PGHW - The Almanac

[Scottie]

CURRENT CHAMPIONS (AS AT AUGUST 2022)

GLORY CROWN

28th Champion
SEIJI JIMBO [2]

Entering his second reign as champion, Seiji Jimbo is enjoying perhaps the best run of his career thus far. His win at "Night of HONOUR" ended a year-long reign by Kozue Kawashima, who had finally given the Glory Crown some stability after it saw three different champions in quick succession.

After his first reign as Glory Crown Champion received mixed reviews, Jimbo will be keen to stamp his mark at the top of a crowded PGHW main event scene, with the likes of Bussho Makiguchi, Chojiro Kitoaji, Magnum Kobe and Masaru Ugaki chomping at his heels.

GLORY TAG CROWN

 

35th Champions
CHOJIRO KITOAJI [5] & EISAKU KUNOMASU

For the first time in his career, legendary tag team wrestler Chojiro Kitoaji finds himself holding the Glory Tag Crown without his long-time partner Bussho Makiguchi. This time, he's aligned with the veteran Eisaku Kunomasu who - inexplicably - is a first-time tag champion at the tender age of 51. Many expect this reign to be a short one, with Kitoaji clearly not destined to remain back in the tag division for long, but after a classic bout against Kobe and Satou at "Night of HONOUR" they will be keen to produce some excellent bouts.

INTERNATIONAL TITLE

23rd Champion
SATO

The Korean-Japanese wrestler is rising fast, after securing the International Title for the first time earlier this year. His win over Avalanche Takano put an end to Takano's disastrous reign as International Champion, and SATO immediately made his mark as a fighting champion with a successful defence against Akinori Kwakami. He's now due to face another legend, Masaru Ugaki, as he continues his rapid ascent up the card. To his credit, the fans are there every step of the way.

HISTORICAL JAPAN TITLE

44th Champion
AKIMA

Now in his 17th year as a professional wrestler, AKIMA continues to fly under the radar with his powerhouse style. After a strong reign as Historical Japan Tag Team Champion, AKIMA bested Avalanche Takano earlier this year to end the latter's brief reign as a dual champion. He's made three defences of the Historical Japan Title, though he's yet to find himself in a real feud over the belt. Backed up by Joey Fili and The Kiwi Crusher, the Pacific United leader will be looking to stamp his authority as a dominant champion in the second half of 2022.

HISTORICAL JAPAN TAG TEAM TITLES

 

3rd Champions
BISON YANO [2] & BRUTE KIKUCHI

Some expected Brute Kikuchi to be punished following his return from a brief, unsuccessful stint at BHOTWG, but the big man has barely put a foot wrong as he and long-time partner BISON Yano claimed the secondary tag team belts. The giant pairing are a formidable task for any team, and they look set to keep hold of the belts for the foreseeable - at least until they set their sights on a third reign as Glory Tag Crown Champions.

UNITED STATES

2nd Champion
KURT LARAMEE

The 46-year old "King of the Streets" was an odd choice for PGHW's American off-shoot, but he quickly established himself as one of the biggest names as he dethroned the inaugural champion Troy at PGHW USA "Raw Power" in July. The five-time SWF World Tag Team Champion departed his long-time employer in January, and has since started to rebuild his career on the US independents. He's hopeful of a stint in Japan as he winds down his career, but we can't see the PGHW powers that be being wildly interested in his services at this late time in his career (and given his limitations in the ring).

UNITED STATES JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT

2nd Champion
WARREN TECHNIQUE

The 37-year old has had an excellent stint in PGHW USA, and now finds himself holding two titles. Most recently, he won a four-way bout to dethrone the first champion Austin Smooth, and he has since defended the US Junior Heavyweight Title on three occasions. He's plainly no superstar, but the veteran is a solid hand capable of putting on good bouts.

UNITED STATES TAG TEAM

 

2nd Champions
GLORY MACHINE (LOGAN WOLFSBAINE & WARREN TECHNIQUE)

Known as Glory Machine, Logan Wolfsbaine & Warren Technique have made seven defences of the US Tag Team Titles since claiming them in November 2021. Their defences include some big names, too - the inaugural champions, The American Cobras; Ray Snow & Rob Reynolds; and former PGHW duo Iron Might (Danny Cavanagh & Timmy West).

ELITE SERIES

2022 Winner
SEIJI JIMBO [3]

Seiji Jimbo won the Elite Series for a third time in typically impressive style - besting both Chojiro Kitoaji and Kozue Kawashima in the same night. It was a performance that set up his run towards the Glory Crown at "Night of HONOUR" in August.

ELITE TAG SERIES

 

2021 Winners
THE FRONT (KAZUSHIGE MATSUKI & TETSUNORI YASUDA)

Kazushige Matsuki & Tetsunori Yasuda were a dominant pairing as Glory Tag Crown Champions, and they capped it off with a win in the Elite Tag Series by beating Yano & Kikuchi in the final. Unfortunately, Tetsunori Yasuda departed soon after to BHOTWG, where he has twice lost a BHOTWG World Championship match against Kinnojo Horri.

WINTER BATTLE

2022 Winner
HIROBUMI TAKIMOTO

Another man to have departed PGHW, Hirobumi Takimoto bested Michio Gensai in the final of the third ever Winter Battle. He then competed in the Elite Series, winning just one match.

MURUYAMA CUP

2022 Winner
YURI YOSHIHARA

The former young lion Yuri Yoshihara, who spent time on excursion with TCW, won the inaugural Muruyama Cup, besting Shozo Furuta in the final.

[Scottie]

LEGACY TOUR
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2022

Whereas August's "Night of HONOUR" saw the culmination of a number of stories, September's "Night of LEGACY" would be a table setting exercise as PGHW entered the second half of 2022.

The previous event had seen the ground inside PGHW shift: there were new holders of the Glory Crown and the Glory Tag Crown, and a former multi-time BHOTWG champion in Hiroaki Nakasawa had made a stunning debut. The question really was: what's next?

The answer came on the tour's fifth night, which was broadcast live from Sapporo on Japanese Sports Vision. In the main event, Kozue Kawashima combined with his Crimson Tigers and Troy to defeat a strong team including the Glory Tag Crown Champions Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (this was Kunomasu's first appearance outside PPV since returning).

After that bout, the four-time BHOTWG World Champion Nakasawa came to the bring - dressed in a suit again - and challenged Kawashima to a one-on-one bout at "Night of LEGACY". Keen to recover from the loss of his title last month, the PGHW ace had little hesitation in accepting the challenge.

PGHW “LEGACY Series", 01.09.2022 (Japanese Sports Vision)
Sapporo
1,016,829 Viewers (1.35 Rating)
[75]

1. Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai defeated Sanjiro Sasaki & Takashi Fujimura (5:06) with the Fist of Fury from Matsuki to Fujimura. [52] [★★]
2. Magnum Kobe defeated Aaron Knight (14:49) with the Amazing Red. [80] [★★★¾]
3. Masatochi Kamimura Farewell Series - Match #5: KITA defeated Masatochi Kamimura (8:46) with a Power Slam. [49] [★★]
4. Avalanche Takano & Joshua Taylor defeated The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) (11:33) with the Mountain Takano from Takano to Mihara. [59] [★★¼]
5. RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated Mark Griffin, Robby Griffin & SATO (14:57) with the Pain Lock from Kwakami to Griffin. [68] [★★¾]
6. Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara defeated Hirokazu Yamanoue & Toyotomi Yasutake (9:34) with the Bulldog Choke from Yoshihara to Yasutake. [67] [★★¾]
7. Historical Jaan Tag Team Titles: BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi (c) defeated REBEL (Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake) (10:16) with the Yano Express from Yano to Nakahata (3rd defence). [72] [★★★]
8. Crimson Tigers (Bussho Makiguchi, Kozue Kawashima & Tsurayuki Kamachi) & Troy defeated Andrew Harper, Chojiro Kitoaji, Chomei Sugiyama & Eisaku Kunomasu (20:11) with the Kawashima Driver 2005 from Kawashima to Harper. [75] [★★★½]

Elsewhere, the series saw the arrival of three new gai-jin - the Canadian trio of four-time CWA World Champion Aaron Knight and the two-time CWA World Tag Team Champions Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin. The trio got some good exposure during the tour - Knight even went close to besting Magnum Kobe in a singles bout - but they were still clearly in shock following the demise of their former employers the Canadian Wrestling Alliance, which went into liquidation late last month.

The other big news from the tour happened on the fourth night. In a by-the-numbers tag match involving Knight, Noriyori Sanda and The Kiwi Crusher, the Historical Japan Champion AKIMA tore his rotator cuff in a botched spot - which will keep him on the sidelines for the best part of a year.

The injury meant he would relinquish the Historical Japan Title, and the title would remain vacant throughout the balance of the tour.

* * * * *

Shizuoka City played host to 30,000 fans on Sep. 9, which was headlined by a bout between Kozue Kawashima and Hiroshi Nakasawa. The bout itself might have been seen as a dream match in years past, though many had concerns about how Nakasawa would fare after just one bout in the last year.

On the undercard, The Lions of Japan secured a rare win on pay-per-view, while the talented technician Chomei Sugiyama sent the young lion Masatochi Kamimura out of PGHW with a ninth-straight singles loss. He will go on excursion in the coming months with a couple of smaller European promotions.

The Canadian champ Aaron Knight made his PPV debut in the next bout, teaming up with KITA against the former Glory Tag Crown champions Hirotsugu Satou & Magnum Kobe. It was the second meeting in quick succession between Knight and Kobe, though this one failed to reach the same heights as their televised singles bout. In the end, Kobe pinned KITA.

One-half of the Glory Tag Crown champions, Chojiro Kitoaji, was in action next, as he teamed with Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin against The Front's Kazushige Matsuki, Michio Gensai & Goro Sakamoto. Kitoaji was without his partner Eisaku Kunomasu, who sat the show out, while Matsuki & Gensai combined well in their brief outings against Kitoaji. Eventually, Gensai got the win for his team over Robby Griffin - proving himself to be a quick replacement alongside Matsuki for the departed Tetsunori Yasuda.

Next up, the good night for The Front continued as Yasunobu Masuno & Mutant beat Avalanche Takano & Joshua Taylor. It was a good bout, with some fine exchanges between Masuno and Takano. But the power of the giant Front pair won out, as Masuno beat the veteran Taylor with a Power Bomb.

The tag bout was followed by another - and it ended up basically being the match of the night. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi teamed up to defeat tag team veterans Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda in an excellent 22-minute affair. It was another big win for Makiguchi, who has made no secret of his plans to challenge for the Glory Crown - and a win over Seiji Jimbo's most experienced partners in RONIN VII will no doubt have caught the champion's attention.

Speaking of which, Seiji Jimbo was in action immediately after - and he too had success as he teamed up with RONIN VII's Haranobu Kobayashi & Yuri Yoshihara as well as Troy to beat the Coyote Club's BISON Yano, Brute Kikuchi, Hirokazu Yamanoue & Toyotomi Yasutake. The young lion Yasutake took the pinfall.

The penultimate bout really could have headlined, as SATO sought to make his second defence of the International Title against two-time Glory Crown champion Masaru Ugaki. It was the biggest bout of SATO's career as he looked to overcome the determined Ugaki, who was hell-bent on winning some gold for the first time in nearly three years. In a bout which lasted just under 30 minutes, it was the veteran Ugaki who prevailed - his Arc Kick catching SATO on the jaw for the win. It was a bitter defeat for SATO, whose rapid rise came to an abrupt - but excellent - halt.

