA
YOH has been on a roll since winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17. However, shortly after Wrestle Kingdom, he started to get mysterious messages and warnings from someone named AKUMA. AKUMA finally arrived at the New Beginning in Osaka and has been tormenting YOH ever since. From spitting mist in his face to throwing fireballs at him, AKUMA has tormented YOH for months. Now, he's looking to take the only thing he hasn't taken from YOH yet, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind YOH. AKUMA made a very chilling entrance to the ring, with red lights engulfing the Momotaro Arena and fire shooting up from the ground. However, YOH didn't care and decided to break up the entrance by hitting AKUMA with a suicide dive! YOH started beating the living hell out of AKUMA on the outside, only breaking it when referee Daichi Murayama threatened to throw the match out before it even began. YOH obliged and threw AKUMA back in the ring to start the match. YOH immediately tried locking AKUMA in the Stargazer, but AKUMA kicked him away and hit him with a running high knee. AKUMA then went to the apron and hit YOH with a springboard moonsault from damn near halfway across the ring! This AKUMA isn't just demonic, he's also extremely talented in the ring. A real double whammy for YOH if you will. Anyway, AKUMA then threw YOH into the corner and started choking him out with his boot. AKUMA went to the top rope after that and hit YOH with a jumping hurricanrana. AKUMA then attempted his finisher, the Gates of Hell (630 Senton), but YOH dodged it and hit AKUMA with a superkick! YOH then picked up AKUMA, screamed in his face that he knew it was SHO behind the mask and hit him with a discus elbow smash! The match came to an end when YOH locked AKUMA in the Stargazer! AKUMA clawed for the ropes and was eventually able to reach them. YOH didn't care though and kept it locked in until Red Shoes threatened to disqualify him. YOH eventually obliged and started getting into it with Red Shoes, telling him to lay off of him. As YOH turned around to focus on AKUMA, AKUMA spit black mist in his eyes!!! Red Shoes called for the bell as YOH writhed in pain on the mat. The lights in the Momotaro Arena turned red once again as AKUMA disappeared and medical officials tended to YOH.
WINNER: YOH (by DQ)

 

 

 VS 

Kazuchika Okada vs Claudio CSRO
With Shinsuke Nakamura challenging Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the main event, their respective teammates in CHAOS and ACE Entertainment are duking it out in the co-main event tonight in Okayama! Okada is looking for a win to keep himself in contention for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, while CSRO is looking to get another big win under his belt in what hasn't even been a full year since he joined NJPW! This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Okada. CSRO got things kicked off quickly with a big European uppercut to the 'Rainmaker.' CSRO then threw Okada into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop that echoed around the Momotaro Arena. CSRO then threw Okada off the ropes and hit him with a big spinebuster. CSRO made the cover, but Okada kicked out at two. CSRO then threw Okada off the ropes and attempted the Swiss Death, but Okada reversed it into a beautiful dropkick. Okada then scooped up CSRO and hit him with a powerslam. Okada then locked CSRO in the Money Clip! CSRO clawed for the ropes, but Okada kept the hold locked in. Eventually though, CSRO powered out of it and hit Okada with a back elbow smash. CSRO then picked up Okada and hit him with a military press slam. CSRO then locked Okada in the Sharpshooter! Okada desperately clawed for the ropes, but CSRO kept wrenching the hold in. Eventually though, Okada was able to grab the ropes. CSRO kept the hold locked in though, only breaking it when referee Marty Asami threatened to disqualify him. CSRO then hit Okada with a big release German suplex that sent Okada flying across the ring. CSRO then tried hitting Okada with a springboard twisting European uppercut, but Okada rolled out of the way and hit CSRO with a dropkick. Okada then picked up CSRO and hit him with a spinning back suplex. The match came to an end when Okada tried hitting CSRO with the RAINMAKAH!!! That failed though as CSRO ducked it and hit Okada with a stiff-looking headbutt. CSRO then threw Okada off the ropes and attempted the Swiss Death, but Okada dodged it and hit CSRO with a high knee! Okada then picked up CSRO and hit him with the RAINMAKAH!!! Okada then made the cover and got the three.
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada

 

 

After that match ended, we cut to a video hyping up the main event of the evening, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shinsuke Nakamura. The video shows how these two men have competed in some of the most brutal wars in New Japan Pro-Wrestling history. From battling in the finals of the 2015 G1 Climax to main eventing Wrestle Kingdom on two different occasions, these two have pushed each other to the limit more times than anyone could ever imagine. But when Shinsuke Nakamura left for America back in 2016, no one thought we'd ever see these two square off ever again. However, that all changed when Shinsuke Nakamura entered the New Japan Cup this year as a last-minute surprise replacement for Hiromu Takahashi and won the tournament by defeating Kazuchika Okada. Now, Nakamura gets to square off against a much more arrogant Hiroshi Tanahashi than he's ever seen before. One that's willing to do anything to keep himself on top of New Japan Pro-Wrestling! Who will walk out of Okayama with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship?

 

 

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match:

 VS 
Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shinsuke Nakamura
This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Nakamura. These two NJPW legends started things off with a staredown, which lasted a few minutes. The staredown was eventually broken by Tanahashi, who charged at Nakamura with a running high knee. Nakamura dodged it though and blasted Tanahashi with a lariat. Nakamura then threw Tanahashi in the corner and started choking him out with his boot. Referee Red Shoes forced Nakamura to break the hold, who obliged and sauntered out of the corner. Nakamura then called for an early Bomaye, but Tanahashi rolled out of the ring at the last second. Tanahashi recovered on the outside, but that was stopped by a baseball slide from Nakamura! Nakamura then threw Tanahashi into the ring post and then tried following it up with a throw into the ringside barricade. That was reversed though as Tanahashi threw Nakamura shoulder-first into the barricade. Tanahashi then grabbed a camera wire and started choking Nakamura out with it! Red Shoes started counting both men out, with Tanahashi only breaking the choke when Red Shoes got the count up to 10. Tanahashi sauntered back to the ring, content with taking a countout win, but Nakamura was somehow able to get back in the ring just as Red Shoes counted to 19. A frustrated Tanahashi started stomping the living hell out of Nakamura before locking him in the Texas Cloverleaf! Nakamura clawed for the ropes and was eventually able to reach them, but only after being locked in the Cloverleaf for nearly two minutes. Tanahashi kept the hold locked in until Red Shoes threatened to disqualify him. Tanahashi relented, but immediately went to lock the Texas Cloverleaf back in. That's when Shinsuke Nakamura caught him by surprise and locked him in a Triangle Choke!!! Tanahashi flailed for the ropes, but eventually one of his flailing kicks accidentally struck Red Shoes in the face! Nakamura kept the hold locked in and Tanahashi eventually had no choice but to tap out! However, with no referee to see it, the match continued. The match came to an end when Nakamura broke the Triangle Choke to wake Red Shoes up. With Nakamura preoccupied with Red Shoes, Tanahashi slithered out of the ring and grabbed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Tanahashi then rolled back in the ring and cracked Nakamura over the head with the belt! That hit Nakamura's head so hard that the belt cracked in half!!! Nakamura immediately started bleeding as Tanahashi threw the cracked belt away and went to the top rope and hit him with the High Fly Flow!!! Tanahashi then made the cover and a recovered Red Shoes began the count...

 

 

 

 

 

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3!

Hiroshi Tanahashi has retained the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against his old rival! Red Shoes handed Tanahashi the cracked belt, looking at it confusingly for a second before raising Tanahashi's arm. Medics tended to Nakamura, whose face was completely covered in blood by this point, as Tanahashi played the air guitar to close the show.
WINNER: Hiroshi Tanahashi

 

FINAL GRADE:

Popularity: Increased in 13 Regions

[MidKnightDreary]

Seems like AKUMA only cares about destruction...

630 senton, huh? What's Prince Puma up to these days?

