Scottie Posted March 30 Author Share Posted March 30 (edited) FORTITUDE TOUR MARCH - APRIL 2023 With the "PRIDE Series" in the can, and Chojiro Kitoaji named the 27th winner of the Elite Series, all eyes turned to the run up to the next two "Glorious 4" events: "Night of GLORY" in May and "Night of HONOUR" in August. Before that, though, there was a pitstop with the "FORTITUDE Series"; a series which would give some of the lesser names in PGHW the opportunity to shine on PPV. One of those names was 37-year old Kazushige Matsuki, who had earned himself a shot at the Glory Crown - his second in as many years - after besting the current champion in a multi-man match at the "Nagoya Puroresu Festival". Another pairing thrust into the spotlight was the surprising duo of Storm Spillane & Washi Heat, who somehow earned themselves a shot at the Glory Tag Crown. It was a surprise for Spillane in particular, who was expected to make up the numbers until his long-time partner Marvel Malloy returned from a back injury. Elsewhere in the tour, the rivalry between Akinori Kwakami and Masaru Ugaki continued to grow, as their respective stables geared up for a 5 vs. 5 Survival Match at "Night of FORTITUDE". But as they continued their rivalry, the long-time ace Kozue Kawashima took a back seat this tour; confined mainly to multi-man bouts as he continued to battle chronic upper back pain which is expected to limit him for the next couple of months. Otherwise, there wasn't much of note to the tour shows. The fourth night was a disastrous one medically, as the Elite Series winner Kitoaji broke his collarbone - something which is likely to keep him out of action for a month or two while he heals. That night also saw the likes of Noriyori Sanda and Supreme Warrior Hatamoto pick up niggling injuries which they continued to work through. * * * * * 36,642 fans turned out at Toyota Stadium in the Kanto Region for Apr. 14's "Night of FORTITUDE". There wasn't a huge amount to report on the undercard. Mutant combined with fellow members of The Front to beat Kozue Kawashima and The Lions of Japan, while the rivalry between Magnum Kobe and his former deputy SATO continued to boil over; this time Kobe picking up the win through obviously nefarious means. He's got his eyes on SATO's International Title. In the first of the triple header bouts, the Coyote Club did battle with Akinori Kwakami and other members of RONIN VII in a 5 vs. 5 Survival Match. In a continuation of his dismal form of late, Noriyori Sanda was the first wrestler eliminated - mowed down by a Yano Express from BISON Yano - as the teams exchanged eliminations. Eventually, it came down to a two-on-one as Yano and Ugaki were left with Kwakami. Kwakami fought from below and did well to eliminate Yano, but after a stiff encounter succumbed to an Arc Kick from Ugaki to give the Coyote Club the win. In the penultimate bout, the Glory Tag Crown was on the line as Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi looked to make their third defence against the surprise duo of Storm Spillane & Washi Heat. The bout was an enjoyable one, with Spillane & Heat holding their own, but really the result was a foregone conclusion; Makiguchi connecting with the Blazing Elbow on Heat for the pinfall. The real news came after the bout, as Chojiro Kitoaji (arm still in a sling) and Eisaku Kunomasu came out to the ring. The former partners Kitoaji and Makiguchi have of course been stuck in a heated rivalry in recent months, and at "Night of GLORY" the two teams will meet in a rematch of their "Night of WRESTLING" showdown from last December. That left just the main event, as Seiji Jimbo looked to make his third defence of the Glory Crown against challenger Kazushige Matsuki. There was a significant size difference between the pair; Jimbo isn't small by any means, but Matsuki is a big man on this PGHW roster, and he quickly set about making use of his size advantage. The resulting bout was an excellent one; Jimbo recovered from an early onslaught from Matsuki by neutralising his striking skills and peppering the former boxer with ugly twists and strikes to the body. The bout only lasted 23 minutes - short by PGHW main event standards - but in the end it was Jimbo who prevailed, forcing the very tough challenger to submit to his famed Ocean Lock. With three defences down, Jimbo's next contender was made plain almost immediately. The rest of Matsuki's