Category: New Japan Pro Wrestling

Awesome Kong Announces Her Retirement From Pro Wrestling At NWA EmPowerrr

During Saturday night’s NWA EmPowerrr pay-per-view, Awesome Kong announced that she is retiring from pro wrestling.

She made a surprise appearance at the event during a Gail Kim promo. Awesome Kong saved Gail Kim before an attack by Taryn Terrell, Jennacide, and Paola Blaze.

After that according to F4Wonline, she grabbed a microphone and told Gail Kim that she was her greatest foe and there was no other way to end her career than being in the ring with Kim. She then announced that she was done.

Awesome Kong is a former NWA Women’s Champion and a two-time Impact Knockouts Champion. She’s wrestled in several promotions such as Impact Wrestling, AEW, WWE, ROH, Shimmer, and All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Resurgence Results 8/14/21

– Dark Match: Barrett Brown, Bateman, & Misterioso def. Jordan Clearwater, The DKC, & Kevin Knight

– Karl Fredericks def. Alex Coughlin

– Ren Narita, Clark Connors & TJP def. Fred Rosser, Wheeler YUTA & Rocky Romero

– Lio Rush, Adrian Quest, Chris Dickinson, Fred Yehi, & Yuya Uemura def. Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs, & Danny Limelight

– Katsuyori Shibata welcomes Uemura to the LA Dojo.

– Juice Robinson def. Hikuleo

– Tomohiro Ishii def. Moose

– Will Ospreay returned and announced he is cleared.

– The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) def. Jon Moxley & Yuji Nagata

– Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) confront Good Brothers.

– NEVER Openweight Championship: Jay White (c) def. David Finlay

– Tomohiro Ishii confronted Jay White after the match.

– IWGP United States Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Lance Archer (c) to win the title.

– Archer cuts a promo saying he respects Tanahashi and wants him to “bring his ass” to AEW.

NJPW Resurgence 8/14/21

NJPW Resurgence 8/14/2021 – Los Angeles, California at The Torch at LA Coliseum

8 pm ET on FITE and NJPW World

NJPW announced due to unforeseen circumstances, Brody King is off tonight’s show and is replaced by Adrian Quest in the ten-man tag match.

Card

* Lance Archer (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP United States Championship)
* Jay White (c) vs. David Finlay (NEVER Openweight Championship)
* Tomohiro Ishii vs. Moose
* Lio Rush, Adrian Quest, Chris Dickinson, Fred Yehi, and Yuya Uemura vs. Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Danny Limelight, Jorel Nelson, and Royce Isaacs
* Juice Robinson vs. Hikuleo
* Jon Moxley and a mystery partner vs. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson
* Fred Rosser, Rocky Romero, and Wheeler Yuta vs. TJP, Clark Connors, and Ren Narita
* Karl Fredericks vs. Alex Coughlin
* Kevin Knight, The DKC, and Jordan Clearwater vs. Bateman, Misterioso, and Barrett Brown (Dark Match)

NJPW also announced Strong Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor will defend his title against Lio Rush at the upcoming Strong tapings on Monday at Thunder Studio in Long Beach, California. The match will air at a later date.

Lawlor’s last title defense came on a July 23 episode of Strong, where he defeated Satoshi Kojima.

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii have also been advertised for Monday’s tapings, which will also feature a live crowd for the first time in the show’s history.

NJPW Announces Completed Vaccination Program For Talent

NJPW announced that all participating staff members and wrestlers have now received both COVID-19 vaccine doses.

As noted in the below press release, the workplace vaccination program was for wrestlers and staff that live in Japan.

Thank you for your continued support of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and your continued co-operation with COVID protocols at live events.

In recent weeks, NJPW has proceeded with a workplace vaccination program for wrestlers and staff residing in Japan. All participating staff members and wrestlers in the program have now received both vaccine doses.

Everyone involved in New Japan Pro-Wrestling will continue to come together to do everything we can to ensure peace of mind to fans attending NJPW events, and to create the safest possible environment to enjoy New Japan action.

We ask for your continued co-operation in COVID countermeasures at events going forward.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

New Japan’s Jay White Officially Invites IMPACT Wrestling’s Chris Bey To Join Bullet Club

Former IMPACT X-Division Champion Chris Bey was officially inducted into Bullet Club by New Japan Pro Wrestling star Jay White.

Bullet Club leader Jay White officially inducted IMPACT Wrestling star Chris Bey into the group on this week’s edition of IMPACT! on AXS TV.

It all went down following Bey’s victory over Juice Robinson. After the bell, White came out to celebrate with Bey. White handed the American wrestler a Bullet Club t-shirt and threw up the Too Sweet gesture, which Bey was more than happy to reciprocate.

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/1423436910161186818

White is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion who is currently under contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling. He walked through the proverbial forbidden door and made his IMPACT debut when he confronted Kenny Omega at the company’s Slammiversary pay-per-view on July 17.