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Hyper Battle Post-Show Press Conference:

 

SHO: "HAHAHA! THAT IS HOW YOU DO IT BABY! THE BULLET CLUB IS UNSTOPPABLE AND TONIGHT PROVED THAT! NOW, ON TO OUR NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS, THE BEST OF SUPER JUNIORS. I WON IT LAST YEAR AND YOU BET THAT I'M GOING TO WIN IT AGAIN THIS YEAR! BECAUSE THE MURDER MACHINE IS SIMPLY UNSTOPPA-"

 

Suddenly, the lights went out in the press room. When they came back on, the room was bathed in a red light. SHO looked around in confusion, never seeming to notice...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AKUMA's face behind him!

As the reporters noticed this, SHO turned around, but by then, AKUMA was already gone.

 

SHO: "AND YOU CALL ME THE CRAZY ONE? YOU ALL ARE OUT OF YOUR MINDS!"

 

 

Ryu Lee (in Spanish): "BANDIDO! You are weak. You are nothing more than a shame to the great sport of lucha libre. And you know what? I've always known that, I just tolerated you because we were winning. Clearly that was because of my superior wrestling abilities. Bandido, you're just like those traitors to lucha libre like Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask, you're never going to be anything more than a guy in a mask. As for me, I'm going to win the Best of Super Juniors in June, win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and prove once and for all that lucha libre is superior to this silly puroresu!"

 

 

Jeff Cobb (in English): "THAT IS THE WRATH OF THE GODS! THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HOLD BACK A MONSTER FOR YEARS! OSPREAY! THE NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP IS MINE AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!"

 

 

Shinsuke Nakamura: "I am sorry that I couldn't take that belt off of Hiroshi Tanahashi. I let everyone of my fans down and for that I am deeply sorry. Hiroshi, you came out on top tonight, but you did tap out to my Triangle Choke, don't think I won't remember that. I will get another shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship soon and trust me, tonight won't repeat itself. Yeaoh!"

 

 

Hiroshi Tanahashi: "WOOOOOOO!!!! Nobody can stop the greatness of ACE Entertainment! I know it, the fans know it (and love it), and even everyone in the back knows it! Nobody in this locker room can match my greatness, shown by the fact that they had to drag in someone from America who was busy surfing not even two months ago to challenge me. Anyway, I think I've earned a little break. So, I'll be back to compete in the G1 Climax and become the first ever simultaneous IWGP World Heavyweight Champion/G1 Climax winner! But I think I'm going to need a new belt first, so that's priority number one. Either way, good night and GO ACE!"

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Golden Fight Series Night One- April 14th, 2023
Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-CHAOS's Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii defeated young lions Ryohei Oiwa & Yuto Nakashima in a decent match to kick things off. Nakamura is the first of Ishii's CHAOS brothers to team up with him in the lead up to his retirement and they pretty much dominated the two young lions tonight in Tokyo. After about eight minutes, Ishii finished off Nakashima with the BRAINBUSTAH!!! (67/C+)

-Six or Nine defeated Flying Tiger in a decent match. With a win over the combusting tag team of Bandido & Ryu Lee at Hyper Battle, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato earned themselves a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at Wrestling Dontaku. They showed why they got that opportunity tonight with a good win over Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask IV. After about 15 minutes of action, Wato finished off Tiger Mask with the RPP. (70/C+)

-KENTA, Togi Makabe, & Yuji Nagata defeated Team Filthy in a good match. KENTA finally got some revenge on the man who literally stole his IWGP United States Championship, Tom Lawlor, tonight with a solid win over his Team Filthy. After about 16 minutes of back-and-forth action, KENTA finished off Alex Coughlin with the Go To Sleep. KENTA and co. may have gotten the win, but Lawlor still left with the championship, so it's a real draw tonight in Tokyo. (76/B-)

-DEATH RIDERS defeated United Empire's Aaron Henare & Aussie Open in a good match. It was officially announced this week that Aussie Open will be challenging for the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Wrestling Dontaku. They're supposed to face Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks, but they might end up facing Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano if they win later this month. Anyway, DEATH RIDERS got the win tonight thanks to a well-timed DEATH RIDER DDT from Shota to Henare after about 17 minutes. (75/B-)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Jeff Cobb & Ryu Lee vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Francesco Akira)
Jeff Cobb & Ryu Lee defeated United Empire's Will Ospreay & Francesco Akira in a great match to close the show. Cobb initially wanted to go alone against his former United Empire brothers, but Ryu Lee managed to convince him to partner up and the two showed complete dominance tonight in Tokyo. Cobb finally got his hands on Ospreay and tossed him around like a ragdoll for most of the match. Ospreay did get some offense in late, but it wasn't enough to get the win. Cobb eventually finished off Ospreay with the Tour of the Islands after about 20 minutes. Cobb then made his intentions loud and clear afterwards, challenging Ospreay to a NEVER Openweight Title match at Wrestling Dontaku!

FINAL GRADE:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Golden Fight Series Night Two- April 15th, 2023
Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-CHAOS's Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada defeated young lions Kosei Fujita & Yuto Nakashima in a decent match to kick things off. Ishii's retirement tour continued with the 'Rainmaker' joining forces with him tonight in Tokyo. The CHAOS duo completely dominated the two young lions, which culminated with Ishii hitting Nakashima with the BRAINBUSTAHHHH!!!! to get the win. (70/C+)

-Bullet Club's Jay White & SHO defeated Togi Makabe & young lion Ryohei Oiwa in a good match. White & SHO met their match tonight against Makabe, who took the battle to Bullet Club's top two stars for nearly 13 minutes. However, Oiwa couldn't hold up against White & SHO and fell victim to the Blade Runner from White to get the win for Bullet Club. (80/B)

-Bandido & Six or Nine defeated Ryu Lee & United Empire's Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey in a good match. Akira & Bailey decided to reluctantly trust Ryu Lee tonight, though that may have been the wrong move as Lee was more focused on hurting Bandido than actually winning the match. The two former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions tore into each other for nearly 15 minutes, leaving Six or Nine & Akira & Bailey to fight amongst themselves. In the end, Wato was able to catch Akira with a big superkick and a devastating RPP to get the win. (77/B)

-KENTA & David Finlay defeated Team Filthy's Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors in a good match. The leader of Team Filthy, Tom Lawlor, took the night off tonight, obviously trying to keep KENTA from taking back the IWGP United States Championship. However, his Team Filthy buddies didn't do so hot against KENTA & David Finlay (who's been picking up a lot of momentum in Dragon Gate as of late). KENTA finished off Coughlin with the Go To Sleep in just under 18 minutes to get the win tonight in Tokyo. (75/B-)

 

MAIN EVENT:

VS

United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open) vs DEATH RIDERS
United Empire's Will Ospreay & Aussie Open defeated DEATH RIDERS in a great match to close the show. Aussie Open got a big win to gain some momentum going into their IWGP Tag Team Title match at Wrestling Dontaku. These six men fought back and forth for nearly 20 minutes, with Shota nearly finishing off Ospreay like he did in the New Japan Cup with the DEATH RIDER DDT. That failed though and Ospreay managed to hit Shota with the StormBreaker! Fredericks tagged himself in, but immediately felt a superkick from Ospreay. Ospreay then hit Fredericks with the StormBreaker to get the win. 