That left just the main event, as the defeated Glory Crown champion Kozue Kawashima faced four-time BHOTWG World Champion Hiroaki Nakasawa. The bout had a big match feel - the two had carried the flag for their respective promotions for years - but unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype. At 45, Nakasawa's 27 years as a wrestler had clearly taken their toll, and he could only last fifteen minutes. Kawashima did his best - selling for Nakasawa's moves and trying to keep the bout going - but eventually it was Kawashima who won with the Kawashima Driver 2005. The crowd reaction was enough to make this serviceable, but risking a main event on a Nakasawa singles match in 2022 was a choice.

PGHW “Night of LEGACY”, 09.09.2022 (Emperor Choice/PGHW Global)
Shizuoka
30,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy
612,342 Viewers (1.22 Rating)
[75]

1. The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) defeated REBEL (Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake) (10:14) with the Jumping Lariat from Mihara to Nakahata. [38] [★]
2. Masatochi Kamimura Farewell Series - Match #9: Chomei Sugiyama defeated Masatochi Kamimura (9:49) with an Armbar. [53] [★★]
3. Hirotsugu Satou & Magnum Kobe defeated Aaron Knight & KITA (14:51) with the Amazing Red from Kobe to KITA. [67] [★★¾]
4. The Front (Goro Sakamoto, Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai) defeated Chojiro Kitoaji, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin (17:19) with a Fisherman's Suplex from Gensai to Robby. [69] [★★¾]
5. Mutant & Yasunobu Masuno defeated Avalanche Takano & Joshua Taylor (14:12) with a Power Bomb from Masuno to Taylor. [70] [★★★]
6. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi defeated Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda (22:08) with the Blazing Elbow from Kikuchi to Sanda. [86] [★★★★¼]
7. International Title: Masaru Ugaki defeated SATO (c) (28:57) with the Arc Kick (Failed 2nd defence -> 24th Champion). [85] [★★★★¼]
8. Dream Match: Kozue Kawashima defeated Hiroaki Nakasawa (15:11) with the Kawashima Driver 2005. [73] [★★★]

Debuts: Aaron Knight (Free Agent); Hiroaki Nakasawa (BHOTWG) Mark Griffin (Free Agent); Robby Griffin (Free Agent)
Departures: Joey Fili (to PGHW USA); The Kiwi Crusher (to PGHW USA)
Injuries: AKIMA (Torn Rotator Cuff)

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Scottie

[Scottie]

KINGS TOUR
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2022

The third last show of the year was a lower-key affair, with no televised tour shows ahead of the marquee tour-ending event on Oct. 14.

Before the tour began, the main event was announced: a showdown between Seiji Jimbo and Bussho Makiguchi in Jimbo's first defence of his newly won Glory Crown. Makiguchi had been building nicely in recent months - he got the pinfall over Jimbo in the 5 vs. 5 Survival Match at "Night of WARRIORS", and combined with Tsurayuki Kamachi to beat Jimbo's stable mates Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda at "Night of LEGACY".

Elsewhere, after a dream bout at "Night of LEGACY", two superstars of Japanese wrestling agreed to team up at "Night of KINGS", as Kozue Kawashima & Hiroaki Nakasawa secured a match against Kawashima's long-time rival Magnum Kobe and Hirotsugu Satou. It would be the first really big bout for Kobe & Satou since they lost the Glory Crown two months ago, and a real test ahead of next month's Elite Tag Series.

Elsewhere, there was an eight-man tournament throughout the series to crown the Historical Japan Champion, following the injury to AKIMA which led the Pacific Islander to vacate the title. The brackets were:

Andrew Harper vs. Haranobu Kobayashi
Mark Griffin vs. Tsurayuki Kamachi
Chomei Sugiyama vs. KITA
Troy vs. Yuri Yoshihara

The first semi-final ended up seeing Haranobu Kobayashi defeat Kamachi to win through to the final, while in the second semi-final KITA defeated the former United States Champion Troy. Neither Kobayashi nor KITA have ever won singles gold in PGHW, so their bout will see a first time Historical Japan Champion crowned.

The series was also soured by two injuries to young lions: Kazuki Taniguchi suffered a broken neck which will keep him out for about ten months (but isn't career ending), while Hiroshi Ito strained a rotator cuff that will keep him out until the new year.

* * * * *

Oct. 14 saw a modest crowd of 25,743 fans file into an arena in Kobe, with a slightly underwhelming crowd coupled with a saturation of this market seemingly keeping people at home.

In the opening bout, the impressive heavyweight Haranobu Kobayashi celebrated his 30th birthday in style as he became the Historical Japan Champion, beating KITA in the tournament final. The hard-hitting bout lasted just shy of twenty minutes - too long, really, for these two - and ended decisively for "The Hammer", who picked up the win with his Kobayashi Plunge - a high vertical suplex into a sit-out power bomb.

Elsewhere, there was a surprising result in an eight-man tag team bout, as four-time CWA World Champion Aaron Knight picked up the pinfall for his Canadian team over the Crimson Tigers. The losing team included the International Champion, Masaru Ugaki, though it was the young lion Toyotomi Yasutake who took the pinfall - the Knight Fall securing the win for the cocky Canadian.

The next bout was a preview for next month's Elite Tag Series, as eight announced competitors did battle in a tag bout. Ultimately, it was the combined force of The Front who won, as Michio Gensai pinned the American Andrew Harper. Gensai will compete alongside Kazushige Matsuki next month, while stable leader Yasunobu Masuno will team with fellow giant Mutant. This was an entertaining bout.

Next up, the former International Champion SATO rebounded from his disappointing defeat last month as he toppled the big man, Brute Kikuchi. It was an excellent bout, as Kikuchi got the rare opportunity to shine in a high stakes singles bout. But it was the former champion SATO who picked up the win, with a Wind Spirit Elbow keeping the big man down long enough. After the bout, SATO made clear he was intent on winning back the International Title from Masaru Ugaki - and this singles win over Ugaki's stablemate, Kikuchi, was a big sign of that intent.

In the penultimate bout, Kozue Kawashima teamed with veteran Hiroaki Nakasawa to face the former Glory Tag Crown Champions, Magnum Kobe & Hirotsugu Satou. Between them, Kawashima and Nakasawa have eight world championships, but they took a little time to find their feet as a pair after last month's singles bout. The resulting match was the match of the night - after being exposed in singles action last month, Nakasawa was well protected here and played the dangerous big man role to perfection. Despite Kobe's usual attempts at winning via underhanded means, Nakasawa picked up his first pinfall in a PGHW win - besting Satou with a Power Bomb.

After the bout, Kawashima offered to keep their partnership going for another month - by partnering up in the Elite Tag Series! Nakasawa appeared surprised by the request, but readily accepted it. The duo will go into that tournament as wildcards to say the least.

That left only the main event, with Bussho Makiguchi looking to become a first time Glory Crown Champion by besting Seiji Jimbo. The match was anticipated by many, mainly because of Makiguchi's excellent recent results, but quickly it became clear why Makiguchi's assault on the title had been hastily put together on this show: the two, simply, don't click. The bout lasted more than 27 minutes, and each man put on a strong showing, but there were some awkward moments which meant the match never really got going. It wasn't bad by any means, but it just wasn't the quality we've become accustomed to. Eventually, Jimbo won with the Jimbo Driver to secure his first defence of the title in a slightly flat end to an otherwise good show.

PGHW “Night of KINGS”, 14.10.2022 (Emperor Choice/PGHW Global)
Kobe
25,743 Fans
633,541 Viewers (1.26 Rating)
[81]

1. Historical Japan Title: Haranobu Kobayashi defeated KITA (19:39) with the Kobayashi Plunge (46th Champion). [64] [★★½]
2. RONIN VII (Avalanche Takano, Joshua Taylor & Yuri Yoshihara) defeated REBEL (Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake) & Troy (12:30) with the Bulldog Choke Sleeper from Yoshihara to Nakahata. [59] [★★]
3. Aaron Knight, George Wolfe & The Griffin Family (Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) defeated Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Hirokazu Yamanoue, Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake) (14:13) with the Knight Fall from Knight to Yasutake. [66] [★★¾]
4. Elite Tag Series - Preview Match: The Front (Kazushige Matsuki, Michio Gensai, Mutant & Yasunobu Masuno) defeated Akinori Kwakami, Andrew Harper, Chojiro Kitoaji & Noriyori Sanda (16:21) with the Avalanche Spike Slam from Gensai to Harper. [80] [★★★¾]
5. Special Singles Match: SATO defeated Brute Kikuchi (15:12) with the Wind Spirit Elbow. [82] [★★★★]
6. Special Tag Team Match: Hiroaki Nakazawa & Kozue Kawashima defeated Magnum Kobe & Hirotsugu Satou (19:46) with the Compression Power Bomb from Nakasawa to Satou. [84] [★★★★¼]
7. Glory Crown: Seiji Jimbo (c) defeated Bussho Makiguchi (27:05) with the Jimbo Driver (1st defence). [81] [★★★¾]

Debuts: George Wolfe (Free Agent - formerly CWA)
Departures: Masatochi Kamimura (On Excursion - to UEW and VWA)
Injuries: Hiroshi Ito (Strained Rotator Cuff - 3 months); Kazuki Taniguchi (Broken Neck - 10 months)

 

 

[CobheadJake]

I continue to really enjoy this and, perhaps, am more invested in this than any other dynasty on the forum. I hope it is something you are planning to continue doing, as I am looking forward to seeing where you go with it and how you continue to mould PGHW!

[Scottie]

"COURAGE Series" - Pre-Tour Press Conference
2022 ELITE TAG TEAM SERIES BLOCKS ANNOUNCED

The field for the 25th annual instalment of the Elite Tag Team Series has been announced, with fourteen teams set to do battle over mammoth "COURAGE Series" - the penultimate PGHW tour for 2022.

 Eisaku Kunomasu, currently one half of the Glory Crown, will be absent for this tour, with his fellow champion Chojiro Kitoaji instead teaming with the burly American gai-jin Andrew Harper in an odd combination in Block A. Kunomasu is officially "injured", but unofficially it's rumoured that the 51-year old isn't up to a minimum of six tag team bouts in quick succession.

While Block A is mainly made up of PGHW regulars, Block B is a mixed bag. Although it includes the current Historical Japan Tag Team Champions and one half of last year's winners, also included are PGHW USA pairing The American Cobras (in their second appearance), former CWA pairing The Griffin Family and painted TCW duo Maverick & Roderick Remus.

_____________________________________________________

BLOCK A

 

AKINORI KWAKAMI & NORIYORI SANDA

Yet again the most experienced team in the field, Kwakami & Sanda make their sixth appearance in the Elite Tag Team Series as a duo. They've never won it together, but have both won with others (Kwakami with Mito Miwa and Sanda with Nobuatsu Tatsuko). The usual question arises: can they do it for the first time as a team?

 

ANDREW HARPER & CHOJIRO KITOAJI

Four-time winner of the Elite Tag Team Series and currently holding half of the Glory Tag Crown, Chojiro Kitoaji looms large in the 25th instalment of the Elite Tag Series. He teams here, though, with Elite Tag Series debutant - the 33-year old heavyweight Andrew Harper, who has not had much success in his time in PGHW. How will the two fare in a group that also includes Kitoaji's former partner, Bussho Makiguchi?

 

BUSSHO MAKIGUCHI & TSURAYUKI KAMACHI

Chojiro Kitoaji's long-time partner Makiguchi teams again here with Kamachi, with whom he went very close earlier this year to winning the Glory Tag Crown. Makiguchi is coming off disappointment last month, where he lost in his attempt of the Glory Crown. Can he bounce back here alongside the Wild Child, Kamachi, and qualify - including against his former partner Kitoaji?