On the July 22 post-Slammiversary edition of IMPACT’s weekly show, Jay White explained his presence in the promotion. The NEVER Openweight Champion said he was there for David Finlay, the man he will defend hit tile against at New Japan Pro-Wrestling Resurgence on August 14. Don Callis, The Good Brothers, and Kenny Omega confronted White and a war of words ensued. Gallows and Anderson demanded a “thank you” for building Bullet Club, but White refused. The two men attacked White, but Chris Bey made the save.

On last week’s edition of IMPACT’s weekly TV show, Bey and White teamed up to take on The Good Brothers. They came up short, but their alliance was far from finished, as the events of this week showed.

Chris Bey is a former X-Division Champion who debuted for IMPACT in November of 2018.

“I want to keep growing. I don’t think I’m the best in the world, but right now, I’m the best version of myself. I have the ability to be better tomorrow, and then better than that the day after. Over time, I want people to think of Chris Bey when they think of wrestling,” the 25-year-old told Sport Illustatrated’s Justin Barraso back in December of 2020.

Bey joins Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Gedo, Hikuleo, KENTA, Taiji Ishimori, Dick Togo, El Phantasmo, EVIL, Yujir, and Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa)in Bullet Club.

Source: TheSportster

Hiroshi Tanahashi Issues Challenge For IWGP US Title On Dynamite

NJPW star Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared via video on tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen.

Tanahashi said he’s won many championships in his career, but the IWGP US Championship has thus eluded him.

Tanahashi said the winner of the match between the current champion, Lance Archer, and NJPW star Hikuleo will face him next. A date has yet to be announced, however the match will take place in Japan. Archer won the title last week in a Texas Deathmatch against Jon Moxley.

Archer won last night’s match and commentary noted he’ll travel to NJPW so Tanahashi can challenge for the title. No word on when that will happen.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam Results 7/25/2021

KOPW 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP (RANBO MATCH – PRE-SHOW)
Chase Owens wins and becomes the provisional KOPW 2021 Champion

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) defeated Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Robbie Eagles defeated El Desperado (c) to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship

Kazuchika Okada defeated Jeff Cobb

IWGP TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito and SANADA (c) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship

IWGP WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Shingo Takagi (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 7/25/2021

DATE: July 25, 2021 3:00 am
LOCATION: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
AVAILABLE ON:NJPW World

CARD

IWGP WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

IWGP TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Tetsuya Naito and SANADA (c) vs. Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
El Desperado (c) vs. Robbie Eagles

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) vs. Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi

KOPW 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP (RANBO MATCH – PRE-SHOW)
Toru Yano (c) vs. TBA

Bullet Club Member Hikuleo Appears At AEW Fyter Fest Night Two

NJPW star and Bullet Club member Hikuleo made a suprise appearance during night two of AEW Fyter Fest and laid down a championship challenge for Fight For The Fallen!

During Orange Cassidy’s clash with The Blade, New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Hikuleo appeared at ringside to take in the action. Later, the 30-year-old was shown at ringside donning a Bullet Club t-shirt with commentary noting he had particular interest in the IWGP United States Heavyweight title showdown between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer.

After a brutal and bloody Texas Deathmatch in the show’s main event, Archer regained the gold from the man he’d lost it to a year and a half earlier before being confronted by the Bullet Club member. The two stared down to close the show and it was later made official that Hikuleo will be Archer’s first challenger next week at Fight For The Fallen, the former’s AEW in-ring debut!

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1418010010014130178
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1418029036006264835

Despite making his pro wrestling debut in November 2016, the 6 foot 8 star quickly made an impression across the world. Immediately joining his fellow Fifita family members Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa in Bullet Club, Hikuleo faced off against some of the biggest stars in NJPW before leaving on excursion for UK promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling. (They are the sons of Haku)

Most recently appearing on NJPW Strong, he’s picked up wins over the likes of Brody King, TJP and Fred Rosser and most notably made it to the semi-finals of the New Japan Cup USA 2021 before falling to eventual winner Tom Lawlor.

Source: Inside The Ropes

NJPW Star Kota Ibushi Diagnosed With Aspiration Pneumonia

Former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia and will continue to miss upcoming NJPW events, the company announced Wednesday.

Ibushi has been out of action in recent weeks due to an illness. Prior to being pulled from the July 19 Summer Struggle card, Ibushi had missed the previous two events due to side effects from COVID-19 vaccination.

In an update, NJPW has confirmed that Ibushi’s illness was not a result of side effects arising from his COVID-19 vaccination. The company issued the following statement:

Aspiration pneumonia has no connection to COVID vaccinations, and Ibushi’s illness is not a result of his inoculation. We apologize for any misunderstanding. Ibushi has also tested negative for COVID-19.

The report added that a final decision on Ibushi’s participation at Wrestle Grand Slam on July 25 will be made after assessing his recovery. In the meantime, Ibushi will miss the NJPW events on July 22 and 23 in Osaka, as well as July 24 in Nagoya.

For the July 22 event in Osaka, Tomoaki Honma will replace Ibushi as Master Wato’s tag partner against the team of IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi & BUSHI.

https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1417696953601708033

Source: Wrestling Inc,