stable, The Front, joined him in the ring after the bout. After some words were exchanged, the leader Mutant took his moment; reminding Jimbo about their singles bout during the Elite Series (which Mutant won) and challenging him to a singles match at "Night of GLORY". Eager to atone for his Elite Series loss, Jimbo immediately accepted. PGHW “Night of LEGACY”, 14.04.2022 (HYBOSO/PGHW Global) Toyota Stadium 36,642 Fans 1,679,836 Viewers (3.35 Rating) [85] The Griffin Family (Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) defeated Daigo Goya & Motoyuke Miyake (9:08) with the Swinging Side Slam from Mark to Miyake. [49] [★½] The Front (Goro Sakamoto, Michio Gensai & Mutant) defeated Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) (11:10) with the M-Bomb from Mutant to Mihara. [64] [★★½] REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe & Minoru Nakahata) defeated SATO & The Supreme Warriors (Hatamoto & Hikichi) (15:24) with the Amazing Red from Kobe to Hikichi. [70] [★★★] 5 vs. 5 Survival Match: Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Brute Kikuchi, Hirokazu Yamanoue, Masaru Ugaki & Toyotomi Yasutake) defeated RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Haranobu Kobayashi, Joshua Taylor, Noriyori Sanda & Yuri Yoshihara) (24:52). [74] [★★★¼] Glory Tag Crown: Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi (c) defeated Storm Spillane & Washi Heat (14:37) with the Blazing Elbow from Makiguchi to Heat (3rd defence). [79] Glory Crown: Seiji Jimbo (c) defeated Kazushige Matsuki (22:58) with the Ocean Lock (3rd defence). [90] [★★★★½] 5 vs. 5 Survival Match - Eliminations: BISON Yano defeated Noriyori Sanda (4:28) with the Yano Express. Haranobu Kobayashi defeated Toyotomi Yasutaki (7:18) with the Gutwrench Power Bomb. Masaru Ugaki defeated Yuri Yoshihara (12:54) with the Ugaki Clutch. Akinori Kwakami defeated Hirokazu Yamanoue (15:40) with the Pain Lock. Brute Kikuchi defeated Joshua Taylor (17:10) with the Choke Slam. Haranobu Kobayashi defeated Brute Kikuchi (17:28) with a Running Knee Strike. BISON Yano defeated Haranobu Kobayashi (18:04) with the Yano Express. Akinori Kwakami defeated BISON Yano (21:11) with a Stunner. Masaru Ugaki defeated Akinori Kwakami (24:52) with the Arc Kick. Edited April 1 by Scottie 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 2023 “NIGHT OF GLORY” - PREVIEW KYOTO, Japan - May heralds the second of PGHW's "Glorious 4" events of the year, as Kyoto plays host to "Night of GLORY" on May 12. The main event will see first time contender Mutant battle with reigning champion Seiji Jimbo for the Glory Crown. Mutant stunned the wrestling world with his run to the final in his first ever Elite Series, with his biggest win being a stunning pinfall over Jimbo - a result which eventually cost Jimbo a spot in the final. The 28-year old "King of the Wasteland" has risen quickly to become one of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling; but can he conquer the two-time Glory Crown Champion, Jimbo? In the likely penultimate bout, the Glory Tag Crown will be on the line in a rematch of a "Night of WRESTLING" showdown, as Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi defend against Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu. Makiguchi & Kamachi bested Kitoaji & Kunomasu in December last year to win the title, and will this time look to defend against the former tag champions. It's another stop on an inevitable singles showdown between the former tag partners, as Makiguchi and Kitoaji have been in a heated rivalry for the first half of 2023. The third of the title bouts will see another heated rivalry come to a head, as SATO defends the International Title against his former REBEL stable leader, Magnum Kobe. Kobe arguably cost SATO a spot in the final during the Elite Series, as he interfered on behalf of Hirotsugu Satou to hand the latter a decisive victory. The pair have been locked in six-man battles since, with a singles bout for the title finally set in Kyoto. Can the apprentice SATO topple his former master? 