 

HIROKAZU YAMANOUE & MASARU UGAKI

Another vastly experienced team, the Coyote Club's Yamanoue & Ugaki will no doubt be a contender - and a tough team to beat. Ugaki is running hot at the moment after claiming the International Title, and one bout we'll all be watching will be a showdown between him and the former champion SATO.

 

KITA & SATO

The former Historical Japan Tag Team Champions have struggled as a pair since dropping their titles in May, but they shouldn't be forgotten. They went very close last year - including by picking up a win over the eventual winners Kazushige Matsuki & Tetsunori Yasuda - and will be keen to make their mark again here.

 

MUTANT & YASUNOBU MASUNO

Perhaps the most intimidating duo in the field, the giant pairing of Mutant & Yasunobu Masuno are an enormous threat. Mutant has been threatening to really break out in recent months, and this tournament alongside the former Glory Crown Champion and four-time BHOTWG World Tag Team Champion, Masuno, could be his big chance.

 

THE LIONS OF JAPAN (SHINJI MIHARA & SHOZO FURUTA)

As first time competitors in the Elite Tag Team Series, The Lions of Japan are likely to be underestimated by many. They are the least experienced in a stacked block, but could shock any team which doesn't give them the respect they deserve.

_____________________________________________________

BLOCK B

  

THE AMERICAN COBRAS (MARVEL MALLOY & STORM SPILLANE)

The former PGHW United States Tag Team Champions made their first appearance in the Elite Tag Team Series last year, and they impressed so much that they were invited back for a second showing. The two have continued to travel the world winning titles in 2022, but many remember their great three month stint in late 2022. In their first Elite Tag Team Series, they claimed just two points - beating Haranobu Kobayashi & Suguru Emoto.

 

BISON YANO & BRUTE KIKUCHI

Last year's runners up come into the 2022 tournament as one of the favourites. The experienced duo are former Glory Tag Crown Champions as well as the current holders of the Historical Japan Tag Team Titles. Can they take another step?

 

THE GRIFFIN FAMILY (MARK GRIFFIN & ROBBY GRIFFIN)

The two-time CWA World Tag Team Champions made their debut in the "LEGACY Series" following the tragic demise of their former Canadian employers and have since teamed with fellow CWA alumni Aaron Knight and George Wolfe on a regular occasion. How will they go in their first real chance in Japan as a team?

 

HIROAKI NAKASAWA & KOZUE KAWASHIMA

There are wildcards, and then there are wildcards. Between them, they have twelve titles across BHOTWG and PGHW, and Kawashima is himself a four-time winner of the Elite Tag Team Series alongside PRIDE Koiso (in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2014). The pair met in a dream singles match recently, and just last month bested Magnum Kobe & Hirotsugu Satou. Can they ride the wave here and continue to combine as a quality tag team?

 

KAZUSHIGE MATSUKI & MICHIO GENSAI

2021 was an enormous year for Kazushige Matsuki, who alongside Tetsunori Yasuda became one of the leading tag teams in Japanese wrestling. For Matsuki, it was a long time coming - he's been in PGHW for nearly twenty years, and before claiming the Glory Tag Crown and the Elite Tag Team Series he'd only won the International Title and Historical Japan Title. However, Yasuda's departure at the start of the year was a setback, and he's spent much of 2022 trying to recover. Now, he looks to defend the Elite Tag Team Series - this time alongside the bulky Gensai, who has settled in well since joining from BHOTWG.

 

HIROTSUGU SATOU & MAGNUM KOBE

Had this tournament been three months ago, Kobe & Satou would have been tournament favourites. However, the past quarter has been a disaster: losing the Glory Tag Crown to Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu and then most recently losing to Hiroaki Nakasawa & Kozue Kawashima. Kobe in particular has vowed to get revenge for the latter loss, and he and Satou will get the chance to do so here.

 

THE WORLD BEATERS (MAVERICK & RODERICK REMUS)

Invited to participate, the self-proclaimed "World Beaters" from TCW will look to make their mark in their Elite Tag Team Series debut. The duo have been teaming for a couple of years now, with limited success. But they have had two attempts on the TCW World Tag Team Titles late last year and at the start of this year - losing on both occasions to The Buccaneers, Stirling Whitlock & Doug Peak. Regardless of results, they'll be fun to watch.

_____________________________________________________

* * * * *

This is my first prediction contest for anyone who is following along:

ELITE TAG SERIES PREDICTION CONTEST

2022 Elite Tag Series Winner:

2022 Elite Tag Series Runner-Up:

Most Points (Group Stage):

Will any team end up with zero points?: (Bonus point: If so, who?).

Biggest Surprise Package:

Biggest Upset:

 

[Scottie]

On 12/14/2023 at 1:51 AM, CobheadJake said:

I continue to really enjoy this and, perhaps, am more invested in this than any other dynasty on the forum. I hope it is something you are planning to continue doing, as I am looking forward to seeing where you go with it and how you continue to mould PGHW!

@CobheadJake Thanks very much! I don't see myself moving to a different promotion (I have enough trouble keeping track of stories in a promotion without stories...), so I'll be sticking with this one going forward.

[DasherTM]

2022 Elite Tag Series Winner: HIROAKI NAKASAWA & KOZUE KAWASHIMA

2022 Elite Tag Series Runner-Up: MUTANT & YASUNOBU MASUNO

Most Points (Group Stage): HIROAKI NAKASAWA & KOZUE KAWASHIMA

Will any team end up with zero points?: THE WORLD BEATERS (MAVERICK & RODERICK REMUS)

Biggest Surprise Package: THE AMERICAN COBRAS (MARVEL MALLOY & STORM SPILLANE)

Biggest Upset: ANDREW HARPER & CHOJIRO KITOAJI over BUSSHO MAKIGUCHI & TSURAYUKI KAMACHI preventing them from winning the block

[Willsky]

ELITE TAG SERIES PREDICTION CONTEST

2022 Elite Tag Series Winner: MUTANT & YASUNOBU MASUNO

2022 Elite Tag Series Runner-Up: BISON YANO & BRUTE KIKUCHI

Most Points (Group Stage): MUTANT & YASUNOBU MASUNO

Will any team end up with zero points?: (Bonus point: If so, who?). YES: The Lions of Japan

Biggest Surprise Package: The American Cobras

Biggest Upset: Kawashima & Nakasawa not doing great

[Scottie]

COURAGE TOUR
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2022

The 2022 "COURAGE Series" tour saw the 25th Elite Tag Team Series take place, with fourteen teams vying for the title of Japanese wrestling's most resilient tag team in a gruelling ten-show tour.

BLOCK A

Block A was a total log jam. At least six of the teams were genuine chances of winning, although it became apparently early that the Glory Tag Crown Champion Chojiro Kitoaji wasn't in the running as his makeshift partner Andrew Harper (in the absence of Eisaku Kunomasu) was out of his depth.

The early stages of the block were dominated by Mutant & Yasunobu Masuno, with giant duo winning their first four bouts of the series including important wins against Masaru Ugaki & Hirokazu Yamanoue on the first night of the tour and Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi in a live televised bout on the fourth night.  

Elsewhere, in what proved to be an important result, Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda drew with KITA & SATO on the series' fourth night. The two teams seemed just out of striking distance of the pack leaders, meaning the loser of this bout would find it almost impossible. As it happens, neither team could put the other away - and the two went to a time limit draw.

With the end of the series closing in, the leaders Mutant & Masuno hit a snag. On the live broadcast seventh show, KITA & SATO picked up the win with a Wind Spirit Elbow from SATO to the giant Masuno. Then, on the final night of the show, Kwakami picked up another pinfall over Masuno to leave the dominant pair teetering on the edge of elimination.

It meant that a spot in the finals was on the line in the final match of the block, as Makiguchi & Kamachi fought Kitoaji & Harper. It had been a tough series for Kitoaji, who had been on the losing end of five bouts - but he had the chance here to eliminate his long-time partner Makiguchi; a man who he'd won the Elite Tag Team Series with on four occasions.

Needing just a draw to qualify for the final, Makiguchi & Kamachi did their best to hold on - but Kitoaji pulled out a mammoth effort to strike Kamachi down with the Lariat and break the Crimson Tigers pairing's hearts.

The result meant there was a three-way tie at the top of the tree, with Mutant & Masuno qualifying despite losing their final two bouts thanks to their wins over both Makiguchi & Kamachi and Ugaki & Yamanoue earlier in the series.

Block A - Final Standings:

Mutant & Yasunobu Masuno - 8 (Count Back)
Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi - 8
Hirokazu Yamanoue & Masaru Ugaki - 8
Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda - 7
KITA & SATO - 7
Andrew Harper & Chojiro Kitoaji - 2
Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta - 0

BLOCK B

Unlike Block A, Block B was comparatively less stacked. The clear frontrunners were the Historical Japan Tag Team Champions BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi; the former Glory Tag Crown Champions Hirotsugu Satou & Magnum Kobe; and last year's winner Kazushige Matsuki alongside his new partner Michio Gensai. But there was also the unknown quantity in the form of Hiroaki Nakasawa & Kozue Kawashima - the veteran team holding eight world titles between them.

Nakasawa & Kawashima made their intentions clear early, besting the two-time Griffin Family in their first bout and then the Historical Japan Tag Team Champions Yano & Kikuchi in their second bout. They suffered a surprise defeat to Gensai & Matsuki on the sixth night of the tour, before a must-win showdown with Satou & Kobe on the seventh night.

In a brutal battle, it was Nakasawa who picked up the win for his team - landing a Compression Power Bomb on Satou to see his team move to six points. With their second straight loss to Nakasawa & Kawashima behind them, an incensed Kobe struck after the bout - combining with Satou to overpower Nakasawa in a brutal beatdown. Officials came out to stop the brawl - and prevent Kawashima from gaining a measure of revenge - as poor Nakasawa needed help to the back with an injured ankle.

Unfortunately, Nakasawa was ruled out for the balance of the tournament, meaning that Nakasawa & Kawashima were out (with the balance of their matches forfeited). Nobuatsu Tatsuko made clear that Kobe & Satou were very nearly disqualified from the whole tournament themselves, but they were given a stern warning not to put a foot out of line.

The block came down to the penultimate night. Matsuki & Gensai were tied with Yano & Kikuchi on eight points each, after the latter handed Matsuki & Gensai their first loss of the series just two nights earlier. It meant that Matsuki & Gensai needed to win their final bout - or else face elimination on a count back.

As it happened, they prevailed - besting Kobe & Satou in a tough 22-minute brawl with Gensai picking up the win and setting up a showdown between four members of The Front in the final.

Block B - Final Standings:

Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai - 10
BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi - 8
Hiroaki Nakasawa & Kozue Kawashima - 6 (forfeited two matches through injury)

Hirotsugu Satou & Magnum Kobe - 6
Maverick & Roderick Remus - 6

Marvel Molloy & Storm Spillane - 4
Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin - 2

* * * * *

Just under 30,000 fans turned out for “Night of COURAGE” from Kobe to see the 25th winners of the Elite Tag Team Series being crowned.

The undercard was filled with matches between some of the also rans of the tournament, with one big result being the pinfall victory of SATO over Hirokazu Yamanoue in an eight-man tag. After the bout, SATO challenged Masaru Ugaki to a rematch for the International Title having lost the belt to the Coyote Club leader at "Night of LEGACY" in September. The veteran Ugaki was game; accepting the challenge immediately in a heated confrontation.