FINAL GRADE:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Golden Fight Series Night Three- April 22nd, 2023
Attendance: 2,500 at Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium (Kochi, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-CHAOS's Tomohiro Ishii & YOH defeated young lions Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa in a decent match to kick things off. In Ishii's penultimate match, he teamed with CHAOS's ace junior heavyweight YOH to pick up a good win over the two young lions. YOH was still feeling the effects of the black mist from AKUMA, but he was still able to pick up the win after about 10 minutes by locking Oiwa in the Stargazer. Ishii then hit Oiwa with the BRAINBUSTAH!!! to keep the fans happy. (70/C)

-Team Filthy defeated David Finlay Jr., Togi Makabe, & Yuji Nagata in a good match. Team Filthy took care of the NJPW Hontai unit tonight in Kochi, easily dismantling them with their impressive wrestling abilities. Lawlor was able to finish off Nagata by locking him in the Rear Naked Choke after about 13 minutes. Afterwards, Team Filthy celebrated their victory until KENTA came running down to the ring looking for his title! KENTA dispatched Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors, but Lawlor was able to escape with the IWGP United States Championship once again. (80/B)

-Ryu Lee & United Empire's Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey defeated Six or Nine & Bandido in a good match. This match was such a banger on the last Golden Fight Series event that we've decided to run it back tonight in Kochi. This time, Lee & the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions were more prepared for Six or Nine & Bandido, which resulted in Lee hitting Taguchi with the Desnucadora to get the win after about 16 minutes. (80/B)

-Los Ingobernables de Japon's Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi defeated CHAOS's Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto in a great match. LIJ & CHAOS have been beefing a little bit as of late and they kind of came to a boiling point tonight in Kochi. Naito & Okada tore into each other, reminiscent of their epic Wrestle Kingdom encounters in 2018 & 2020. Much like their encounter in 2020, Naito came out on top, pinning Goto after hitting him with the Destino after about 18 minutes. (87/B+)

 

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

 VS 

DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) (C) vs United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great O-Khan)
DEATH RIDERS's Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks defeated United Empire's Aaron Henare & Great O-Khan in a good match to close the show. In one of their final tune-up matches before their big match against Aussie Open at Wrestling Dontaku, Shota & Fredericks got a big win over United Empire's other tag team of Khan & Henare. After about 18 minutes of action, Shota nailed Henare with the DEATH RIDER DDT to get the win, though he may have tweaked his ankle a bit on the landing. Either way, Shota & Karl will now defend their IWGP Tag Team Titles against Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano next week in Ishii's last match before they face Aussie Open at Wrestling Dontaku!

FINAL GRADE:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Golden Fight Series Night Four- April 26th, 2023
Attendance: 2,500 at Culttz Kawasaki (Kawasaki, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-Bullet Club's Jay White, Juice Robinson, & SHO defeated young lions Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima in a decent match to kick things off tonight in Kawasaki. The three biggest stars of Bullet Club easily took care of the young lions tonight, with White finishing off Oiwa with the Blade Runner to get the win. (70/C)

-Los Ingobernables de Japon's Shingo Takagi & BUSHI defeated CHAOS's Hirooki Goto & YOH in a good match. The beef between LIJ & CHAOS will hopefully be squashed at Wrestling Dontaku when the two groups face off in a six-man tag team match. But for now, they face off in tag team action. In a finish that will have some major ramifications in the junior heavyweight division, BUSHI was able to hit YOH with the MX and get the win! That's got to earn BUSHI an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match! (79/B)

-NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match: KENTA, David Finlay, & Tama Tonga defeated Team Filthy in a good match to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships. Going into their high stakes clash at Wrestling Dontaku, KENTA was finally able to get one up on Tom Lawlor, ending their 100+ day reign as NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The match came to an end after Lawlor locked KENTA in the Rear Naked Choke. Somehow, KENTA was able to escape the hold and took the fight to Lawlor! Coughlin tagged himself in, but was immediately met with a roundhouse kick from KENTA for his troubles. KENTA then hit Coughlin with the Go To Sleep for the win and the gold. Lawlor was able to escape with the IWGP United States Championship though. (82/B)

-Jeff Cobb defeated United Empire's Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey in a good two-on-one handicap match. Bailey & Akira had enough of Cobb destroying their friends and Cobb was more than happy to take on both of them tonight in Kawasaki. Akira & Bailey took the fight to Cobb, mostly using their impressive variety of high-flying attacks. Cobb was able to gain control though thanks to his strength, throwing both men around like ragdolls on a few occasions. Cobb lost control near the end due to a well-timed spin kick from Bailey, which allowed Akira to hit Cobb with a diving double foot stomp. However, when Akira went for the Fireball, Cobb caught him and hit him with the Tour of the Islands! Cobb then made the cover and got the three. (77/B)

 

MAIN EVENT:

IWGP Tag Team Championship/Tomohiro Ishii Retirement Match:

 VS 

DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) (C) vs CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano)
DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) in a good match to close the show. This one was emotional folks. Ishii & Yano fought valiantly to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles and on a few occasions, Ishii nearly got the win thanks to his raw power. As the match went on, more and more members of the NJPW roster made their way to ringside. This culminated when Ishii lifted up Shota for the BRAINBUSTAH!!!! The crowd audibly gasped, but Shota was able to knee his way out of it and hit Ishii with the DEATH RIDER DDT (albeit landing awkwardly on his ankle once again). Shota then made the cover and got the three to end Ishii's career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the match, the crowd chanted "ISHII! ISHII! ISHII!" as Ishii started crying. Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the rest of CHAOS entered the ring and hugged the 'Stone Pitbull.' Ishii's old Great Bash Heel teammates Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan soon joined and even Ishii's old rival Tiger Mask IV joined in on the festivities. After that wrapped up, Ishii took off his boots, left them in the ring, and bowed one last time to the crowd. Ishii then went backstage, officially ending the career of Tomohiro Ishii.

FINAL GRADE:

[Uncrewed]

UPDATE! We're not dead! Haven't really had time to write over the past week thanks to IRL work stuff (it's the holidays so everything's ramping up recently). Should have the preview for Wrestling Dontaku up by the end of the week and the show should be up by this time next week.

 

Already looking to the Best of Super Juniors though, have some interesting participants from around the world coming over for that!

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2023 Preview

 

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

 VS 

Will Ospreay (C) vs Jeff Cobb

These two men were as close as brothers during their time in United Empire, but something snapped in Jeff Cobb after he lost his NEVER Openweight Championship match against Zack Sabre Jr. at the New Beginning in Osaka back in February. Ever since then, Cobb has just been an unstoppable monster, taking his aggression out on nearly every member of the NJPW roster, from injuring Hiromu Takahashi (who's still out of action!) to even taking out members of United Empire. Eventually, Will Ospreay had enough and gave Cobb what he wanted, another shot at the NEVER Openweight Championship. Will Cobb's monstrous path of destruction continue? Or will it be stopped by Will Ospreay?

 

 

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

 VS 

DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) (C) vs Aussie Open

These two teams have developed one of the most heated tag team feuds in recent New Japan history, with these two feuding as far back as December of last year. Aussie Open almost handed Shota & Karl their first tag team loss in the World Tag League last year and almost took the IWGP Tag Team Titles from them at Royal Quest a few months ago. Now they get one more opportunity to hand DEATH RIDERS their first loss and end their reign as IWGP Tag Team Champions in Fukuoka!

 

 

IWGP United States Championship Match:

 VS 

KENTA (C) vs 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor

Lawlor managed to eliminate KENTA back in the New Japan Cup this year and ever since then, he's been demanding a shot at the IWGP United States Championship. KENTA eventually gave it to him, but Lawlor decided to respond to that by stealing the physical IWGP United States Championship! KENTA hasn't gotten his title back yet, but he did get a modicum of revenge when he, David Finlay, & Tama Tonga won the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles from Team Filthy on the recent Golden Fight Series Tour! Will KENTA get his gold back once and for all? Or will Tom Lawlor become the official holder of the IWGP United States Championship?

 

 

Other Matches:

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Six or Nine

 

Grudge Match:

Bandido vs Ryu Lee

 

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & YOH) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI)

 

Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & Lance Archer) vs Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima

 

All that and more live from the Fukuoka PayPay Dome and exclusively on NJPW World!

 

 

Prediction Key:

 

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Will Ospreay (C) vs Jeff Cobb

Comments: 

 

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

DEATH RIDERS (C) vs Aussie Open

Comments: 

 

IWGP United States Championship Match:

KENTA (C) vs 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor

Comments: 

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Six or Nine

Comments: 

 

Grudge Match:

Bandido vs Ryu Lee

Comments: 

 

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & YOH) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI)

Comments: 

 

Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & Lance Archer) vs Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima

Comments: 

[MidKnightDreary]

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Will Ospreay (C) vs Jeff Cobb

Comments: 

Cobb is unstoppable, Will can build to a bigger title match.

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

DEATH RIDERS (C) vs Aussie Open

Comments: 

 

IWGP United States Championship Match:

KENTA (C) vs 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor

Comments: 

Filthy style isn't strong enough for KENTA

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Six or Nine

Comments: 

I actually paired these guys in my own NJPW save, eerie.