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? Meanwhile, although suffering with injury, Kozue Kawashima will return to singles action at "Night of GLORY" - this time against the former PGHW United States Junior Heavyweight Champion, Austin Smooth. The arrival of "Easy Money" marks yet another success story for PGHW USA, the Japanese promotion's American off-shoot, and he was quick to reach for the stars by challenging the four-time Glory Crown Champion, Kawashima. With whispers that PGHW is planning to launch its own junior heavyweight promotion, it waits to be seen how long Smooth waits around. Elsewhere, the rivalries keep heating up - though one expects this won't be the last showdown between Akinori Kwakami and Masaru Ugaki. Those two have also been locked in a bitter rivalry for bragging rights since the Elite Series, and here meet in a tag bout: Kwakami alongside longtime partner Noriyori Sanda, and Ugaki alongside his Coyote Club lieutenant Hirokazu Yamanoue. In other potential highlights, there's a rare four-team elimination tag match for a shot at the Historical Japan Tag Team Titles; the return of Avalanche Takano from a lengthy layoff with injury; and a singles bout between Hirotsugu Satou and the veteran Joshua Taylor. PGHW “Night of GLORY”, 12.05.2023 (HYBOSO/PGHW Global) Kyoto, Japan Card Subject to Change Hirotsugu Satou vs. Joshua Taylor. Daigo Goya & Washi Heat vs. The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta). Four-Way Elimination Match: The Front (Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai) vs. The Supreme Warriors (Hatamoto & Hikichi) vs. The Griffin Brothers (Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) vs. The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane). RONIN VII (Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Brute Kikuchi & Toyotomi Yasutake). Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda vs. Hirokazu Yamanoue & Masaru Ugaki. Special Singles Match: Austin Smooth vs. Kozue Kawashima. International Title: SATO (c) vs. Magnum Kobe (4th defence). Glory Tag Crown: KamaGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (c) vs. Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (4th defence). Glory Crown: Seiji Jimbo (c) vs. Mutant (4th defence). * * * * * PGHW "NIGHT OF GLORY" 2023 - PREDICTION KEY GLORY CROWN Seiji Jimbo (c) vs. Mutant GLORY TAG CROWN KamaGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (c) vs. Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu INTERNATIONAL TITLE SATO (c) vs. Magnum Kobe SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH Austin Smooth vs. Kozue Kawashima TAG TEAM MATCH Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda vs. Hirokazu Yamanoue & Masaru Ugaki SIX-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH RONIN VII (Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Brute Kikuchi & Toyotomi Yasutake) FOUR-WAY ELIMINATION MATCH - HISTORICAL JAPAN TAG TEAM TITLE SHOT ON THE LINE The Front (Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai) vs. The Supreme Warriors (Hatamoto & Hikichi) vs. The Griffin Brothers (Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) vs. The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) TAG TEAM MATCH Daigo Goya & Washi Heat vs. The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) SINGLES MATCH Hirotsugu Satou vs. Joshua Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsky Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 GLORY CROWN Seiji Jimbo (c) vs. Mutant GLORY TAG CROWN KamaGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (c) vs. Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu INTERNATIONAL TITLE SATO (c) vs. Magnum Kobe SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH Austin Smooth vs. Kozue Kawashima TAG TEAM MATCH Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda vs. Hirokazu Yamanoue & Masaru Ugaki SIX-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH RONIN VII (Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Brute Kikuchi & Toyotomi Yasutake) FOUR-WAY ELIMINATION MATCH - HISTORICAL JAPAN TAG TEAM TITLE SHOT ON THE LINE The Front (Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai) vs. The Supreme Warriors (Hatamoto & Hikichi) vs. The Griffin Brothers (Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) vs. The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) TAG TEAM MATCH Daigo Goya & Washi Heat vs. The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) SINGLES MATCH Hirotsugu Satou vs. Joshua Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanMiguel Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 PGHW "NIGHT OF GLORY" 2023 - PREDICTION KEY GLORY CROWN Seiji Jimbo GLORY TAG CROWN KamaGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (c) INTERNATIONAL