Elsewhere, Bussho Makiguchi got a measure of revenge for his loss in the Elite Tag Team Series to former partner Chojiro Kitoaji, as he picked up the pinfall in a six-man bout over Andrew Harper. Makiguchi and Kitoaji look destined for a showdown after separating as a team last year, though their in-ring meetings during this bout were sparse.

In the biggest upset of the night, PGHW USA's American Cobras picked up a shock win over former Glory Tag Crown Champions Magnum Kobe & Hirotsugu Satou. It wasn't entirely clean, as Kobe & Satou were distracted by the interfering Hiroaki Nakasawa - who was hell-bent on getting a measure of revenge for the brutal attack during the Elite Tag Team Series. Nakasawa looked elated with the result, while Kobe threw a signature tantrum vowing to end Nakasawa's career for good.

The main event was an all Front affair, as Yasunobu Masuno & Mutant faced off against stablemates Kazushige Matuski & Michio Gensai. In a hard-fought bout which could have gone either way, it was Matsuki who secured the win as he nailed his leader Masuno with the Fist of Fury on two occasions - which was enough to keep the former Glory Crown Champion down for three.

It was elation for Matsuki & Gensai: Matsuki had claimed the tournament for a second year running, while the former BHOTWG bruiser Gensai had picked up the biggest win of his career.

But after three losses on the bounce, the American Mutant was furious with his leader. After a moment of tension, Mutant took Masuno down with a brutal Lariat - all while Matsuki & Gensai watched on in shock, with Elite Tag Team Series shields in hand.

It was, on any view, a huge night for The Front. Not only had they recaptured the Elite Tag Team Series, there seemed to be irreversible dissension in the ranks.

PGHW “Night of COURAGE”, 11.11.2022 (Emperor Choice/PGHW Global)
Kobe, Japan
29,625 Fans
544,926 Japanese Viewers (1.08 Rating)
[74]

1. BISON Yano defeated Chomei Sugiyama (14:49) with the Yano Express. [70]  [★★★] 
2. The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) defeated Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake (8:02) with the Lariat from Furuta to Nakahata. [44] [★½]
3. Joshua Taylor, KITA, SATO & Yuri Yoshihara defeated Coyote Club (Brute Kikuchi, Hirokazu Yamanoue, Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake) (14:03) with the Wind Spirit Elbow from SATO to Yamanoue. [67] [★★¾]
4. Crimson Tigers (Bussho Makiguchi, Kozue Kawashima & Tsurayuki Kamachi) defeated Aaron Knight, Andrew Harper & Chojiro Kitoaji (17:02) with the Blazing Elbow from Makiguchi to Harper. [78] [★★★½]
5. Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda defeated  World Beaters (Maverick & Roderick Remus) (11:43) with the Pain Lock from Kwakami to Maverick. [66] [★★½]
6.  The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) defeated Magnum Kobe & Hirotsugu Satou (14:31) with the Marvel Breaker from Malloy to Kobe. [70] [★★★]
7. RONIN VII (Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Seiji Jimbo) defeated The North (George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) (16:17) with the Mountain Takano from Takano to Robby. [76] [★★★½]
8. Elite Tag Team Series - Final: Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai defeated Mutant & Yasunobu Masuno (20:04) with the Fist of Fury from Matsuki to Masuno. [73] [★★★¼]

Guest Appearances: Marvel Molloy (BCG / CZCW / PGHW USA); Storm Spillane (BCG / CZCW / OLLIE / PGHW USA); Maverick (TCW); Roderick Remus (TCW).

Edited January 3 by Scottie

[Scottie]

 

2022 “NIGHT OF WRESTLING” - PREVIEW

KYOTO, Japan - The final PGHW show of the year will take place from Kyoto on Dec. 16 as PGHW "Night of WRESTLING" features some of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling today.

For the first time in years, a PGHW pay-per-view event will be headlined by a bout for the PGHW International Title as the 24th Champion Masaru Ugaki defends against the man he beat for the title, the Korean-Japanese sensation SATO. At "Night of LEGACY", Ugaki made good on his promise to end his three-year title drought with a win over SATO in a sensational bout, and the former champion has done everything in his power since to earn a shot at winning his title back. It's a hotly anticipated singles bout which has put the International Title back at the fore following a drab run with Avalanche Takano. Who will prevail?

In the penultimate bout, the Glory Tag Crown is on the line as the champions Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu defend against Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi. The big story is the rivalry between Kitoaji and Makiguchi who as a team won the Glory Tag Crown on four occasions. It's their biggest meeting since KitoGuchi went their separate ways earlier this year, but who will walk away with the bragging rights and the gold?

One of the biggest stories in 2022 was Seiji Jimbo's return to the top of the PGHW tree, as he bested Kozue Kawashima to win the Glory Crown in August. Since then, his second reign as champion has been relatively low key - and that will in some respects continue at "Night of WRESTLING". However, this time he faces a cross-promotional battle against famed TCW promotion The Syndicate, led by Wolf Hawkins and supported by Eddie Chandler & Nate Johnson. Jimbo went perilously close to facing Hawkins in a singles bout in 2021, but it never eventuated. That will change now, as speculation is wild the pair will face-off for the Glory Crown in early 2023. Here, Jimbo will team with two former TCW wrestlers and fellow RONIN VII members, Joshua Taylor & Yuri Yoshihara.

Elsewhere, there's eight-man tag team action as REBEL's Magnum Kobe, Hirotsugu Satou, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake face the Crimson Tigers' Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta and Hiroaki Nakasawa. Last month's Elite Tag Team Series saw Kobe & Satou throw their toys out of the pram following a second loss to Nakasawa & Kawashima, resulting in a cowardly attack on Nakasawa which took him out of the Elite Tag Team Series. Nakasawa then got a measure of revenge at "Night of COURAGE" as he cost Kobe & Satou a match against The American Cobras. The eight-man action might not see that rivalry boil over too much, but it's clear that Kobe wants payback.

Last month, Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai won the Elite Tag Team Series and, with that, a shot at the Glory Tag Crown. But in the group stages, they lost one match - to the Historical Japan Tag Team Champions BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi. Yano & Kikuchi challenged the Elite Tag Team Series winners to a rematch with the title shot on the line. Who will walk away victorious?

Finally, there was enormous news at "Night of COURAGE" as the giant American Mutant snapped following his team's defeat in the Elite Tag Team Series Final - taking out his frustration on partner and The Front leader Yasunobu Masuno. It capped off a frustrating end for Mutant & Masuno, who dropped their last three matches during the Elite Tag Team Series, with Masuno eating all three pinfalls. Masuno wants to keep The Front together, but has promised to teach Mutant a lesson in their first even singles meeting. Can the former Glory Crown Champion keep the gai-jin in line?

PGHW “Night of WRESTLING”, 16.12.2022 (Emperor Choice/PGHW Global)
Kyoto, Japan
Card Subject to Change

1. Grudge Match: Mutant vs. Yasunobu Masuno.
2. RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin).
3. Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake).
4. Elite Tag Team Series - Title Shot on the Line: Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai vs. BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi.
5. RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins).
6. Glory Tag Crown: Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi (1st defence).
7. International Title: Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO (1st defence).

* * * * *

PGHW "NIGHT OF WRESTLING" 2022 - PREDICTION KEY

INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO

GLORY TAG CROWN

Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi

INTERPROMOTIONAL WARFARE
RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins)

GLORY TAG CROWN SHOT ON THE LINE
Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai vs. BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi.

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake).

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin).

GRUDGE MATCH
Mutant vs. Yasunobu Masuno.

 

[DasherTM]

"Needing just a draw to qualify for the final, Makiguchi & Kamachi did their best to hold on - but Kitoaji pulled out a mammoth effort to strike Kamachi down with the Lariat and break the Crimson Tigers pairing's hearts."  I called it!

 

INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO

GLORY TAG CROWN

Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi

INTERPROMOTIONAL WARFARE
RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins)

GLORY TAG CROWN SHOT ON THE LINE
Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai vs. BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi.

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake).

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin).

GRUDGE MATCH
Mutant vs. Yasunobu Masuno.

[Willsky]

PGHW "NIGHT OF WRESTLING" 2022 - PREDICTION KEY

INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO

GLORY TAG CROWN

Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi

INTERPROMOTIONAL WARFARE
RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins)

GLORY TAG CROWN SHOT ON THE LINE
Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai vs. BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi.

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake).

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin).

GRUDGE MATCH
Mutant vs. Yasunobu Masuno.

Still very much enjoying this diary. Keep it up!

[arlovski]

INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO

GLORY TAG CROWN

Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi

INTERPROMOTIONAL WARFARE
RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins)

GLORY TAG CROWN SHOT ON THE LINE
Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai vs. BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi.

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake).

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin).

GRUDGE MATCH
Mutant vs. Yasunobu Masuno.

[CobheadJake]

INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO

GLORY TAG CROWN

Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi

INTERPROMOTIONAL WARFARE
RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins)

GLORY TAG CROWN SHOT ON THE LINE
Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai vs. BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi.

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake).

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH

RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin).

GRUDGE MATCH
Mutant vs. Yasunobu Masuno

[Scottie]

FACTION IN FOCUS
THE FRONT

    

YASUNOBU MASUNO (LEADER) - KAZUSHIGE MATSUKI - GORO SAKAMOTO - MICHIO GENSAI - MUTANT

Emerging in late 2019 as a loose alliance between three wrestlers with little to do, The Front has evolved into one of the most feared factions in all of Japanese wrestling.

The group began with just three members: the then International Champion Reaver; the 15+ year veteran of PGHW, Kazushige Matsuki; and the veteran Tetsunori Yasuda, who was at the time floundering the midcard some 11 years after winning his one and only singles title in PGHW.

The stable's fortunes changed in November 2020, as the inaugural leader Reaver walked out of PGHW during the "KINGS Series", leaving the faction without a leader and on the verge of collapse. His departure allowed the newly arrived Glory Crown Champion, Yasunobu Masuno, to take the reigns as the trio of hard hitters - Masuno, Matsuki and Yasuda became a force to be reckoned with.

Soon after, the faction were on top of the PGHW world as Matsuki & Yasuda claimed the Glory Tag Crown for the first time to see The Front holding the two biggest titles in the promotion. But that success was short-lived, as Masuno dropped the Glory Crown to Chojiro Kitoaji shortly after.

But still, the team grew in size. Masuno hand-picked the monstrous gai-jin Mutant, while fellow former BHOTWG alumnus Michio Gensai joined the fold of heavy hitters. By the second half of the year, the group became six as young lion Goro Sakamoto, an athletic middleweight, joined the fold to take the falls in multi-man matches.

A period of relative stability was disturbed by the departure of Yasuda in late-2021, which saw the group without titles for the first time in more than a year. Matsuki recovered to team with Gensai to some success, winning the 2022 Elite Tag Team Series, while young Mutant continued to grow from strength-to-strength.

But now the once dominant stable finds itself in a mess internally, with Mutant and Masuno set to do battle at 2022's "Night of WRESTLING". The American has clearly been angling for greater things, while his veteran stable leader has been experiencing worse and worse results, resulting in a clash between the duo.

It's not clear where the rest of the stable lies, but it is clear that The Front faces a real period of turmoil heading into 2023.

[Scottie]

WRESTLING TOUR
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2022

With more than 650,000 viewers watching from home, a slightly reduced crowd of 24,485 fans filed into a stadium in Kobe to see the final PGHW event of the year - the fourth of the "Glorious 4" events, "Night of WRESTLING".

The opening bout pitted the former Glory Crown Champion Yasunobu Masuno against his unhappy protege Mutant, who had attacked him last month. Shockingly, the bout ended up being a squash of sorts as the dominant American put Masuno away with the Mutilator in just over six minutes.