Grudge Match:

Bandido vs Ryu Lee

Comments: 

 

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & YOH) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI)

Comments: 

 

Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & Lance Archer) vs Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima

Comments: 

[Big Roguey]

Large Geoffrey Cobb will simply eat Will Ospreay and spare us all.

[Uncrewed]

On 12/19/2022 at 2:01 PM, Big Roguey said:

Large Geoffrey Cobb will simply eat Will Ospreay and spare us all.

Cobb simply eating Ospreay was the original planned ending of this dynasty before I came up with any more ideas /s

 

Wrestling Dontaku will be up tomorrow folks!

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku- May 3rd, 2023
Attendance: 25,000 at Fukuoka PayPay Dome (Fukuoka, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

Wrestling Dontaku kicked off with a video package hyping up the card for the night. We have four big title matches with major implications for the future of NJPW, so it's sure to be a go-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suddenly, the lights went out! The crowd reacted in confusion, but that confusion soon turned into astonishment when three letters appeared on the video screen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

R N Я

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYhUzl6Y-dk&ab_channel=Mysteryman07%27sWXFWWrestlingChannel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT'S PRINCE DEVITT! HE'S BACK IN NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING!!!

Devitt walked out with a microphone as the Fukuoka crowd went wild. Devitt then entered the ring and said four simple words...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Prince is BACK!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devitt then threw up the "too sweet," hit his pose, and walked back to the locker room, telling the camera on the way back that the Bullet Club is back on top!

 

VS

Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & Lance Archer) vs Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima
After that stunning return, we went right into our opening contest of the evening, a battle between the leaders of Sabre-gun and the young lions. Sabre, Taichi, & Archer completely dominated this match, with Archer especially destroying the young lions. Oiwa did almost get a small package win over Archer, though Archer kicked out at two. Archer responded in-kind by hitting Oiwa with the Blackout to get the win for Sabre-gun. Afterwards, Nakashima berated the other two young lions, telling them they're nothing more than dojo rejects!
WINNERS: Sabre-gun

 

VS

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & YOH) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI)
These two groups have been feuding for the past while, with the feud getting a lot more intense over the last few weeks. It eventually culminated with BUSHI managing to score a shock win over YOH during a tag team match, earning himself a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship! This match was a good match and the crowd was split between both groups. YOH and BUSHI started things off with a collar and elbow tie-up, in which BUSHI was able to take YOH to the ground with a solid chain wrestling display, which culminated with a drop toe hold and a standing double foot stomp from BUSHI. BUSHI then ran off the ropes and hit YOH with a diving senton before picking him up and hitting him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. BUSHI then threw YOH into the corner and attempted a Yakuza Kick, but YOH rolled out of the way and hit him with an enzuigiri. YOH then hit BUSHI with a discus elbow before smashing his next challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship with a spinning heel kick. YOH then whipped BUSHI into his corner and tagged out to Nakamura. Nakamura played to the crowd for a bit before hitting BUSHI with some "good vibrations" in the corner. Nakamura then threw BUSHI off the ropes and hit him with a big boot before locking the LIJ junior heavyweight in an Indian Death Lock! BUSHI was able to reach the ropes though and as Nakamura broke the hold and looked to get it back in, BUSHI caught him by surprise with a kip up hurricanrana! BUSHI then tagged out to Shingo Takagi, who hit Nakamura with a massive lariat. Shingo then scooped up Nakamura and hit him with a powerslam. The match came to an end when Shingo attempted the Last of the Dragon, but Nakamura ducked it and hit Shingo with a spinning back suplex! Nakamura then tagged out to Okada and Shingo tagged out to Naito. These two stars tore into each other, with Okada getting the upper hand with a back elbow smash. Okada then threw Naito into the corner, ran to the opposite corner and hit his pose. However, before Okada could go for whatever he was going for, YOH tagged himself in and hit Naito with a Yakuza Kick! YOH then tried locking Naito in the Stargazer, but Naito kicked him away and hit him with a spinning heel kick. Naito then scooped up YOH and hit him with the Destino! Naito made the cover and got the three to claim group supremacy for LIJ.
WINNERS: Los Ingobernables de Japon

 

 

 VS 
Bandido vs Ryu Lee
These two men entered New Japan Pro-Wrestling at around the same time last year, with the two men first teaming up at the Best of Super Juniors Final in a shocking win over Six or Nine to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships! After that, Bandido & Lee destroyed every team that stood in their way, all while professing the superiority of lucha libre. However, things took a turn for the worse after they lost the titles at Wrestle Kingdom this year. The team went on a long losing streak, nearly losing to the young lions at one point! Things looked to be turning around when they fought Six or Nine for the number one contender's spot, but that went down in flames at Hyper Battle. Afterwards, Ryu Lee turned on Bandido, calling him a disgrace to lucha libre, and now Bandido wants some revenge! This match was a great match and the crowd was solidly behind Bandido. Bandido didn't even wait for the bell to ring, as he ambushed Lee as he was making his entrance by hitting him with a suicide dive! Bandido threw Lee headfirst into the ring post before throwing him into the ring to start the match. Bandido hit Lee with a running high knee before throwing him in the corner and choking him with his boot. Referee Marty Asami broke the hold up, which allowed Lee to catch him with a superkick. Lee then threw Bandido into the corner, ran to the opposite corner, and hit him with a running double knee smash! Lee then made the cover, but Bandido kicked out at two. Lee scooped up Bandido and hit him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Lee then went to the top rope and attempted a Phoenix Splash, but Bandido rolled out of the way and hit Lee with a shotgun dropkick! Lee recoiled into the corner, but when Bandido tried grabbing him, Lee slipped out of the ring. Lee tried to recover on the outside, but Bandido decided to stop that by running off the ropes and hitting Lee with a corkscrew plancha! The match came to an end when Bandido threw Lee back in the ring, got the apron, and tried hitting Lee with some sort of springboard maneuver, but that was stopped by...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A masked man tripping him up!

The commentary team quickly identified the man as Dralistico, the brother of Ryu Lee! Bandido got slammed headfirst on the ring apron, which allowed Ryu Lee to scoop him up and hit him with the Desnucadora! Lee then covered his former friend and got the three. Afterwards, Lee & Dralistico shared a hug and a fist bump over a fallen Bandido. As medics tended to Bandido, Lee went over to him and took his mask off! Bandido quickly scrambled to cover his face as officials brought him a towel. Lee & Dralistico posed with the stolen mask as medics continued to treat Bandido.
WINNER: Ryu Lee

 

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

 VS 
United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Six or Nine
Six or Nine were the 69th IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, losing it to Bandido & Ryu Lee. Bandido & Lee, in turn, lost the titles to the current champs, Akira & Bailey. Now, after winning a number one contender's match, Six or Nine are looking to win back the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships once and for all! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Six or Nine. Master Wato and Mike Bailey kicked things off with a bit of chain wrestling, which culminated in Wato hitting Bailey with a belly to belly suplex that sent Bailey flying across the ring. Wato then hit Bailey with a running knee drop before scooping him up and hitting him with a powerslam. Wato then went to the apron and attempted a springboard lariat, but Bailey rolled out of the way and hit Wato with an enzuigiri. Bailey then ran to the corner, jumped off the middle turnbuckle, and hit Wato with a flying back elbow smash. Bailey then tagged out to Akira and hit Wato with a spinning heel kick before Akira hit Wato with a moonsault from the top rope. Akira then hit Wato with a spinning sidewalk slam before picking him back up and attempting the Akirasault. That failed as Wato reversed it into a hurricanrana! Wato then hit Akira with a spinning wheel kick before tagging out to Taguchi. Taguchi got the funky times going with a flying hip attack that sent Akira crashing to the outside. Taguchi then went to the top rope and hit Akira with a diving splash to the outside! Taguchi and Akira eventually got back in the ring, with Taguchi trying to catch Akira with another flying hip attack. That failed though, as Akira rolled out of the way and Taguchi went flying ass-first into the corner. The match came to an end when Akira hit a cornered Taguchi with a stiff superkick that nearly knocked Taguchi unconcious. Akira then tagged out to Bailey, who went up to the top rope and hit Taguchi with the Ultima Weapon! As that was happening, Akira ran off the ropes and took himself & Wato out with a suicide dive/spear combination! Bailey then made the cover and got the three to retain the gold for United Empire!
WINNERS: United Empire