TITLE SATO (c) SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH Kozue Kawashima TAG TEAM MATCH Hirokazu Yamanoue & Masaru Ugaki SIX-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Brute Kikuchi & Toyotomi Yasutake) FOUR-WAY ELIMINATION MATCH - HISTORICAL JAPAN TAG TEAM TITLE SHOT ON THE LINE The Front (Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai) TAG TEAM MATCH The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) SINGLES MATCH Hirotsugu Satou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 GLORY TOUR APRIL - MAY 2023 April and May saw the onset of the "GLORY Series"; a string of seven tour shows (one of which was televised live on PGHW's streaming platform, PGHW Global) leading up to the "Glorious 4" event, "Night of GLORY". The focus of the series was the build up to the Glory Crown match, as Seiji Jimbo and Mutant faced off in a series of multi-man matches. The two came to blows on a few occasions, but their ring time against each other was limited as the younger wrestlers in their respective groups (mainly Goro Sakamoto and Yuri Yoshihara) took the pinfall. The televised fourth night was the highlight, though, as Mutant combined with Michio Gensai to best Jimbo and Joshua Taylor - before Jimbo and Mutant faced off to end the show. The rest of the tour was similarly designed to build up the marquee matches. In a rare appearance, Eisaku Kunomasu made his eighth appearance since returning from retirement on the fourth show in a losing effort alongside Chojiro Kitoaji and The Supreme Warriors against the Crimson Tigers' Kozue Kawashima, Bussho Makiguchi, Tsurayuki Kamachi and Shozo Furuta. Meanwhile, on that same show, Avalanche Takano made his singles return for the first time since suffering a back injury in January, beating young lion Toyotomi Yasutake in a fun bout. * * * * * With more than 1.8 million fans watching from home, there was a slightly reduced crowd of 27,874 at the Kobe Football Stadium for "Night of GLORY" - a disappointment, given the three big title bouts on the card. In one of the highlights of the undercard, The American Cobras sensationally won a four-way elimination tag bout which lasted just 12 minutes - but it was 12 minutes of chaos. The finish came after Michio Gensai eliminated Supreme Warrior Hatamoto, only for Marvel Malloy to strike with a Super Kick for the final elimination. They will go on to face BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi for the Historical Japan Tag Team Titles. Next up, the heated rivalry between Masaru Ugaki and Akinori Kwakami continued in a tag team match, as Ugaki and Kwakami paired with their long-time partners, Hirokazu Yamanoue and Noriyori Sanda respectively. The bout was just OK; the 30-year veteran Yamanoue isn't really up to bouts of this nature, so Ugaki was left to do most of the work. In another bitter blow to Kwakami, he could only watch on as poor Sanda submitted to the Ugaki Clutch; yet another defeat for the 25-year-old Sanda, who has barely been able to buy a win since going winless in the Elite Series. The hits kept coming for RONIN VII, as Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Yuri Yoshihara fell victim to the Coyote Club's Yano, Kikuchi & Toyotomi Yasutake. It was the former TCW wrestler Yoshihara who took the pinfall - and he was consoled by Takano & Kobayashi after the bout. Or so it seemed - shockingly, Takano & Kobayashi turned on their stablemate, Yoshihara, as they punished him with an almighty beating. The loss meant six members of RONIN VII had lost already - what would this mean for this one feared stable? And could Seiji Jimbo arrest the slide? The answer to that question would need to wait, as the special singles match between four-time Glory Crown Champion Kozue Kawashima and former US Junior Heavyweight Champion Austin Smooth took place. From the outset, the size difference was obvious - Kawashima is no giant, but he comfortably outsized Smooth. What followed was an odd bout, as Kawashima dominated for the most part with the young American trying to work his way into the bout with his aerial offence. It was eventually for nothing, though, as Kawashima won comfortably with the Kawashima Driver 2005. It was a decent introduction for Smooth, but it was clear the Japanese fans hadn't been watching as much of PGHW Global as was hoped. That led to the first of three title bouts, as SATO faced his former faction