After the bout, the pair were joined by the other three members of The Front (including Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai, whose bout with BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi had been cancelled following the injuries caused to each of them by Gensai during the tour) who watched on as Masuno hobbled to his feet to face down his conqueror. As Masuno looked to his comrades for support, he was viciously attacked by all three - soon joined by Mutant - as it was clear The Front had been reduced to four men, and it had a new leader.

Two relatively multi-man matches of little consequence followed. In the first, KITA pinned the veteran Hirokazu Yamanoue, while in the second Avalanche Takano overcame the Canadian faction The North, plastering young Robby Griffin with the Mountain Takano.

In a later bout, Magnum Kobe got a measure of revenge against Hiroaki Nakasawa & Kozue Kawashima as he picked up the pinfall in the 4 vs. 4 bout. Kobe had been incensed by his failure to overcome the veteran pairing in recent months, but he was up to his old tricks early as he bent the rules to give his REBEL faction the advantage. The finish was clean, though, as Kobe pinned Shinji Mihara following the Amazing Red. After the bout, he challenged Nakasawa & Kawashima to a rematch in 2023.

The inter promotional bout following, with the TCW team The Syndicate surprisingly overcoming the once feared RONIN VII trio. It was Wolf Hawkins who got the win for his team, with the Full Moon Rising on his old rival Joshua Taylor. But the bout was marked by some heated confrontations between Hawkins and Seiji Jimbo, and after the bout the two were locked in for a title match in the first quarter of 2023.

The penultimate bout was the first title match of the night, as the reigning Glory Tag Crown Champions Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu put their crowns on the line for the first time against challengers Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi. Despite being separated as a team for a year, Kitoaji and Makiguchi clearly still struggled when battling against each other - rather than with each other - in a bout which took some time to get going. The finish was high quality, though, as Makiguchi got the "hot tag" and managed to fight back against the veteran champion Kunomasu. Although he tried very hard, his old legs failed him as Makiguchi struck with the Blazing Elbow on two occasions - enough to keep the veteran down and make Makiguchi & Kamachi the 36th Glory Tag Crown Champions.

All that was left was the main event, as the International Title was set to be defended in the main event of a PGHW pay-per-view for the first time in years. In one corner, it was 37-year old Masaru Ugaki: a two-time Glory Crown Champion and a three-time Glory Tag Crown Champion. He'd recently ended a three-year title drought by claiming the International Title, and was now looking to defend it for the first time. In the other corner, it was the 31-year old SATO - a highly talented impactful wrestler whose first reign as International Champion dramatically came to an end against Ugaki in September.

The pair came flying out of the gates - it wasn't a slow build at all, as each looked to show their skills and impose themselves early. But inevitably, the pace had to slow down - and soon the match developed into an intriguing battle between the veteran technician Ugaki and the comparatively less experienced, but more mobile, SATO.

At times, the bout threatened to become an all-time classic, but some clunky moments perhaps kept it short of that. But in the lead-up to a hot finishing sequence, the crowd gasped as SATO incredibly fought out of the Ugaki Clutch and then kicked out of the Arc Kick. To his credit, Ugaki himself managed to kick out of the SATO Driver 10K and refused to tap to a heel hook. But in a 34 minute bout, Ugaki could not answer the count after being nailed with the Wind Spirit Elbow - an exhausted SATO becoming a two-time International Champion in an excellent bout.

After the bout, the veteran Ugaki offered SATO a bow in an undeniable show of respect. But it meant that 2022 ended on the highest of notes for the fast-rising SATO.

PGHW “Night of WRESTLING”, 16.12.2022 (Emperor Choice/PGHW Global)
Kobe, Japan
24,485 Fans
656,868 Japanese Viewers (1.31 Rating)
[85]

1. Mutant defeated Yasunobu Masuno (6:12) with the Mutilator. [63] [★★½]
2. KITA &  The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) defeated Coyote Club (Brute Kikuchi, Hirokazu Yamanoue & Toyotomi Yasutake) (19:51) with the Cross Arm Breaker from KITA to Yamanoue. [62] [★★¼]
3. RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) (11:39) with the Mountain Takano from Takano to Robby. [67] [★★¾]
4. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake) defeated Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa (19:59) with the Amazing Red from Kobe to Mihara. [77] [★★★½]
5.  The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins) defeated RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) (16:45) with the Full Moon Rising from Hawkins to Taylor. [67] [★★¾]
6. Glory Tag Crown: Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi defeated Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) (23:52) with the Blazing Elbow from Makiguchi to Kunomasu (Failed 1st defence -> 36th Champions). [84] [★★★★¼]
7. International Title: SATO defeated Masaru Ugaki (c) (34:27) with the Wind Spirit Elbow (Failed 1st defence -> 25th Champion). [90] [★★★★½]

Guest Appearances: Eddie Chandler (TCW); Nate Johnson (TCW); Marvel Molloy (BCG / CZCW / PGHW USA); Storm Spillane (BCG / CZCW / OLLIE / PGHW USA); Wolf Hawkins (TCW).

 

[Scottie]

CURRENT CHAMPIONS (AS AT DECEMBER 2022)

GLORY CROWN

28th Champion
SEIJI JIMBO [2]

Now into his second reign as champion, Seiji Jimbo is enjoying perhaps the best run of his career thus far. His win at "Night of HONOUR" ended a year-long reign by Kozue Kawashima, who had finally given the Glory Crown some stability after it saw three different champions in quick succession.

Jimbo has one defence under his belt in his second reign as champion, against Bussho Makiguchi, and will next defend against TCW legend Wolf Hawkins in his first defence of 2023.

GLORY TAG CROWN

 

36th Champions
BUSSHO MAKIGUCHI [5] & TSURAYUKI KAMACHI

After the relative stability of Matsuki & Yasuda as champions, the Glory Tag Crown has gone through a number of hands in recent months. Most recently, Bussho Makiguchi became a five-time champion - this time alongside first time champion and fellow Crimson Tiger, Tsurayuki Kamachi - following a win at "Night of WRESTLING" over former partner Chojiro Kitoaji and the veteran Eisaku Kunomasu.

INTERNATIONAL TITLE

25th Champion
SATO [2]

After ending Avalanche Takano's reign, SATO's first stint as champion came to a shock end against Masaru Ugaki. In December 2022, he won it back in the main event of "Night of WRESTLING" - the biggest win of his career. He will hope his second reign will be longer than his first.

HISTORICAL JAPAN TITLE

45th Champion
HARANOBU KOBAYASHI

The 30-year old won the Historical Japan Title tournament in late 2022, beating KITA in the final, to claim his first singles title in PGHW. He's yet to defend it, but he has made clear he wants to be a fighting champion in 2023..

HISTORICAL JAPAN TAG TEAM TITLES

 

3rd Champions
BISON YANO [2] & BRUTE KIKUCHI

Some expected Brute Kikuchi to be punished following his return from a brief, unsuccessful stint at BHOTWG, but the big man has barely put a foot wrong as he and long-time partner BISON Yano claimed the secondary tag team belts. The giant pairing are a formidable task for any team, and they look set to keep hold of the belts for the foreseeable - at least until they set their sights on a third reign as Glory Tag Crown Champions.

UNITED STATES

3rd Champion
LOGAN WOLFSBANE

At 27 years of age, the independent superstar Logan Wolfsbane added the PGHW United State Title to his growing list of accomplishments, as he bested Kurt Laramee at "Bad Obsession". He's defended the title five times since - all against Austin Smooth and BSH - and will look to continue his reign of terror in 2023. 

UNITED STATES JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT

2nd Champion
WARREN TECHNIQUE

The 37-year old Warren Technique has had an excellent stint in PGHW USA, and now finds himself holding two titles. Most recently, he won a four-way bout to dethrone the first champion Austin Smooth, and he has since defended the US Junior Heavyweight Title on 11 occasions. He's plainly no superstar, but the veteran is a solid hand capable of putting on good bouts.

UNITED STATES TAG TEAM

 

2nd Champions
GLORY MACHINE (LOGAN WOLFSBAINE & WARREN TECHNIQUE)

Known as Glory Machine, Logan Wolfsbaine & Warren Technique have made seven defences of the US Tag Team Titles since claiming them in November 2021. Their defences include some big names, too - the inaugural champions, The American Cobras; Ray Snow & Rob Reynolds; and former PGHW duo Iron Might (Danny Cavanagh & Timmy West). But with their respective singles obligations, they've had limited chances to defend their titles in recent months.

ELITE SERIES

2022 Winner
SEIJI JIMBO [3]

Seiji Jimbo won the Elite Series for a third time in typically impressive style - besting both Chojiro Kitoaji and Kozue Kawashima in the same night. It was a performance that set up his run towards the Glory Crown at "Night of HONOUR" in August.

ELITE TAG TEAM SERIES

 

2022 Winners
THE FRONT (KAZUSHIGE MATSUKI [2] & MICHIO GENSAI)

After a dominant run as Glory Tag Crown Champion, Kazushige Matsuki won the Elite Tag Team Series for the second time in November 2022, teaming with Michio Gensai to win the final. The departure of Tetsunori Yasuda forced Matsuki to relinquish the Glory Tag Crown earlier this year, and he will be hoping to reclaim it in 2023.

WINTER BATTLE

2022 Winner
HIROBUMI TAKIMOTO

Another man to have departed PGHW, Hirobumi Takimoto bested Michio Gensai in the final of the third ever Winter Battle. He then competed in the Elite Series, winning just one match.

MURUYAMA CUP

2022 Winner
YURI YOSHIHARA

The former young lion Yuri Yoshihara, who spent time on excursion with TCW, won the inaugural Muruyama Cup, besting Shozo Furuta in the final.

 

[Scottie]

PRIDE HONOR GLORY WRESTLING
THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION - 2022

________________________________________________

Glory Tag Crown
Kazushige Matsuki & Tetsunori Yasuda (c) vs. Hirobumi Takimoto & Kozue Kawashima
“Night of RESPECT”

The first Glory Tag Crown defence of the year would be Tetsunori Yasuda's last, as he (as well as Hirobumi Takimoto) would soon be out of PGHW. Matsuki picked up the pinfall in a good bout to set up a shot at Kawashima's Glory Crown. [83]

________________________________________________

Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Tom Gilmore
“Night of DESTINY”

Not the greatest bout, with the ageing Gilmore struggling to match it with Kitoaji, but it was a decent showing from the veteran in one of the best matches of his six-month stint in PGHW which included an Elite Series appearance and a shot at the Glory Crown. [80]

________________________________________________

Elite Series
Chojiro Kitoaji vs. SATO
“PRIDE Series”

There were fewer highlights in the block stages of this year's PRIDE Series, but this marked the start of an excellent year for SATO who produced a great performance against the former Glory Crown champion, Kitoaji, in a losing effort. [82]

________________________________________________

Elite Series
Hirotsugu Satou vs. Seiji Jimbo
“PRIDE Series”

A surprisingly excellent bout, as Satou had the best singles match of his year in a loss to the eventual winner Jimbo. The former Glory Crown contender didn't have the breakout year many expected, but the 27-year old will be hoping 2023 is his year. [85]

 

________________________________________________

MATCH OF THE YEAR CONTENDER

Elite Series
Kazushige Matsuki vs. Magnum Kobe
“PRIDE Series”

In an even bigger surprise, these two just clicked in the best bout of the group stages. After starting his year with a Glory Crown shot, Matsuki went missing as a singles force for much of the year. but this 20-minute televised barnstormer was one of the best biffs of the year, with Matsuki prevailing. [90]