 

 

IWGP United States Championship Match:

 VS 
KENTA (C) vs Tom Lawlor
Lawlor managed to eliminate KENTA back in the New Japan Cup this year and ever since then, he's been demanding a shot at the IWGP United States Championship. KENTA eventually gave it to him, but Lawlor decided to respond to that by stealing the physical IWGP United States Championship! KENTA hasn't gotten his title back yet, but he did get a modicum of revenge when he, David Finlay, & Tama Tonga won the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles from Team Filthy on the recent Golden Fight Series Tour! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind KENTA. KENTA started this match off hot, blasting Lawlor with a big forearm smash and quickly following it up with a stiff roundhouse kick! Lawlor fell to his knees, so KENTA decided to run off the ropes and hit Lawlor with a running big boot! KENTA made the cover, but Lawlor kicked out at two. KENTA then ran over to the corner and tried hitting Lawlor with the Busaiku Knee Kick, but Lawlor rolled out of the ring at the last second. As Lawlor regrouped on the outside, KENTA sent him crashing over the ringside barricade with a suicide dive! KENTA then threw Lawlor back in the ring and attempted a Penalty Kick, but Lawlor rolled out of the way and took KENTA down with a lariat. Lawlor then started working over KENTA's left knee, stomping the living daylights out of it before locking KENTA in a kneebar. KENTA was eventually able to reach the ropes, but was quickly hit with three consecutive German suplexes from Lawlor. Lawlor then threw KENTA into the corner and blasted him with a knife edge chop that reverberated throughout the Fukuoka PayPay Dome. Lawlor then tried locking KENTA in the Rear Naked Choke, but he was never fully able to get it in and KENTA was able to escape out of it by kicking himself off of the middle rope, leaping over Lawlor, and hitting him with a forearm smash to the back of the head! KENTA then threw Lawlor into the corner, ran to the opposite corner, and hit Lawlor with a running high knee! The match came to an end when KENTA hit a pose in the corner and tried hitting Lawlor with the Busaiku Knee Kick, but Lawlor dodged it and locked KENTA in the Rear Naked Choke! KENTA flailed wildly for the ropes and almost got to them, but Lawlor dragged him back to the center of the ring and brought him down to the mat. Once Lawlor got the body scissors locked in, it was all but over for KENTA. The IWGP United States Champion refused to tap though, only losing thanks to him literally going unconscious! Referee Daichi Murayama saw KENTA's body go limp and called for the bell, making 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor the NEW IWGP United States Champion!
WINNER: Tom Lawlor

 

 

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

 VS 
DEATH RIDERS (Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks) (C) vs Aussie Open
These two teams have developed one of the most heated tag team feuds in recent New Japan history, with these two feuding as far back as December of last year. Aussie Open almost handed Shota & Karl their first tag team loss in the World Tag League last year and almost took the IWGP Tag Team Titles from them at Royal Quest a few months ago. Now they get one more opportunity to hand DEATH RIDERS their first loss and end their reign as IWGP Tag Team Champions tonight in Fukuoka! This match was a great match and the crowd was split between both teams. Shota Umino and Kyle Fletcher started things off with a collar and elbow tie-up, which eventually culminated with a jumping knee from Fletcher that sent Shota crashing into the corner. Fletcher then ran to the opposite corner and hit him with a running big boot. Fletcher then went to the apron and attempted a springboard forearm smash, but Shota dodged it and hit Fletcher with a lariat. Shota then launched Fletcher across the ring with a release belly to belly suplex. A staggered Fletcher stumbled into his corner, where Mark Davis tagged himself in. Davis smashed Shota with a big boot before launching him across the ring with a German suplex. Shota quickly tagged out to Karl Fredericks and the two respective big men of each team started tearing into each other. Fredericks eventually got the upper hand thanks to a big headbutt that sent Davis crashing to the outside. Fredericks followed Davis to the outside and the two men began brawling around the ringside area. Shota joined in, helping Fredericks against Davis. Suddenly, all three of them got taken out by a springboard moonsault from Kyle Fletcher! Eventually, Davis and Fredericks got back in the ring, where they tagged back out to their respective partners. Fletcher got the upper hand initially thanks to a shotgun dropkick to Shota, but Shota quickly regained control thanks to a well-timed reversal of a powerslam from Fletcher. Shota threw Fletcher into the corner and hit him with a rapid-fire barrage of knife edge chops, culminating with an enzuigiri to the side of Fletcher's head. The match came to an end when Shota went to the top rope and attempted a diving double axe handle, but Fletcher rolled out of the way at the last second, leading to Shota landing awkwardly on his already-injured ankle. This allowed Fletcher to hit Shota with a superkick and tag out to Davis. The two men then hit Shota with the Coriolis!!! Fletcher took out Fredericks with a springboard dropkick as Davis made the cover...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3!

Aussie Open have won the IWGP Tag Team Championships! Not only that but DEATH RIDERS have suffered their first loss since making their NJPW debut last year! Fletcher & Davis tearfully celebrated their victory as medical officials checked out Shota's ankle.
WINNERS: Aussie Open

 

After that hard-fought match, we cut to a video hyping up our main event of the evening, the NEVER Openweight Championship match between Will Ospreay & Jeff Cobb. The video shows how these two men were as close as brothers during their time in United Empire, but something snapped in Jeff Cobb after he lost his NEVER Openweight Championship match against Zack Sabre Jr. at the New Beginning in Osaka back in February. Ever since then, Cobb has just been an unstoppable monster, taking his aggression out on nearly every member of the NJPW roster, from injuring Hiromu Takahashi (who's still out of action!) to even taking out members of United Empire. Eventually, Will Ospreay had enough and gave Cobb what he wanted, another shot at the NEVER Openweight Championship. Will Cobb's monstrous path of destruction continue? Or will it be stopped by Will Ospreay? We're about to find out!

 

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

 VS 
Will Ospreay (C) vs Jeff Cobb
This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Ospreay. Ospreay started things off by trying to take down Cobb with the OsCutter, but Cobb caught him and launched him across the ring with a German suplex. Cobb smashed Ospreay into the corner with a body avalanche before launching him across the ring with a release belly to belly suplex. Cobb then hit Ospreay with a military press slam and quickly followed it up with a running senton. Cobb tried to finish things early with the Tour of the Islands, but Ospreay wiggled out of it and hit Cobb with a superkick. Ospreay then went to the apron and hit Cobb with a springboard lariat, which got Cobb to one knee. Ospreay then ran off the ropes and hit Cobb with the Hidden Blade to take him down! Ospreay made the cover, but Cobb kicked out at two. Ospreay tried to hit Cobb with another Hidden Blade, but Cobb rolled out of the way and hit Ospreay with a lariat that sent the champ flying inside-out. Cobb then hit Ospreay with three consecutive German suplexes, a la Eddie Guerrero, before hitting him with a running powerslam. Cobb made the cover, but Ospreay kicked out at two. Cobb once again went for the Tour of the Islands, but Ospreay reversed this one into a tornado DDT that landed Cobb right on his head! A dazed Cobb stumbled to his feet, only to be met with an OsCutter from Ospreay! Ospreay then ran off the ropes and hit the Guamanian powerhouse with the Hidden Blade! Ospreay made the cover...

 

1!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NO!

 

Jeff Cobb kicks out at two! A frustrated Ospreay tried hitting Cobb with the StormBreaker, but Cobb reversed it into an exploder suplex that sent Ospreay crashing into the corner. A dazed Ospreay stumbled out of the corner right into the Tour of the Islands from Jeff Cobb!!! Cobb made the cover...

1!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3!

Jeff Cobb has won the NEVER Openweight Championship in convincing fashion! Cobb grabbed the title from referee Red Shoes and unleashed a primal roar of celebration. Meanwhile, medics tended to Will Ospreay on the outside, who was coughing up blood. Cobb stood tall in the middle of the ring as Wrestling Dontaku came to a close.