leader and mentor Magnum Kobe in a bout for the International Title. Deep into his second reign as champion, SATO had been pulling out excellent bouts - and this was no exception, as the two had a sensational battle. As per usual, Kobe was tried to pull out all the tricks in the book - including by taking SATO to the outside and bending the rules to his advantage. But eventually, it was the Korean-born fighter who won the day - catching Kobe by surprise with the Wind Spirit Elbow for the pinfall. Next up was the tag title bout, as the Glory Tag Crown was on the line in a rematch from "Night of WRESTLING". This time it was Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi looking to defend, against Makiguchi's former partner Chojiro Kitoaji and PGHW legend Eisaku Kunomasu. It was another excellent bout, which did all it could to follow up the showdown between Kobe and SATO. The hottest portions were the high quality exchanges between the now bitter rivals, Makiguchi and Kunomasu, as the ill feelings between the former partners were made plain. In an excellent finish, Kunomasu failed in a superplex attempt on Makiguchi and stumbled into the Blazing Elbow for the pinfall. Surely all that's left is a singles showdown between the Elite Series winner Kitoaji and Makiguchi. The only bout left was the main event showdown between Seiji Jimbo and Mutant, in a singles rematch of their Elite Series meeting where the eventual runner up Mutant won by pinfall. There were, of course, no surprises in how this bout went down - it was the typical David vs. Goliath affair, as the massive Mutant towered over Jimbo by a good few inches. After being belted in the ring to start, Jimbo was thrust to ringside where Mutant continued to dominate the champion physically. The first turning point was when Jimbo reversed an Irish whip and sent Mutant crashing into the steel barricades, which was promptly followed up by a DDT on the paper thin ringside mats. As the match returned to the ring, Mutant slowly worked his way back into the bout and eventually had Jimbo prone in the corner for the M-Bomb (springboard splash). But showing all the experience of his years, Jimbo managed to move out of the way at the last moment - sending Mutant crashing into the canvas. Eventually, Jimbo managed to knock the challenger down and lock him into a deep Ocean Lock - securing a huge tap out to complete a successful fourth defence of the Glory Crown! PGHW “Night of GLORY”, 12.05.2023 (HYBOSO/PGHW Global) Kobe Football Stadium 27,874 Fans 1,816,328 Viewers (3.63 Rating) [89] Hirotsugu Satou defeated Joshua Taylor (9:33) with the Scorpion Death Lock. [55] [★¾] Daigo Goya & Washi Heat defeated The Lions of Japan (Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta) (7:36) with the Washi Explosion from Washi to Mihara. [54] [★½] Four-Way Elimination Match: The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) defeated The Front (Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai), The Supreme Warriors (Hatamoto & Hikichi) & The Griffin Brothers (Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin) (12:16) with the Super Kick from Malloy to Gensai. [67] [★★¾] Hirokazu Yamanoue & Masaru Ugaki defeated Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda (11:50) with the Ugaki Clutch from Ugaki to Sanda. [70] [★★★] Coyote Club (BISON Yano, Bruke Kikuchi & Toyotomi Yasutake) defeated RONIN VII (Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Yuri Yoshihara) (11:09) with the Choke Slam from Kikuchi to Yoshihara. [71] [★★★] Special Singles Match: Kozue Kawashima defeated Austin Smooth (15:49) with the Kawashima Driver 2005. [64] [★★½] International Title: SATO (c) defeated Magnum Kobe (25:44) with the Wind Spirit Elbow (4th defence). [91] [★★★★] Glory Tag Crown: KamaGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi) (c) defeated Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (25:16) with the Blazing Elbow from Makiguchi to Kunomasu (4th defence). [89] [★★★★] Glory Crown: Seiji Jimbo (c) defeated Mutant (23:20) with the Ocean Lock (4th defence). [92] [★★★★½] Four-Way Tag Bout - Eliminations: Kazushige Matsuki defeated Robby Griffin (5:11). Michio Gensai defeated Hatamoto (12:00). Marvel Malloy defeated Michio Gensai (12:16). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 CURRENT CHAMPIONS (AS AT MAY 2023) GLORY CROWN 28th Champion SEIJI JIMBO [2] Now well into his second reign as champion, Seiji Jimbo has conquered Bussho Makiguchi, Wolf Hawkins, Kazushige Matsuki and Mutant on his way to four defences. He's just one defence away from matching his reign as champion, but the likes of Chojiro Kitoaji, Masaru Ugaki and Kozue Kawashima are potential contenders. With his famed RONIN VII stable now apparently in turmoil, can he continue this run as champion? GLORY TAG CROWN 36th Champions KAMAGUCHI (BUSSHO MAKIGUCHI [5] & TSURAYUKI KAMACHI) With four defences under their belt, the Glory Tag Crown Champions KamaGuchi sit comfortably at the top of the PGHW tag team tree. Their most recent defence, against the former champions Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu, was their most impressive, and they will look to continue their reign into the second half of 2023. INTERNATIONAL TITLE 25th Champion SATO [2] The Korean-Japanese wrestler continues to rise, with a series of exceptional title defences against the likes of Magnum Kobe and Noriyori Sanda which continue to grow the prestige of the International Title. After an excellent run in the Elite Series, surely it's only a matter of time before SATO makes a run at the Glory Crown. HISTORICAL JAPAN TITLE 45th Champion HARANOBU KOBAYASHI Haranobu Kobayashi became a surprise champion of sorts, following the injury to former champion AKIMA. He's now put together six successful defences, beating a string of lower level wrestlers. The main criticism of this reign is that there hasn't really been a solid rivalry for it, as Kobayashi has gone about his way beating the "challenger of the month". But with a recent development which saw him combine with Avalanche Takano to turn on stablemate Yuri Yoshihara, that might change. HISTORICAL JAPAN TAG TEAM TITLES 3rd Champions BISON YANO [2] & BRUTE KIKUCHI With seven successful title defences, BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi continue to dominate the secondary tag title scene - with many holding the same criticisms as Kobayashi's reign about the lack of real rivalries. Their next opponents will be The American Cobras, who surprisingly won a number one contender's bout at "Night of GLORY". UNITED STATES 4th Champion THOM BARROWMAN Better known to some by his (trademarked) ring names Guide and One Man Army, Thom Barrowman has secured one successful defence since beating TCW bound champion Logan Wolfsbaine. The 45-year-old is still hoping to return to the main PGHW roster one day after more than 100 matches in 2020-2021, but he makes a good figurehead in the meantime. UNITED STATES JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT 3rd Champion SPENCER EDMUND Until recently, the title was being hogged by veteran technician Warren Technique - but that all stopped when Spencer Edmund claimed singles gold for the first time in his career at the PGHW USA "Super Show" in May. The 23-year-old Canadian is a promising wrestler, but he's been given serious responsibility with the PGHW USA title. Let's see how he goes with it. UNITED STATES TAG TEAM 3rd Champions THE IVANOFF BROTHERS (IGOR IVANOFF & IVAN IVANOFF) The veteran tag team duo The Ivanoff Brothers had a difficult run on the PGHW main roster, but they've carved out a good spot for them in North America as the PGHW United States Tag Team Champions. With four successful title defences, they are the top ranked team and their reign looks set to continue. ELITE SERIES 2024 Winner CHOJIRO KITOAJI Chojiro Kitoaji won the Elite Series for the first time in impressive style - besting both the giant Mutant in the final. He is looking towards a Glory Crown shot, though Bussho Makiguchi stands in the way. ELITE TAG SERIES 2022 Winners THE FRONT (KAZUSHIGE MATSUKI [2] & MICHIO GENSAI) The veteran Kazushige Matsuki managed to go back-to-back, this time with stablemate Michio Gensai. Despite a successful series, the pair couldn't claim the Glory Tag Crown; losing their title shot in early 2023 to Yano & Kikuchi. The rumours behind the scenes were that this was punishment for Gensai causing an injury to Yano. WINTER BATTLE 2023 Winner NORIYORI SANDA The veteran Noriyori Sanda won his way into the Elite Series, but it started a colossal drop in form - he lost all of his group stage bouts and has barely been able to buy a win since. 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. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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