________________________________________________

Elite Series - Semi-Final
Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Seiji Jimbo
“Night of PRIDE”

After ending the block stage tied on points, Kitoaji and Jimbo had a hotly anticipated rematch to start "Night of PRIDE". It was a great bout - perhaps not quite at their loftiest of standards - but the two second generation wrestlers produced a great story. [86]

 

________________________________________________

MATCH OF THE YEAR CONTENDER

Elite Series - Final
Kozue Kawashima vs. Seiji Jimbo
“Night of PRIDE”

The first of two singles classics between Jimbo and Kawashima saw the rivals fight it out for 32 riveting minutes. Few excepted Tatsuko to pull the trigger on Jimbo besting Kawashima cleanly after already fighting off Kitoaji for 22 minutes, but he did it in style to claim his third Elite Series - closing in on Kawashima's record. [93]

________________________________________________

Glory Tag Crown
Hirotsugu Satou & Magnum Kobe vs. Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda
“Night of FORTITUDE”

Not the best tag bout, but it did see Satou & Kobe pick up their biggest title in PGHW to end an eight-man tournament to crown new champions. It was another case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride for Kwakami & Sanda who failed in their last three shots at the Glory Tag Crown. [79]

________________________________________________

Coyote Club (Hirokazu Yamanoue, Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake) vs. RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara)
“Ryoma Muruyama Retirement Show”

This one wasn't so much about the quality of the match, but rather the story, as Masaru Ugaki celebrated the retirement of his long-time partner Ryoma Muruyama. The veteran high flyer suffered a career ending knee injury and finally called an end to his career, bowing out with a retirement show. [74]

________________________________________________

SATO vs. Seiji Jimbo
“Night of GLORY”

Another fantastic singles display here from SATO, who was an obstacle for Jimbo to overcome on his way to the Glory Crown shot against Kawashima. It was a clear match of the night, as SATO's star continued to rise with another hot performance. [85]

________________________________________________

Akinori Kwakami, Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu vs. The Front (Kazushige Matsuko, Michio Sensai & Yasunobu Masuno)
“Night of GLORY”

Another bout that was notable for what it meant, as the returning Eisaku Kunomasu competed for the first time in four years. He would only wrestle seven times this year, which included a title win. [81]

________________________________________________

Glory Crown
Kozue Kawashima (c) vs. Tom Gilmore
“Night of STRENGTH”

It was a testament to Kawashima's abilities that he managed to drag a match like this out of Tom Gilmore, whose body was clearly straining under the ~50 bouts he fought in his first year back from a broken neck. It was also a testament to Gilmore's ability, as he managed to wrangle a shot at the Glory Crown after more than 20 years away from Japanese wrestling. [80]

________________________________________________

MATCH OF THE YEAR CONTENDER

Glory Tag Crown
Hirotsugu Satou & Magnum Kobe (c) vs. Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu
“Night of HONOUR”

An excellent bout at "Night of HONOUR" saw the veteran Eisaku Kunomasu inexplicably claim the Glory Tag Crown for the first time at the tender age of 52. The former Glory Crown Champion combined with Chojiro Kitoaji, who started a record fifth reign as champion. [86]

________________________________________________

MATCH OF THE YEAR

Glory Crown
Kozue Kawashima (c) vs. Seiji Jimbo
“Night of HONOUR”

Undoubtedly, the match of the year. The two went ten minutes better than their first meeting - a 42 minute marathon - which ended with Jimbo edging his great rival again. The bout had it all and was one of the best PGHW matches in years. [94]

________________________________________________

Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi
“Night of LEGACY”

An excellent tag team bout between four very capable wrestlers, which put Makiguchi & Kamachi on the map as one of the best tag teams in Japan. They won here against some tag team veterans. [86]

________________________________________________

Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. Kozue Kawashima
“Night of LEGACY”

Another bout better known for what it meant rather than its quality. The aptly named "Night of LEGACY" saw Kawashima bounce back from his loss at "Night of HONOUR", with a once in a lifetime win over the four-time BHOTWG World Champion, "The H-Bomb" Hiroaki Nakasawa. [73]

________________________________________________

Elite Tag Team Series - Final
The Front (Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai) vs. The Front (Mutant & Yasunobu Masuno)
“Night of COURAGE”

Matsuki went back-to-back in the Elite Tag Team Series, this time with a different partner, but the real story happened after the bout as Mutant sensationally turned on The Front's leader Masuno. It ended up being a changing of the guard moment, as Mutant followed it up at "Night of WRESTLING" with a squash win to see the former Glory Crown Champion ousted. [73]

________________________________________________

Glory Tag Crown
Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi
“Night of WRESTLING”

Another step in the inevitable rivalry between the former tag partners, Makiguchi & Kitoaji. They won the Glory Tag Crown together on four occasions, but after this bout they were both five-time champions. Makiguchi picked up the win for his team, ending Kunomasu & Kitoaji's first reign together as champions. [84]

________________________________________________

MATCH OF THE YEAR CONTENDER

International Title
Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO
“Night of WRESTLING”

Another match of the year candidate, as SATO reclaimed what was his to end a storied rivalry against the veteran Masaru Ugaki. It took incredible trust from PGHW to let SATO close out one of the premier events of the year, in one of the first main event International Title PPV bouts in years. [90]

 

 

[Scottie]

 

2022 GLOBAL AWARDS

MALE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
SENSATIONAL DRAGON (BHOTWG)

Now into his 19th year as a wrestler, the famed masked wrestler competed just 14 times in 2022 - but he made them count in another standout year as the premier junior heavyweight in the world. After start his year off with a pair of losing efforts against Hachigoro Maeda in a BHOTWG Junior Heavyweight title clash, he bounced back in July with a trio of glorious wins over Emerald Angel, MYSTIC Dragon and Heliakon to win the Best of the Super Juniors for the sixth time. He again fell short in his third attempt at the Junior Heavyweight title later in the year, this time against MYSTIC Dragon, but with five near perfects bouts which went close to match of the year, this was the Sensational Dragon's time.

________________________________________________

FEMALE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
BROOKE TYLER (CWA / ACPW) [2]

Lesser wrestlers would have buckled with the shock closure of the Canadian Wrestling Association in August, but not Brooke Tyler. The four-time CWA Women's Champion re-invented herself as "The Inter-Gender Star" in late 2022 as she signed with rising Canadian promotion All-Canada Pro Wrestling, competing in their inter gender division against male and female wrestlers alike. She hasn't lost yet, beating the likes of Raphael, Captain Canada, Nobuyo Hikuchi and Goro Hatamoto, and it seems only a matter of time before bigger promotions come calling.

________________________________________________

 

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
AMAZINGLY AWESOME (MAINSTREAM HERNANDEZ & SPENCER SPADE) (SWF)

So good at being heels you can't help but love them, Amazingly Awesome failed to match the success of 2021 with a shot at the titles but they combined for some excellent bouts. Their best was a televised loss to The Lady Killers, Joey Morgan & Steven Parker, a raucous feud which lasted for a large chunk of the year.

________________________________________________

YOUNG WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
HURAKAN (EILL) [3]

A third straight win for the certified future star of lucha, Hurakan ended the year as one half of the Campeonatos de Parejas with his fellow Mayan Warrior, Itzamna. His highest quality match was a 4.5 star six-man, in a losing effort alongside Multimillonario. He's surely closing in on a breakout year, but frankly we're sick of writing about it.

________________________________________________

 

VETERAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
SOUL TAKER (EILL)

Spending most of his year as a rudo, the now 48-year old Soul Taker shows no real signs of letting up. The big news was, of course, his decision to step down as booker, as he decided to return to something approaching full time action in a massive boon for EILL. In 2020 and 2021 he had just twenty matches combined, while in 2022 he managed 53. One of the best was a singles loss to Multimillonario at "Feliz Navidad 2022".

________________________________________________

INDEPENDENT WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
PRETTY OKAKURA

The flashy 32-year old continues to be sought out by fans on YouTube, with an impressive catalogue of junior heavyweight bouts with EX2010 and the comedy promotion BSOTI. He wrestled an incredible 162 times in 2022, including a short stint as Blazing Sword Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion alongside the other half of HUSTLE-X, Shirai Yanagawa.

________________________________________________

COMPANY OF THE YEAR
BURNING HAMMER OF THE WRESTLING GODS [2]

A big year for the Japanese giants, which was dominated by the sixth reign of Kinnojo Horri as champion. The 41-year old spent most of his year feuding with newcomer Tetsunori Yasuda, the former PGHW Glory Tag Crown Champion, defending the title against him an inexplicable five times (including in one triangle match). Elsewhere, The Ring Generals' long run as tag champions finally came to an end in June to Strike Unit; MYSTIC Dragon ended the year as a four-time junior heavyweight champion; and Sensational Dragon won the BOTSJ for a record sixth time. 

________________________________________________

MOST IMPROVED COMPANY OF THE YEAR
MID ATLANTIC WRESTLING

Edging towards its twentieth year as a promotion, it was a great year for Sam Keith's MAW. "The Dallas Cowboy" Bradley Blaze spent most of the year as champion, while Nate DeMarcus & Tyrone Gray became four-time tag champions. But the big two tournaments - the Rip Chord Invitational Challenge and the Sam Keith Classic - were won by The Architecht and The Historian & Logan Wolfsbaine, respectively.

The only real concern going forward is the promotion's financial position, with whispers that the line of creditors is growing longer. Let's hope those whispers stay just that.

________________________________________________

MATCH OF THE YEAR
EL HÉROE MEXICANO VS. GINO MONTERO, EILL "GUERRA DE TITANES 2022"

Mexico City played host to a classic in February, as Mexicano and Montero headlined "Guerra de Titanes". The defending Campeonato del Mundo EILL champion, Mexicano, successfully defended the title against the hated rudo Montero in an excellent bout and worthy winner of match of the year.  They would meet for the title twice more in 2022 (including one four way bout), but those bouts wouldn't quite reach these heights.

________________________________________________

SHOW OF THE YEAR
BHOTWG "BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS XXIII"

An awesome show which saw Sensational Dragon win three matches in a night to become a six-time winner of the BOTSJ. His bouts were all excellent, but his quarterfinal showdown with Emerald Angel stole the show in one of the best matches of the year.

BHOTWG “Best of the Super Juniors XXIII”, 22.07.2022 (Emperor Choice)
Iwate Dome
42,851 Fans
769,348 Viewers (1.53 Rating)
[96]

1. Hachigoro Maeda & Ninja Samurai (Ninja Shunji & White Samurai) defeated Akio, Crimson Ghost & Hijo Del Relampago. [77] [★★★½]
2. Best of the Super Juniors XXIII - Quarter-Final: MYSTIC Dragon defeated Golden Scorpion. [72] [★★★]
3. Best of the Super Juniors XXIII - Quarter-Final: Helikaon defeated Naoya Shinozaki. [87] [★★★★¼]
4. Best of the Super Juniors XXIII - Quarter-Final: Sensational Dragon defeated Emerald Angel. [99] [★★★★★]
5. Best of the Super Juniors XXIII - Quarter-Final: Totoya Munakata defeated Mokuami Maita. [68] [★★¾]
6. Atsumori Takemura & Youthful Aggression (Tadakuni Toshusai & Taro Shionoyo) defeated Takayuki 2000 & The Ring Generals (Dean Waldorf & Marv Statler). [75] [★★★½]
7. BHOTWG World Tag Team Titles: Strike Unit (Namboku Makuda & Toshiharu Hyobanshi) (c) defeated The God Butchers (Garagentuan & Prometheus) (3rd defence). [70] [★★★]
8. Matthew Keith & William Hayes defeated Senmatsu-gun (Ieyoshi Shimakage & Munemitsu Senmatsu). [96] [★★★★¾]
9. Best of the Super Juniors XXIII - Semi-Final:Helikaon defeated Totoya Munakata. [92] [★★★★½]
10. Best of the Super Juniors XXIII - Semi-Final: Sensational Dragon defeated MYSTIC Dragon. [93] [★★★★½]
11. BHOTWG World Championship: Kinnojo Horri (c) defeated Tetsunori Yasuda (6th defence). [84] [★★★★]
12. Best of the Super Juniors XXIII - Final: Sensational Dragon defeated Helikaon. [94] [★★★★¾]

 

 

[Scottie]

RESPECT TOUR
JANUARY 2023

As per usual, 2023 got underway with the annual "New Year War", in a show that saw the usual ¥1,000,000 battle royal and the new tag team champions put their titles on the line.