 

WINNER: Jeff Cobb

FINAL GRADE: 

Popularity: Increased in 22 Regions

[MidKnightDreary]

MONSTER COBB

[Blodyxe]

Lawlor shall be the greatest US champ of all time

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Post-Show Press Conference:

 

Prince Devitt (in English): "What did oi tell ya? Da Bullet Club is back and betta than ever! Y'know, the dicks who threw me out originally are too busy, y'know, *Devitt makes a jerkoff motion in the air* over in America, so when oi called up Jay and asked if he wanted to take over Japan together, he was more than happy oblige!"

 

Jay White (in English): "That's exactly right man, with the two of us together and the rest of Bullet Club in tow, there's nobody and nothing that can stop the Bullet Club from reclaiming the top spot in New Japan Pro-Wrestling!:

 

Devitt: "Because Jay, as we all know, when you're Bullet Club, you're Bullet Club...

 

Both: "FOR LIFE!"

 

 

Tetsuya Naito: "First of all, props to CHAOS, it was good to be back in the ring with Nakamura tonight. But that's the past, now I'm focused on one thing and one thing only...

 

HIROSHI TANAHASHI!

 

You have something I want, that IWGP World Heavyweight Championship! Y'know last year, I nearly won that title here in Fukuoka and now I'm calling my shot, at Dominion next month, LIJ will take back the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and end your little midlife crisis in the process!"

 

 

Ryu Lee (in Spanish): "BANDIDO! I told you that you were a disgrace to the art of Lucha Libre and tonight proved that 100% percent! And to all you uncultured swine who don't know who this man next to me is, this is my brother Dralistico! My brother taught me everything I needed to know about Lucha Libre so he knows better than anyone about what true Lucha Libre looks like and how it's THE highest form of sport. Now, If you need us, the Best of Super Juniors is coming up and we're looking forward to show these pendejos in attendance what real wrestling looks like."

 

 

'Filthy' Tom Lawlor (in English): "WOOOOOOOOOO! AMERICA'S CHAMP CHAMP HAS ARRIVED IN NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING BABY! KENTA, I TOLD YA BABY, YOU CANNOT STOP TEAM FILTHY, YOU CANNOT STOP FILTHY TOM! NEXT TIME YOU BOYS SEE ME, IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE APOLLO CREED BABY, SPARKLERS, FIREWORKS, AMERICA DAMN IT! WOOOOOOO!!!!"

 

 

Jeff Cobb (in English): NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING! YOU'VE AWOKEN A MONSTER THAT CANNOT BE STOPPED! I CAN'T STOP AND WON'T STOP UNTIL EVERYONE IN NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING FEELS THE WRATH OF THE GODS!!!"

[Uncrewed]

BEST OF SUPER JUNIORS 30 PARTICIPANTS PREVIEW:

 

BLOCK A:

Bullet Club/IMPACT Wrestling

'Inevitable' ACE AUSTIN

 

Accomplishments:

IMPACT X-Division Championship- 4x

Making his 2nd Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

BANDIDO

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his 3rd Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon

BUSHI

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 1x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his 11th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

Sabre-gun

EL DESPERADO

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 2x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 2x

Making his 7th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

GLEAT/Strong Hearts

EL LINDAMAN

 

Accomplishments:

AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his Best of Super Juniors debut

 

Bullet Club

EL PHANTASMO

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 3x

Super J Cup- 2x (2019, 2020)

Making his 3rd Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

United Empire

'Fireball' FRANCESCO AKIRA

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

AJPW Junior Heavyweight Championship- 1x

Making his 2nd Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

'Grandmaster' MASTER WATO

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his 4th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

ACE Entertainment

'The Bastard' PAC

 

Accomplishments:

Open the Dream Gate Championship- 1x

Making his 2nd Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

Bullet Club

'Murder Machine' SHO

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 1x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 5x

Best of Super Juniors Winner 2022

Making his 6th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

 

BLOCK B:

 

Bullet Club/IMPACT Wrestling

'The Ultimate Finesser' CHRIS BEY

 

Accomplishments:

IMPACT X-Division Championship- 1x

Making his Best of Super Juniors debut

 

DRALISTICO

 

Accomplishments:

CMLL World Welterweight Championship- 1x

CMLL World Tag Team Championship- 1x

AAA World Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his Best of Super Juniors debut

 

New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America

MASCARA DORADA

 

Accomplishments: 

CMLL World Welterweight Championship- 4x

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his 4th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

United Empire

'Speedball' MIKE BAILEY

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his Best of Super Juniors debut

 

CHAOS

ROBBIE EAGLES

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 1x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his 5th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

RYU LEE

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 1x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 1x

Making his 5th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

'Funky Weapon' RYUSUKE TAGUCHI

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 2x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 7x

Best of Super Juniors Winner 2012

Making his 20th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

STRONG MACHINE J

 

Accomplishments:

Son of the legendary Super Strong Machine

Making his Best of Super Juniors debut

 

Bullet Club

'Bone Soldier' TAIJI ISIHIMORI

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 2x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 3x

Making his 7th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

CHAOS

'Stargazer' YOH

 

Accomplishments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- 1x

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- 5x

Making his 6th Best of Super Juniors appearance

 

 

 

The 30th Best of Super Juniors kicks off May 14th in Nagoya exclusively on NJPW World, don't miss it!

[MidKnightDreary]

Hell yeah. Hope the Impact imports don't tank your ratings like they did mine

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Best of Super Juniors 2023 Night One- May 14th, 2023
Attendance: 5,000 at Nagoya Civic General Gymnasium (Nagoya, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger

 

-Block A Match: Master Wato defeated BUSHI in a good match to kick things off tonight in Nagoya. Wato's looking to break out with a solid performance in the Best of Super Juniors this year and he got off on the right foot with a solid win over the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion BUSHI tonight. After about 14 minutes, Wato was able to finish off BUSHI with the RPP to win the first match of the 2023 Best of Super Juniors. (76/B-)

-Block A Match: Bandido defeated El Lindaman in a great match. Bandido's looking to get some revenge following his loss to Ryu Lee at Wrestling Dontaku and poor El Lindaman was the one he was going to take his anger out on tonight. That's not to dismiss Lindaman though, as he kept pace with the high-flying Bandido for nearly the entire contest. Bandido was able to put Lindaman away with the devastating 21Plex in just under 15 minutes and afterwards called out Ryu Lee & Dralistico. (83/B+)

-Block A Match: SHO defeated Ace Austin in a good match. The defending Best of Super Juniors winner got his quest for back-to-back BOSJ wins off to a good start with a solid win over the newest member of Bullet Club tonight in Nagoya. Ace Austin was suprisingly able to keep up with the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion though, nearly hitting him with his finisher, The Fold (Running Corkscrew Neckbreaker). However, SHO was able to dodge it and hit Austin with the Shock Arrow to get the win. (79/B)

-Block A Match: El Desperado defeated El Phantasmo in a good match. This Sabre-gun vs Bullet Club battle saw the devious Desperado emerge on top tonight, albeit despite a lot of cheating and underhanded tactics from Phantasmo. Hell, Phantasmo nearly got the win thanks to the CR2, but Despy reversed it into the Pinche Loco! Despy made the cover shortly thereafter to secure the win. (75/B-)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Block A Match: PAC vs Francesco Akira
PAC defeated Francesco Akira in a good match to close the show. In Akira's first year in NJPW, he's had a great run, but the veteran PAC was still too much for the United Empire tonight in Nagoya. This one was very back-and-forth, with Akira nearly getting the win on a few occasions. However, when he attempted the Fireball and missed, that was the opening that PAC needed. PAC quickly locked Akira in the Brutalizer, which eventually forced Akira to tap out.

FINAL GRADE: 

 

 

Best of Super Juniors 30 Post-Night One Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Best of Super Juniors 2023 Night Two- May 16th, 2023
Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger

-Block B Match: Strong Machine J defeated Chris Bey in a good match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. The Bullet Club's Bey didn't really take Strong Machine J seriously here, with him cockily taunting Strong Machine and even playing to the crowd more than paying attention to the match. That came back to bite Bey when Strong Machine blasted Bey with a running lariat. Strong Machine then finished off Bey with the Devil Windmill Suplex II to get the win. (72/B-)

-Block B Match: Dralistico defeated Robbie Eagles in a decent match. The newest addition to NJPW's junior heavyweight division put on a lucha libre showcase tonight in Tokyo, taking down Eagles with a series of high-flying moves and slick technical wrestling moves. In the end, Dralistico finished off Eagles by making him tap to his finisher, La Drastica (Tilt-a-whirl Headscissors into Fujiwara Armbar), after about 14 minutes. (71/C+)

-Block B Match: Mascara Dorada defeated Ryusuke Taguchi in a decent match. Dorada, making his first NJPW appearnace in over seven years, put on a great show for the Tokyo crowd, showing off his lucha libre abilities to amazement from the crowd. Taguchi kept himself in the match thanks to some well-timed hip attacks, but it just wasn't enough to defeat Dorada. Dorada finished off Taguchi with the Dorada Screwdriver (Samoan Driver) after about 15 minutes. (70/C+)

-Block B Match: Ryu Lee defeated Taiji Ishimori in a good match. Ryu Lee is probably the hottest person in NJPW right now when it comes to momentum and that hot streak continued tonight in Tokyo with a good win over Taiji Ishimori. Ishimori did keep up with Lee for most of the match though, but Lee was just too much for the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and finished Ishimori off with the Desnucadora after about 16 minutes of action. (75/B-)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Block B Match: YOH vs Mike Bailey
YOH defeated Mike Bailey in a good match to close the show. 'Speedball' took the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion to the limit tonight in Tokyo, with YOH nearly falling victim to the Ultima Weapon on a few occasions. YOH was able to regain control near the end of the match though, with the champ locking Bailey in the Stargazer! Bailey managed to escape and hit YOH with a spin kick, but his leg started giving out as he went to the top rope to hit the Ultima Weapon. YOH took advantage of this by running up the turnbuckle and hitting Bailey with a superplex! YOH then locked Bailey in the Stargazer and eventually Bailey had no choice but to tap out. 

FINAL GRADE:

 

Best of Super Juniors 30 Post-Night Two Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Best of Super Juniors 2023 Night Three- May 17th, 2023
Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger

-Block A Match: BUSHI defeated El Lindaman in a good match to kick things off. BUSHI's made up for his loss to Master Wato to kick off the tournament with a solid win over GLEAT's El Lindaman. Lindaman did get some good offense in though, obviously not enough to take out the LIJ junior heavyweight. In the end, BUSHI was able to get Lindaman with the MX to get the win. (78/B)

-Block A Match: Ace Austin defeated Francesco Akira in a good match. IMPACT's top X-Division wrestler over the last few years got a surprising win tonight over one half of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. This can mostly be chalked up to some well-timed underhanded tactics that included a thumb to the eye and a low blow! As Akira was recovering from that low blow, Austin was able to hit him with The Fold to get the win. (78/B)

-Block A Match: SHO defeated El Phantasmo in a great match. SHO's quest for back-to-back Best of Super Juniors wins continued on the right path tonight with a solid win in this battle of Bullet Club junior heavyweights. The two's shared team didn't stop things from becoming a bit physical, with SHO hitting Phantasmo with a stiff forearm smash followed by a big Shock Arrow to get the win. Afterwards the two Bullet Club members almost came to blows, but Prince Devitt came down to the ring and brokered peace between the two men. (84/B+)

-Block A Match: Bandido defeated El Desperado in a decent match. It seems as if Bandido cannot catch a break with masked wrestlers coming after him as now it was Despy's turn to take a bite out of Bandido. Despy and Bandido tore into each other for nearly 17 minutes, with Despy gaining control near the end with a big tornado DDT. Despy then went to finish things off with the Pinche Loco, but Bandido was able to somehow reverse it into a Canadian Destroyer! One 21-Plex later and it was all over for Despy. (69/C+)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Block A Match: PAC vs Master Wato
Master Wato defeated PAC in a good match to close the show. PAC had his way with the young Wato for most of the match, toying with him and trying to intentionally prolong his suffering. Wato did have his moments of hope though, including one where he somehow managed to wiggle out of the Brutalizer and hit PAC with a spinning heel kick! That was short-lived as a well-timed roundhouse kick from PAC gave him back control. In the end, PAC teased locking Wato in the Brutalizer, but instead went to the top rope to attempt the Black Arrow (Corkscrew Shooting Star Press). That failed as Wato was able to roll out of the way at the last second! As PAC groggily got up, Wato charged at him and rolled him up in a small package for the three! An enraged PAC tried going after Wato, but he bolted up the ramp before PAC even had a chance to get him.

FINAL GRADE:

 

Best of Super Juniors 30 Post-Night Three Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Best of Super Juniors 2023 Night Four- May 18th, 2023
Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger

-Block B Match: Strong Machine J defeated Mascara Dorada in a good match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. Strong Machine J continued his good start to his BOSJ debut with a solid win over Mascara Dorada. Dorada's downfall came when he went to the apron and attempted a springboard hurricanrana. That was caught by Strong Machine J, who hit Dorada with a big spinning sitout powerbomb! Strong Machine J then scooped up Dorada and hit him with the Devil Windmill Suplex II to get the win. (77/B)

-Block B Match: Chris Bey defeated Mike Bailey in a good match. Bey completed the two-day Bullet Club sweep of Akira & Bailey with a bit of a sneaky win over 'Speedball' tonight in Tokyo. After about 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, Bailey went for a spin kick that was blocked and reversed with a thumb to the eye! Bey then hit Bailey with his finisher, the Final Finesse (Spinning Back Hook Kick), to get the win. Afterwards, Bey & Ace Austin made their intentions clear, they wanted a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship! (72/B-)

-Block B Match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Ryusuke Taguchi in a decent match. Bullet Club continued their good night with Ishimori picking up a nice win over Ryusuke Taguchi. Taguchi's ass-based offense actually worked surprisingly well tonight, seeming to fluster Ishimori on more than a few occasions. In the end, Ishimori got his head straight, countered Taguchi, and hit him with the Bloody Cross to get the win. (70/C+)

-Block B Match: Ryu Lee defeated Robbie Eagles in a good match. Lee made some interesting comments during last night's post-show press conference, threatening to walk away from NJPW and join a promotion that truly values Lucha Libre. Weirdness aside, he showed tonight why he's still one of the best junior heavyweights in the world today despite him being a bit of a jackass. Lee finished off Eagles with the Desnucadora after about 16 minutes. (80/B)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Block B Match: YOH vs Dralistico
YOH defeated Dralistico in a good match to close the show. Dralistico surprisingly nearly had the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion beat on a few occasions tonight in Tokyo, with YOH nearly falling victim to La Drastica on a few occasions. However, YOH managed to break out of the hold before Dralistico could fully wrench it in and reversed La Drastica into the Stargazer! Dralistico clawed for the ropes, but YOH managed to drag him back to the center of the ring, where Dralistico had no choice but to tap out!

FINAL GRADE:

 

Best of Super Juniors 30 Post-Night Four Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Best of Super Juniors 2023 Night Five- May 20th, 2023
Attendance: 2,700 at Sendai Sun Plaza (Sendai, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger

-Block A Match: Master Wato defeated Ace Austin in a decent match to kick things off. Wato continued his surprisingly good start to the Best of Super Juniors with a win over a man who's also had a surprisingly decent start to the tournament in Ace Austin. Austin did control most of the match thanks to some well-timed cheap shots, but he lost control near the end and fell victim to the RPP after about 13 minutes. (71/C+)

-Block A Match: El Desperado defeated El Lindaman in a good match. It's just not been a good start to the tournament for Lindaman, who just hasn't been able to get anything going so far. It was more of the same tonight in Sendai as Despy was able to keep one step ahead of Lindaman for all 14 minutes of this contest. In the end, Despy hit Lindaman with the Pinche Loco to get the win. (78/B)

-Block A Match: PAC defeated El Phantasmo in a good match. PAC was a man on a mission tonight after losing in surprising fashion to Master Wato a few nights ago in Tokyo. ELP was just the poor victim tonight that stood in PAC's way, though he did get a little offense in. It obviously wasn't enough as PAC hit Phantasmo with the Black Arrow and quickly followed it by locking ELP in the Brutalizer to get the win after about 15 minutes. (82/B)

-Block A Match: Bandido defeated Francesco Akira in a good match. This one was probably one of the most fast-paced matches in recent NJPW history, with Bandido and Akira wowing the crowd with their high flying offense. Akira nearly got the win late in the match with a big superkick and quickly followed that up with the Akirasault. When that only got a two, Akira went to the top rope and attempted the Fireball, which missed and allowed Bandido hit him with the 21Plex to get the win. (79/B)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Block A Match: SHO vs BUSHI

SHO defeated BUSHI in a great match to close the show. This battle of Los Ingobernables and Bullet Club continued Bullet Club's hot start to the tournament with SHO picking up a solid win over the number one contender to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship BUSHI. BUSHI actually almost had the match won after nearly 18 minutes of back-and-forth action, but a missed MX allowed SHO to sneak up from behind him and hit him with the Shock Arrow to get the win. 