In the 20-man battle royal, it was the former champion Chojiro Kitoaji who prevailed in a fun 20-minute affair, which included a mix of PGHW wrestlers, alumni such as Washi Heat, PGHW USA guests (such as BSH, better known as Bash Street) and members of aligned promotions like CILL's El Hijo De Espada Roja, ACPW's Mimic and EX2010's X-Callibre. Last year's winner and the new leader of The Front, Mutant, dominated with the most eliminations - but fell just short to Kitoaji's Lariat.

Elsewhere, three titles were defended for the first time, including a first title defence for the new International Champion SATO and a win for the new Glory Tag Crown Champions Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi over the veteran Masaru Ugaki and young lion Toyotomi Yasutake. 

The real story came after that bout, though, as Chojiro Kitoaji came out after the match to confront his former partner Makiguchi. The discussion between the two became heated, and they soon needed to be separated by Kamachi after Makiguchi shoved Kitoaji, clearly unhappy with what his estranged friend had said.

 

PGHW “New Year War 2023”, 01.01.2023 (Japanese Sports Vision)
Kobe Football Stadium
30,000 Fans - No Vacancy
1,038,982 Viewers (1.38 Rating)
[78]

1. ¥1,000,000 New Year’s Battle Royal: Chojiro Kitoaji won (21:34) last eliminating Aaron Knight. [79] [★★★½]
2. International Title: SATO (c) defeated  Troy (12:41) with the Wind Spirit Elbow (1st defence). [73] [★★★¼]
3. Avalanche Takano & Joshua Taylor defeated The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) (11:38) with the Mountain Takano from Takano to Furuta. [63] [★★½]
4. Historical Japan Title: Haranobu Kobayashi (c) defeated Storm Spillane (11:51) with a Back Breaker (1st defence). [80] [★★★½]
5. REBEL (Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake) defeated The North (George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) (13:17) with the Amazing Red from Kobe to Mark. [67] [★★¾]
6. RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) defeated Chomei Sugiyama, Hiroaki Nakasawa & Kozue Kawashima (15:39) with the Jimbo Driver from Jimbo to Sugiyama. [73] [★★★¼]
7. Glory Tag Crown: Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi (c) defeated Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake (13:02) with the Pile Driver from Kamachi to Yasutake (1st defence). [80] [★★★½]

As is custom, a relatively short series followed - four tour dates followed up by "Night of RESPECT" on Jan. 13 from Kobe.

For the first time, PGHW broadcast a PPV event on the famed HYBOSO PPV platform - immediately exposing its product to twice as many fans (a record 1.6 million of them), but equally raising the stakes on the quality of their shows.

In the opening bout, Haranobu Kobayashi made his first defence of the Historical Japan Title in a good win over Minoru Nakahata. It was one of Nakahata's best singles performances, as he and Kobayashi combined well in a classic big vs. smaller man showdown.

In other action, RONIN VII veteran Akinori Kwakami picked up the win for his team, submitting the Coyote Club young lion Toyotomi Yasutake. The veteran took exception from some perceived cockiness from Yasutake during the bout, and kept the Pain Lock on for what was - in Yasutake's mentor Masaru Ugaki's mind - too long after the young lion submitted. Ugaki promptly took exception to Kwakami's move, confronting him after the bout and needing to be dragged away by stablemate Hirokazu Yamanoue.

There were similar scenes after the next bout, as the former tag partners Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi again almost came to blows after their multi-man match. Kitoaji was left fuming late last year after losing the Glory Tag Crown to his former partner Makiguchi, and confronted him in the ring after "New Year War" on Jan. 1. This time, Kitoaji combined with members of the Canada only stable The North to best Makiguchi and other members of the Crimson Tigers, with Makiguchi this time confronting Kitoaji after the bout - pushing him in the chest in the process!

Late last year, Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai earned an automatic shot at the Glory Tag Crown by winning the Elite Tag Team Series. But on their way, they lost one bout - a tag team match against the Historical Japan Tag Team Champions BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi. They agreed to put their shot on the line against Yano & Kikuchi at "Night of WRESTLING", but both were (legitimately) injured by Gensai during a multi-man tour match which put paid to that.

Here, the result was a surprise one - as Yano picked up the win for his team as he struck Gensai down with the Yano Express to get his revenge and earn the Historical Japan Tag Team Champions a shot at the Glory Tag Crown.

Following that, the Korean-Japanese sensation SATO made his second defence of the International Title in an excellent, albeit short, bout against the veteran Noriyori Sanda. 44-year old Sanda isn't the singles force he once was, but he produced a great bout here against SATO who ended up being just too good.

In the penultimate bout, Wolf Hawkins picked up a win on the main stage over former TCW technician Joshua Taylor - his second in as many months. It was a great tune up for his Glory Crown shot next month, as a frustrated Seiji Jimbo watched on as his stablemate ate the fall. Although not involved in the story, Hawkins' partner Mutant was a revelation - he's come into his own since assuming control of The Front last month and the crowd were clearly interested in what he had to offer.

That just left the main event - a singles bout between Kozue Kawashima and Magnum Kobe. Kawashima had sort of taken a backseat to Kobe's feud with Hiroaki Nakasawa, but with the shock news that Nakasawa would leave PGHW (more to come on that) it was left to Kawashima to avenge the dastardly Kobe who arguably cost him the Elite Tag Team Series. As per usual, Kobe tried every trick in the book but he came up short - Kawashima winning cleanly as he looks towards another assault on the Elite Series in March.

PGHW “Night of RESPECT”, 13.01.2023 (HYBOSO/PGHW Global)
Kobe, Japan
24,324 Fans
1,610,377 Japanese Viewers (3.22 Rating)
[82]

1. Historical Japan Title: Haranobu Kobayashi (c) defeated Minoru Nakahata (10:53) with a Swinging Side Slam (2nd defence). [70]
2. Aaron Knight & KITA defeated Hirotsugu Satou & Motoyuke Miyake (13:32) with the Knight Fall from Knight to Miyake. [72]
3.  The American Cobras (Marvel Molloy & Storm Spillane) defeated  Akira Arato & Gidayu Katou (15:01) with a Super Kick from Spillane to Arato. [67]
4. RONIN VII (Avalanche Takano, Akinori Kwakami & Yuri Yoshihara) defeated Coyote Club (Hirokazu Yamanoue, Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake) (15:30) with the Pain Lock from Kwakami to Yasutake. [71]
5. Chojiro Kitoaji & The North (George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) defeated Crimson Tigers (Bussho Makiguchi, Shinji Mihara, Shozo Furuta & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (14:07) with the Lariat from Kitoaji to Mihara. [62]
6. Glory Tag Crown - Eliminator: BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi defeated Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai (20:15) with the Yano Express from Yano to Gensai. [82]
7. International Title: SATO (c) defeated Noriyori Sanda (15:01) with the Wind Spirit Elbow (2nd defence). [84]
8. Glory Crown Scramble: Mutant &  Wolf Hawkins defeated Joshua Taylor & Seiji Jimbo (27:45) with the Full Moon Rising from Hawkins to Taylor. [78]
9. Grudge Match: Kozue Kawashima defeated Magnum Kobe (27:51) with the Kawashima Driver 2005. [84]

Guest Appearances: Akira Arato (SAISHO); BSH (GSW / PGHW USA / WPL); El Hijo De Espada Roja (CILL / OLLIE); Gidayu Katou (SAISHO); Mimic (ACPW / FSCOW / ICOW); Troy (PGHW USA); Washi Heat (MWL / PGHW USA); Wolf Hawkins (TCW); X-Calibre (EX2010 / MPWA / NWG).
Departures: Andrew Harper (Touring Contract Ended); Chomei Sugiyama (Contract Ended); Hiroaki Nakasawa (to BHOTWG).

 

 

 

Edited January 28 by Scottie

[Scottie]

Wrestling > World > Japan
JANUARY RECAP: SHOCK RETURN CONFIRMED AS "H-BOMB" RETURNS TO BURNING HAMMER 

TOKYO, Japan - More than a year after ending a 23-year stint with Burning Hammer of the Wrestling Gods, four-time BHOTWG World Champion Hiroaki Nakasawa has completed a sensational return to Tokyo after signing a new 18 month deal with the Japanese giants.

Despite being a focal point of the promotion, the 45-year old's contract shockingly expired in July 2021 as part of booker Natsu Miyamae's focus on rejuvenating the BHOTWG heavyweight division. That shock was only compounded the following July, as "H-Bomb" sensationally signed a short-term deal with arch rivals Pride Glory Honour Wrestling where he was immediately thrust into a main event match against four-time Glory Crown Champion Kozue Kawashima.

In recent months, Nakasawa has joined forces with Kawashima in a bitter feud, including a run deep into the Elite Tag Team Series which only ended due to a sneak attack from Magnum Kobe. After a month out of action, Nakasawa returned at the year-ending "Night of WRESTLING" and competed at "New Year War 2003" - and he looked set for a singles showdown with Kobe at "Night of RESPECT" in January.

As it happens, the impending expiry of his contract was seized on by BHOTWG, who snapped the legend up on a new 18-month detail which was unveiled at a press conference earlier this month (alongside CEO Tetsunorizan Kaneko, with Miyamae notably absent). It caused a panicked change of plans for PGHW, who scrapped the singles bout and set up a showdown instead between Kawashima and Kobe in the main event of "Night of RESPECT".

It's not all smiles for Nakasawa, though: he was booked straight away against Heihachiro Sakai at "The Burning Path VIII" in a bout for the Japan Title, with 37-year old Sakai successfully making his tenth defence of the title.

 

[Scottie]

DESTINY TOUR
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2023

The second tour of the year was the last pitstop before the 27th Elite Series - the premier event on the PGHW calendar.

The "DESTINY Series" would see a cross-promotional bout for the Glory Crown, as Seiji Jimbo finally met three-time TCW World Heavyweight Champion Wolf Hawkins in a singles bout that was years in the making.

Elsewhere, the Glory Tag Crown would also be on the line as BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi, fresh off beating the Elite Tag Team Series winners, would challenge the reigning champions Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi. In recent months, Makiguchi had been managing the fall out of his rivalry with Chojiro Kitoaji, his former partner, and at the start of the series announced his pairing with Kamachi was called KamiGuchi - undoubtedly a bitter slap in the face for his former partner in the KitoGuchi team.

The other big news was the fourth instalment of the Winter Battle, a sixteen-man elimination tournament which would see the two finalists gain direct entry into the Elite Series. The field was a little sparse this year, and included names from other affiliated promotions like PGHW USA, ACPW and EX2010:

Winter Battle - First Round:

 Marvel Malloy vs. Yuri Yoshihara
KITA vs. Mimic
Minoru Nakahata vs. Shozo Furuta
Noriyori Sanda vs. Toyotomi Yasutake
George Wolfe vs. Hirokazu Yamanoue
Motoyuke Miyake vs.  Washi Heat
Aaron Knight vs.  Storm Spillane
Mark Griffin vs. X-Callibre

The tour shows were largely comprised of multi-man matches as well as early rounds of the Winter Battle, which itself had few upsets. A televised show from Kagoshima Stadium on Jan. 27 saw Haranobu Kobayashi make his third defence of the Historical Japan Title in a very good bout against PGHW USA's Marvel Malloy, while Yano & Kikuchi tuned up for their Glory Tag Crown shot by defending the Historical Japan Tag Team Titles against Hirotsugu Satou & Motoyuki Miyake in the main event.

The second televised show was the second last stop before "Night of DESTINY", and was opened by the Winter Battle semi-finals and then headlined by a good bout for the International Title.

In the opening bout, the Canadian Aaron Knight (who had already beaten Storm Spillane and X-Callibre) booked his spot in the final and the Elite Series by beating PGHW USA's Washi Heat; while the veteran Noriyori Sanda (who had already beaten youngsters Toyotomi Yasutake and Minoru Nakahata) returned to the Elite Series after sensationally missing out last year with a win over KITA.

But in the main event, it was SATO who stole the show with a third defence of the International Title, this time over the former two-time champion Joshua Taylor. It was a strong showing for SATO in his last singles match before his assault on the Elite Series next month.

PGHW “DESTINY Series”, 13.02.2023 (Japanese Sports Vision)
Kobe Football Stadium
30,000 Fans - No Vacancy
1,156,515 Viewers (1.54 Rating)
[76]

1. Winter Battle - Semi-Final: Aaron Knight defeated  Washi Heat (7:23) with the Knight Fall from Knight to Heat. [54] [★¾]
2. Winter Battle - Semi-Final: Noriyori Sanda defeated KITA (12:42) with the Exploder XXL. [70] [★★★]
3. The Front (Goro Sakamoto, Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai) defeated Chojiro Kitoaji, George Wolfe & Hirokazu Yamanoue (10:18) with the Fist of Fury from Matsuki to Yamanoue. [69] [★★¾]
4. Hirotsugu Satou & Mutant defeated The Griffin Family (Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) (11:06) with the Scorpion Death Lock from Satou to Robby. [68] [★★¾]
5. Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Brute Kikuchi, Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake) defeated RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami & Yuri Yoshihara) & KamaGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (11:41) with the Ugaki Clutch from Ugaki to Yoshihara. [78] [★★★½]
6. Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) defeated REBEL (Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuki Miyake) (14:03) with a German Suplex Hold from Kawashima to Miyake. [64] [★★½]
7. Haranobu Kobayashi & Seiji Jimbo defeated  The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) (15:16) with a Spike DDT from Kobayashi to Malloy. [78] [★★★½]
8. International Title: SATO (c) defeated Joshua Taylor (15:09) with the Wind Spirit Elbow (3rd defence). [77] [★★★½]

* * * * *

That left only "Night of DESTINY", a relatively short card in front of 41,361 Fans at the Shimonoseki Stadium.

In the opening bout, Noriyori Sanda became the fourth winner of the annual Winter Battle, as he bested former CWA World Champion Aaron Knight in a solid opener. Knight is still finding his feet in Japan since joining PGHW last year, but it's a solid sign of where he sits in the eyes of the powers that be that he has earned a spot in next month's Elite Series. But he wasn't quite good enough here against the 25-year veteran.

In the next bout of note, eight confirmed competitors in next month's Elite Series did battle in a special preview bout. Chojiro Kitoaji won the match for his team with a Lariat against Michio Gensai, whose stocks have fallen significantly since he managed to injure both BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi in the same match late last year. The bout was also due to include the intimidating Avalanche Takano, but he suffered a back injury during the tour which means he won't be fit to compete.

Next up, the rivalry between Masaru Ugaki and Akinori Kwakami continued in a bout including less experienced members of their respective stables. Last month, Ugaki took issue to Kwakami seemingly teaching Toyotomi Yasutake a lesson by applying the Pain Lock well after Yasutake submitted. Here, Ugaki forced Kwakami's partner Yuri Yoshihara to submit to the Ugaki Clutch, and notably released the hold straight away. The two veterans almost came to blows, and so all eyes will be on the Elite Series draw to see whether they meet next month.

The first of two title matches was next, as the newly named KamiGuchi looked to defend the Glory Tag Crown against the Historical Japan Tag Team Champions BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi. Yano & Kikuchi were running hot after besting the Elite Tag Team Series winners Matsuki & Gensai in January, and this bout was unquestionably one of the best PGHW tag team bouts in recent years. The two teams fought bitterly for 23 minutes, and there was no let up with Bussho Makiguchi in particular putting in a nearly flawless performance. Ultimately, though, it was his partner Tsurayuki Kamachi who picked up the win - "The Scorpion" landing his Scorpion DDT on the big man Kikuchi for the pinfall in a classic bout.

A match like that was always going to be hard to follow, but if there were two men who could do it it was Seiji Jimbo and Wolf Hawkins. In a bout that was perhaps better anticipated online than live (with Hawkins' name recognition with the Japanese audience still lacking), Jimbo and Hawkins started slowly before picking the bout up quickly.

What followed was (unsurprisingly) a technically excellent bout, but it perhaps underwhelmed given the lukewarm crowd reaction and the seemingly obvious result. There were close falls, of course, but few ever really doubted the champion would retain given the looking Elite Series and the fact that Hawkins is contracted to TCW. Indeed, that's what ended up happening - Jimbo fighting out of Hawkins' patented Full Moon Rising to hit the Jimbo Driver for the three.

The two showed respect to each other after the bout in an apparent end to their rivalry for now. It was a dream match which showed glimpses of meeting expectations but ultimately fell a little short.

PGHW “Night of DESTINY”, 17.02.2023 (HYBOSO/PGHW Global)
Shimonoseki Stadium
41,361 Fans
1,699,122 Japanese Viewers (3.39 Rating)
[81]

1. Winter Battle - Final: Noriyori Sanda defeated Aaron Knight (15:47) with the Exploder XXL. [72] [★★★]
2. KITA &  Washi Heat defeated The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) (9:22) with the Washi Explosion from Heat to Shinji. [55] [★¾]
3. Haranobu Kobayashi &  The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) defeated The North (George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) (10:28) with a Spine Buster from Kobayashi to Mark. [69] [★★¾]
4. Special Eight-Man Tag Match - Elite Series Scramble: Chojiro Kitoaji, Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe & SATO defeated Kazushige Matsuki, Kozue Kawashima, Michio Gensai & Mutant (19:55) with the Lariat from Kitoaji to Gensai. [80] [★★★¾]
5. Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake defeated Akinori Kwakami & Yuri Yoshihara (15:47) with the Ugaki Clutch from Ugaki to Yoshihara. [71] [★★★]
6. Glory Tag Crown: KamaGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (c) defeated BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi (22:57) with the Scorpion DDT from Kamachi to Kikuchi (2nd defence). [90] [★★★★½]
7. Glory Crown: Seiji Jimbo (c) defeated  Wolf Hawkins (36:04) with the Jimbo Driver (2nd defence). [82] [★★★★]

Guest Appearances: Mimic (ACPW / FSCOW / ICOW); Washi Heat (MWL / PGHW USA); Wolf Hawkins (TCW); X-Calibre (EX2010 / MPWA / NWG).
Injuries: Avalanche Takano (Spinal Misalignment - expected to be out of action for 2-3 months).

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28 by Scottie

[Willsky]

Enjoying all the updates recently. Harsh by Makiguchi to do the dirty on Kitoaji with the new team name. Looking forward to their eventual smash together! Also, what's the deal with Nawasaka... he just went straight back to BHOTWG?

[Scottie]

"PRIDE Series" - Pre-Tour Press Conference
2023 ELITE SERIES

KOBE, Japan - The 27th Elite Series will take place throughout February and March 2023, with a bumper field including four former winners and three Elite Series debutants.

Last year's winner Seiji Jimbo will look to defend the series and equal Kozue Kawashima's record of four wins, while Kawashima will himself be looking to extend his record to five wins and challenge again for Jimbo's Glory Crown. But they aren't the only former champions in the field, with 2015 winner Akinori Kwakami and 2017 winner Masaru Ugaki also ready to compete as they each look to join the illustrious group of multi-time winners of the prestigious tournament.

Block Pride is bound to be an interesting field, with Kawashima the slight favourite in a block which also includes former Glory Crown Champion Chojiro Kitoaji, five-time Glory Tag Crown Champion Bussho Makiguchi and the grizzled veteran Kazushige Matsuki. All eyes will likely be on the big singles showdown between Kitoaji and Makiguchi, with the two former partners being at each others' throats in recent months.

Indeed, Kitoaji's card will be marked by a number of big matches - he's also due to face his former stable leader Kawashima, to whom he lost the Glory Crown, as well as Makiguchi's current partner and Elite Series debutant Tsurayuki Kamachi, who helped Makiguchi wrest the Glory Tag Crown off Kitoaji at "Night of WRESTLING" last year. Otherwise, although not favourites, don't be surprised to see the other three men do well: while slowing down, the two-time International Champion Joshua Taylor took points off Ugaki last year and is always dangerous; the former CWA World Champion Aaron Knight isn't short of confidence in this his Elite Series debut; and Michio Gensai makes his second appearance in the Elite Series fresh off success in the Elite Tag Team Series last year.

Meanwhile, Jimbo will have his work cut out for him in Block Glory, as he'll square off with stablemate Kwakami and the former winner Ugaki among others. The block is wide open: in addition to the three former winners, there's the fast rising International Champion SATO; the former Glory Tag Crown Champions Hirotsugu Satou & Magnum Kobe; and the Winter Battle winner, veteran Noriyori Sanda. But the most intriguing question is how the Elite Series debutant Mutant will go. He's been one of the most protected singles forces since joining PGHW two years ago, and he makes his first appearance here with seven guaranteed singles bouts.

 

______________________________________________________

BLOCK PRIDE

AARON KNIGHT  The North	BUSSHO MAKIGUCHI  Crimson Tigers	CHOJIRO KITOAJI Unaligned	JOSHUA TAYLOR  RONIN VII
KAZUSHIGE MATSUKI  The Front	KOZUE KAWASHIMA  Crimson Tigers	MICHIO GENSAI  The Front	TSURAYUKI KAMACHI  Crimson Tigers

______________________________________________________

BLOCK GLORY

AKINORI KWAKAMI  RONIN VII	HIROTSUGU SATOU  REBEL	MAGNUM KOBE  REBEL	MASARU UGAKI  Coyote Club
MUTANT  The Front	NORIYORI SANDA  RONIN VII	SATO Unaligned	SEIJI JIMBO  RONIN VII

* * * * *

ELITE SERIES PREDICTION CONTEST

2023 Elite Series Winner:

2023 Elite Tag Series Runner-Up:

Most Points (Group Stage):

Will any wrestler end up with zero points?: (Bonus point: If so, who?).

Biggest Surprise Package:

Biggest Upset:

Edited January 28 by Scottie

[Willsky]

2023 Elite Series Winner: Chojiro Kitoaji

2023 Elite Tag Series Runner-Up: Seiji Jimbo

Most Points (Group Stage): Seiji Jimbo

Will any wrestler end up with zero points?: (Bonus point: If so, who?). NO

Biggest Surprise Package: Aaron Knight

Biggest Upset: Mutant beats Jimbo in their block match