 

FINAL GRADE:

 

Best of Super Juniors 30 Post-Night Five Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Best of Super Juniors 2023 Night Six- May 21st, 2023
Attendance: 2,000 at New Aomori Prefecture Sports Park (Aomori, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger

-Block B Match: Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Robbie Eagles in a good match to kick things off tonight in Aomori. This one was pure comedy, with Taguchi and Eagles playing to the sold out crowd and one-upping each other with different sorts of shenanigans. In the end though, one man had to win and that was surprisingly Ryusuke Taguchi, who finished off Eagles with the Dodon (Chickenwing Facebuster) after about 12 minutes. (72/B-)

-Block B Match: Chris Bey defeated Mascara Dorada in a good match. The 'Ultimate Finesser' earned himself & Ace Austin a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles in his last go-around and this time he earned himself a win over a seasoned luchador in Mascara Dorada. Dorada did almost win on a few occasions, though that was quickly snuffed out by Bey's cheating. After about 14 minutes, Bey finished off Dorada with the Final Finesse to get the win. (78/B)

-Block B Match: Mike Bailey defeated Dralistico in a good match. After nearly defeating the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion YOH on Night Two and falling to Chris Bey on Night Four, Bailey finally picked up his first win of the Best of Super Juniors with a good win over the high-flying Dralistico. After just under 15 minutes, Bailey finished off Dralistico with the Ultima Weapon to get the win. (73/B-)

-Block B Match: Ryu Lee defeated Strong Machine J in a good match. Lee didn't really take Strong Machine J seriously, toying with him for most of the match. That came back to bite Lee in the ass though, as Strong Machine nearly got the win on a few occasions with an impressive variety of power moves. As Strong Machine J went to hit Lee with the Devil Windmill Suplex II, Lee managed to wiggle out of it by tearing at Strong Machine J's mask! Strong Machine dropped Lee, which allowed Lee to hit Strong Machine with the Desnucadora to get the win. Afterwards, Lee and Dralistico came back to the ring and tore Strong Machine J's mask up, calling him a disgrace. (75/B-)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Block B Match: YOH vs Taiji Ishimori
YOH defeated Taiji Ishimori in a good match to close the show. Taiji actually had the better of YOH for most of the match, surprisingly enough. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion really couldn't get anything going over Ishimori, who took YOH down with his technical wrestling and some well-timed cheap shots. That all changed after about 18 minutes when Ishimori looked to finish things off with the Bloody Cross. The failed as YOH reversed it by rolling Ishimori into the Stargazer! Ishimori clawed valiantly for the ropes, but eventually had no choice but to tap out.

FINAL GRADE:

 

Best of Super Juniors 30 Post-Night Six Standings:

[Uncrewed]

NJPW Best of Super Juniors 2023 Night Seven- May 23rd, 2023
Attendance: 4,000 at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (Osaka, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami, Milano Collection A.T., & Jushin Thunder Liger

-Block A Match: BUSHI defeated El Phantasmo in a good match to kick things off. BUSHI's really looking forward to his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match against YOH at Dominion and he's proving why he earned that opportunity in this tournament. He continued his decent start to the tournament with a solid win over the cocky Phantasmo after nailing ELP with the MX after 12 minutes. (75/B-)

-Block B Match: Dralistico defeated Chris Bey in a good match. The crowd wasn't really into this match, but that didn't stop Bey and Dralistico from giving it their all tonight in Osaka. Both men had chances to win, but it seemed like neither man could put the other away. That changed after about 12 minutes of action, when Dralistico managed to turn a hurricanrana into La Drastica! Bey scrambled for the ropes, but eventually had no choice to but tap out in order to avoid a broken arm. (80/B)

-Block A Match: Bandido defeated Ace Austin in a good match. Austin's plan in this match was simple, cheat as much as possible without getting disqualified. That nearly paid off, as Bandido couldn't really overcome Austin's cheating for most of the match. However, a missed cane shot allowed Bandido to hit Austin with a superkick and the 21Plex to get the win after nearly 13 minutes. (75/B-)

-Block B Match: Mike Bailey defeated Strong Machine J in a good match. Strong Machine J still wasn't at 100% following his tough fight against Ryu Lee a few days ago and that allowed Bailey to really take advantage tonight in Osaka. After about 14 minutes of back-and-forth action, Bailey hit Strong Machine with a stiff roundhouse kick and followed it up with the Ultima Weapon to get the win. (78/B)

-Block A Match: Francesco Akira defeated Master Wato in a good match. Wato suffered his first loss in the Best of Super Juniors tonight against the up-and-coming Akira, but that wasn't for a lack of trying. Both men gave their all tonight in Osaka and showed that the future of the junior heavyweight division was certainly in good hands. In the end, one man had to win and it ended up being Akira after hitting Wato with the Fireball after just under 15 minutes. (81/B)

-Block B Match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Robbie Eagles in a good match. Ishimori hasn't had the most exciting start to the 30th Best of Super Juniors, but he may have changed that tonight with a solid win over Robbie Eagles. Eagles kept up with Ishimori for most of the match, but just didn't have enough to beat him and after 14 minutes, he fell victim to the Bloody Cross. (79/B)

-Block A Match: PAC defeated El Lindaman in a great match. Lindaman's debut BOSJ hasn't necessarily gone to plan and that continued tonight in Osaka. It just seemed as if everything Lindaman attempted was met with a counter from ACE Entertainment's ace junior heavyweight. After about 14 minutes of action, PAC hit Lindaman with the Black Arrow and quickly followed things up by locking Lindaman in the Brutalizer to get the submission win. (85/B+)

-Block B Match: Ryu Lee defeated Ryusuke Taguchi in a good match. Lee didn't really take Taguchi seriously in this encounter, toying with the veteran Taguchi for nearly the entirety of the match. Lee actually hit Taguchi with the Desnucadora somewhat early, but wanted to inflict more damage on Taguchi, so he didn't go for a pin. That came back to bite Lee when he got hit with a flying hip attack that sent him crashing to the outside! As Taguchi went to grab Lee, Lee poked Taguchi in the eye! Lee then hit Taguchi with the Desnucadora to finish things off. (77/B)

-Block B Match: YOH defeated Mascara Dorada in a good match. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was pushed to his limit by the high-flying Dorada tonight in Osaka, with Dorada nearly getting the win on multiple occasions. YOH's attempts to get the upper hand failed, as Dorada always seemed one step ahead. That all changed when Dorada missed a springboard moonsault, which allowed YOH to quickly lock Dorada in the Stargazer! Dorada clawed for the ropes, but eventually had no choice but to tap out. (80/B)

 

MAIN EVENT:

 VS 

Block A Match: SHO vs El Desperado
SHO defeated El Desperado in a good match to close the show. This battle of NJPW's most sneaky junior heavyweights was surprisingly clean. SHO and Despy tore into each other for nearly 18 minutes, with the two men bloodying each other and SHO tearing into Despy's mask. Despy almost had the win near the end with the Pinche Loco, but SHO somehow managed to kick out at two! Despy's downfall happened when he attempted another Pinche Loco. That was reversed into the Shock Arrow from SHO, who pinned Despy shortly thereafter to pick up the win. The two men shared a fist bump of respect afterwards.

FINAL GRADE:

 

Best of Super Juniors 30 Post-Night Seven Standings: