Category: New Japan Pro Wrestling

NJPW And AJPW Cancel More Shows Due To The Coronavirus Outbreak

In response to the novel Coronavirus outbreak, NJPW and AJPW have announced that they will be cancelling their events scheduled between March 16 through March 21 and March 14 through March 22 respectively. New Japan’s cancelled dates will result in the cancellation of the New Japan Cup tour.

New Japan had previously cancelled the first half of the New Japan Cup tour earlier this month. Many other promotions in Japan have announced cancellations of events earlier this month as well in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan.

Stardom recently held a show called “No People Gate” in response to the events they cancelled. They also announced recently that they will be canceling more shows. This was an empty arena show held in Korakuen Hall and was broadcast live on YouTube for free.

New Japan have been releasing videos for their NJPW Together Project on NJPW World in replacement for the cancelled shows. New Japan’s next big show is Sakura Genesis. The show is scheduled for March 31, and in their official statement, New Japan has stated that they will be making an announcement in regards to the status of future shows.

In their statement, they said, “We apologize to fans who were looking forward to the remainder of the New Japan Cup. Ultimately, the health and safety of our fans, wrestlers and staff, as well as society at large is our utmost concern, and we will make announcements about events scheduled after March 22 upon careful monitoring of this developing situation.”

https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1237288925745446913

https://twitter.com/alljapan_pw/status/1237267546367094784

Source: Wrestling Inc.

ROH And NJPW Announce War Of The Worlds Tour

Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced that the 2019 War of the Worlds Tour will feature four big events in May.

The shows will take place on May 6 in Buffalo, May 7 in Toronto, May 9 in Kalamazoo, and May 10 in Villa Park, IL.

Below is the full announcement issued by ROH today:

ROH, NJPW TEAM UP FOR WAR OF THE WORLDS TOUR IN MAYRing of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling are joining forces again for the War of the Worlds tour, which consists of four huge, star-studded shows in May.

The War of the Worlds tour, which will feature world class matches with stars from both ROH and NJPW, kicks off on May 6 in Buffalo before heading to Toronto on May 7, Kalamazoo (Mich.) on May 9, and concluding in Chicago on May 10.

Tickets for all four shows go on sale next Wednesday, March 4 at 10 a.m. local time for HonorClub members and Friday, March 6 at 10 a.m. local time for the general public.

A staple since 2014, the War of the Worlds tour features dream matches, title bouts, and first-time matchups you cannot see anywhere else with the stars of ROH and NJPW.

Keep it locked on ROHWrestling.com and ROH’s social media channels for talent and match announcements. Don’t miss your opportunity to see the stars of ROH and NJPW live!

ROH/NJPW PRESENT WAR OF THE WORLDS TOUR 2020

Wednesday, May 6: Buffalo RiverWorks, Buffalo, N.Y., 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 7: Ted Reeve Arena, Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9: Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, Mich., 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 10: The Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Ill., 7 p.m.

Stardom Cancels Shows Due To Coronavirus Situation In Japan

Japanese promotion Stardom announced earlier today on Twitter they will be canceling a number of upcoming shows as a precaution to the Coronavirus. The virus has infected more than 73,000 people around the world, mostly in mainland China, according to CNN. The death toll is 1,873, including five people outside mainland China.

In a series of tweets, Stardom announced which events would be cancelled, also revealing its March 8 show at Korakuen Hall will take place in an empty arena, streaming for free on its YouTube channel.

“Due to the current Coronavirus situation in Japan, the following precautionary measures are being taken:

2.19 Mayu Iwatani Birthday Fan Event – cancelled
2.20 Fan signing event – cancelled
2.20 Press conference – will be held, but no fans in attendance
2.22 Osaka show – cancelled
2.23 Nagoya show – cancelled
2.29 Shinkiba show – cancelled
3.8 Korakuen Hall show – will be held, Empty Arena (no fans in attendance)
3.14 Osaka Day and Night shows – cancelled

“Refunds to these shows are available. If you are from a foreign country and have tickets, please email we.are.stardom@gmail.com and we will help you resolve your case as efficiently as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

“Our March 8 show at Korakuen Hall may not have any fans (Empty Arena due to the Coronavirus outbreak) but you’ll be able to watch the entire show for free on our official YouTube channel!”

As noted, NJPW’s parent company, Bushiroad, purchased Stardom back in October. The two companies have been running separate from each other, although a Stardom dark match (Mayu Iwatani and Arisa Hoshiki defeating Hana Kimura and Giulia) took place for the first time at last month’s Wrestle Kingdom 14.

NJPW has not currently cancelled any upcoming live events. They issued a notice to fans attending their upcoming shows, and announced that upcoming meet-and-greets have been cancelled.

https://twitter.com/we_are_stardom/status/1229663347068456960

https://twitter.com/we_are_stardom/status/1229663415599153152

https://twitter.com/we_are_stardom/status/1229663507546685440

https://twitter.com/we_are_stardom/status/1229764620824395777

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Star Jay White Booked For ROH Supercard Of Honor

There has been speculation regarding the partnership with ROH and NJPW, however it appears as if the two companies will continue to work with each other. ROH announced that Bullet Club leader Jay White will be appearing at its Supercard of Honor event on April 4.

“#BULLETCLUB MEMBER & NJPW STAR JAY WHITE SIGNED FOR ROH SUPERCARD OF HONOR APRIL 4 IN LAKELAND, FLORIDA! @jaywhitenz is #GoingToLakeland”

This is the first time that White will be wrestling on an ROH show since the G1 Supercard last year, where he lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Kazuchika Okada. White previously worked with ROH from 2016-2017 as a Young Lion in an excursion run.

Taking place in Lakeland Florida, the event will be during the evening. It should be noted that the Bullet Club will host the Bullet Club Beach Party on the same day at 10 a.m. ET.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW New Year Dash Results 2020

Jushin Liger’s Retirement Ceremony to kick off the show featuring a number of NJPW stars including Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryu Lee, Tiger Mask IV, Taguchi, Nagata, Juice Robinson, and Kota Ibushi. Tanahashi gives flowers (meaning for new beginnings/new endings) to Liger and the group posed with Liger for photos. The wrestlers bow and shake hands with Liger before exiting the ring. Members of CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero, Will Ospreay, Robbie Eagles, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, SHO, and YOH) then head out. Okada says some words to Liger, hands over flowers, Liger bows to the members and more photos. Okada then takes a selfie with the whole group. Liger is given more flowers by NJPW officials, including NJPW President Harold Meij.

Liger’s family comes out. Antonio Inoki has a special message for Liger, wishing him good health in his new life and raises a glass to Liger on his special night. Liger gets the mic, talks about his final match, thanks the fans, and says NJPW will continue to thrive and get bigger thanks to everyone there. Liger notes his mother was at Tokyo Dome and at tonight’s show. He thanks his mother for raising him. He says to his wife and son that he’s made them so lonely from all the travel, but now he’s coming home and they will have to put up with him. He thanks the fans again. A salute is given to Liger. He thanks the fans again. A 10-bell salute is given to Liger. The roster then joins him in the rings and lifts him in the air a couple times. His theme is played again. Liger then heads to the back on his own, giving high-fives to the fans along the way.

https://twitter.com/WrestlingInc/status/1214120654884233216

Toa Henare, Yota Tsuji, and Yuya Uemura vs. Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors, and Alex Coughlin

Winners: Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors, and Alex Coughlin via Submission

 

SHO and YOH vs. Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI vs. El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Taiji Ishimori and El Pantasmo

Winners: El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru via Pinfall

 

Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kota Ibushi vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale, and Chase Owens

Winners: Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kota Ibushi via Pinfall

 

Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL and Shingo Takagi

Winners: Shingo Takagi and EVIL via Pinfall

 

Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI, Will Ospreay, and Robbie Eagles vs. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, and Taichi

Winners: Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI, Will Ospreay, and Robbie Eagles via DQ

– Post-match, Taichi kicks down the referee. He chokes Okada with the mic stand, then puts the iron glove back on. Sabre and Ospreay fighting on the outside. Taichi puts a foot on Okada’s neck and taunts some more. Taichi looks to finish off Okada, but Jon Moxley heads out through the crowd and brawls with Suzuki! Moxley hits death rider to put down Suzuki and heads off. Suzuki laughs in the ring and all the way to the back.

https://twitter.com/WrestlingInc/status/1214154260881059840

 

Tetsuya Naito and SANADA vs. KENTA and Jay White

Winners: SANADA and Tetsuya Naito via Pinfall

– Post-match, White with a lowblow on SANADA. KENTA is still beating up Naito, then swings away on the young lions. White swings away on SANADA in the ring. KENTA puts Naito in the ring and keeps swinging away. Gedo grabs two chairs and hands them over to his guys. Stereo chair swings, over and over. Time keeper is ringing that bell. Crowd still chanting for KENTA to go home. White gets on the microphone, crowd already booing. White says a new opportunity has presented itself to him. He says SANADA believes far too much in himself and he’ll bring SANADA back to reality. White continues that SANADA is not better than him.

KENTA is handed the microphone, crowd boos. KENTA says White called the crowd a bunch of idiots. KENTA mocking Naito about the band being back together. KENTA eggs the crowd to chant more about him going home, but he’s not going home. He calls the LIJ fans “gross.” KENTA says his point is that he’s going to take the two titles from Naito and challenges the champion. SANADA’s music plays (because he won the match for his team), KENTA tells them to cut the music and play his instead, crowd boos. White, KENTA, and Gedo “too sweet” each other. KENTA jaws with the fans and dances some more on his way to the back. Naito is helped to the back by some young lions as the show closes.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Results

Night 1

(Pre-Show) Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, Tomoaki Honma, and Togi Makabe vs. Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks, and Toa Henare –

Winners: Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks and Toa Henare

 

(Pre-Show) Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata –

Winners: Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan

 

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Tatsumi Fujinami and The Great Sasuke (with El Samurai) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Shinjiro Ootani and Naoki Sano (with Kuniaki Kobayashi) –

Winners: Ryusuke Taguchi, Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Shinjiro Ootani and Naoki Sano

 

BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, EVIL, and SANADA vs. El Desperado, Taichi, Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr. –

Winners: Zack Sabre Jr.,El Desperado, Taichi and Minoru Suzuki

 

YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, and KENTA –

Winners: Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii

 

IWGP Tag Team Championship: The Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. David Finlay and Juice Robinson

Winners and New IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson)

 

IWGP United States Championship – Texas Death Match: Lance Archer (c) vs. Jon Moxley

Winner and New IWGP US Champion: Jon Moxley

 

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Winner and New IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion:Hiromu Takahashi

 

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

Winner and New IWGP Intercontinental Champion: Tetsuya Naito

 

IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

Winner and Still IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada

 

Night 2

(Pre-Show) NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match: Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano, and Togi Makabe (c) vs. Robbie Eagles, YOSHI-HASHI, & Tomohiro Ishii, and BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, & EVIL, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, & Taichi, and Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, & Bad Luck Fale

Winners: EVIL, BUSHI and Shingo Takagi via pinfall to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship

 

Liger’s Retirement Match: Jushin Thunder Liger and Naoki Sano vs. Ryu Lee and Hiromu Takahashi

Winners: Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee via Pinfall

– Post-match, Liger lays on the mat as Lee and Takahashi look on. Takahashi tells Liger “You made the Jr. Heavyweight division in New Japan, and I promise to carry on your legacy.” Lee helps Liger up and then bows to Liger. Liger then gets on the mic to talk a bit about his career, says Jushin Liger is no more, then thanks the fans dearly for their support.

 

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (Sho and YOH)

Winners: SHO and YOH via pinfall to win the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship

 

RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. SANADA

Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. via Pinfall

 

IWGP United States Championship: Winner of the Archer / Moxley Match (c) vs. Juice Robinson

Winner: Jon Moxley via Pinfall

– Post-match, Minoru Suzuki heads out to the ring with a smile on his face. He’s got his ring gear on and goes to the ring. The two start swinging, Suzuki tries to choke Moxley out. Bell is ringing over and over. Gotch style piledriver on Moxley. This is not a match though. Suzuki gets the mic, “Who do you think you’re picking a fight with? I am the king of professional wrestling, Minoru Suzuki.”

 

NEVER Openweight Championship: KENTA (c) vs. Hirooki Goto

Winner: Hirooki Goto via pinfall to win the NEVER Openweight Championship.

 

Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi

Winner: Jay White via Pinfall

 

Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahash (If Tanahashi wins, he get a rematch for the AEW World Championship)

Winner: Chris Jericho via Submission

 

Title vs. Title: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito

Winner: Tetsuya Naito wins the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship

– Post-match, Naito gets on the mic and says “Winning the main event at the Tokyo Dome, turns out it feels pretty good. Perhaps one more time in the future, let’s do this again,” Naito says to Okada. As Naito celebrates with the fans, KENTA rushes the ring and takes him out. KENTA then takes the titles and sits on Naito with them. BUSHI chases KENTA away and he leaves through the crowd.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 – Cards Night One (1/4/20) And Night Two (1/5/20) – New Year Dash (1/6/20) – Liger’s Retirement

Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan – Available on NJPW World, FITE (you can watch both Nights of Wrestle Kingdom 14 and New Year Dash for $49.99).

Night 1 – January 4, 2020 at 3:00 AM ET (Pre-Show at 2:00 AM ET)

IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

IWGP United States Championship: Lance Archer (c) vs. Jon Moxley

IWGP Tag Team Championship: The Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. David Finlay and Juice Robinson

YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, and KENTA

BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, EVIL, and SANADA vs. El Desperado, Taichi, Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr.

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Tatsumi Fujinami and The Great Sasuke (with El Samurai) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Shinjiro Ootani and Naoki Sano (with Kuniaki Kobayashi)

(Pre-Show) Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, Tomoaki Honma, and Togi Makabe vs. Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks, and Toa Henare

(Pre-Show) Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata

 

Night 2 – January 5, 2020 at 1:00 AM ET (Pre-Show at 12:00 AM ET)

Title vs. Title: IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion

Loser of Okada / Ibushi vs. Loser of White / Naito

Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
If Tanahashi wins, he get a rematch for the AEW World Championship

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (Sho and YOH)

NEVER Openweight Championship: KENTA (c) vs. Hirooki Goto

IWGP United States Championship: Winner of the Archer / Moxley Match (c) vs. Juice Robinson

RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. SANADA

Liger’s Retirement Match: Jushin Thunder Liger and Naoki Sano vs. Ryu Lee and Hiromu Takahashi

(Pre-Show) NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match: Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano, and Togi Makabe (c) vs. Robbie Eagles, YOSHI-HASHI, & Tomohiro Ishii, and BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, & EVIL, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, & Taichi, and Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, & Bad Luck Fale

 

New Year Dash –  January 6, 2020 at 4:30 AM ET – Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan

Card to be announced at the show

Jushin Thunder Liger’s Retirement Ceremony

Chris Jericho Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi At WK14 Gets AEW-Related Stipulation

NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi will get the opportunity to earn an AEW World title shot next weekend when he goes one-on-one with ‘Le Champion’ at Wrestle Kingdom 14.

Chris Jericho shared a video on Saturday morning reacting to recent comments made by Tanahashi in regards to their upcoming match.

“You said if you could beat me, that you will enter the forbidden portal and request a title shot for the AEW championship,” Chris says in the video. “I thought it’s a great idea, so ‘Le Champion’ asked the Chairman of the Board, the owner of AEW, Tony Khan, if it was okay to grant your request. And he said yes! So, if you can beat me in the Tokyo Dome, I will give you a championship match for the AEW title,” Jericho added.

Wrestle Kingdom 14 is a two-day event this year starting on January 4. The show can be viewed on NJPW World or FITE TV. The show will not be broadcast on AXS TV this year, as the relationship between the two companies recently came to an end.

Jericho vs. Tanahashi will take place on night two of Wrestle Kingdom on January 5.

Watch Jericho’s announcement below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

New Japan Not Planning US Television Broadcast Of Events In 2020

NJPW’s relationship with AXS TV appears to have come to an end, as New Japan announced a surprising update in regards to their television plans in 2020.

The company’s NJPW Global account tweeted the following late Thursday night:

“In response to US fan queries, There are currently no plans for TV broadcast of NJPW events in 2020 (WK14 included) in the US.

Thank you for joining us on TV so far. We invite you to join [NJPW World] for all the action in 2020, LIVE and in English!”

NJPW first started airing on AXS TV in 2014. The shows featured older matches dubbed with English commentary. The network also aired specials for the promotion’s big events, but that seemed to decrease as of late. As you may recall, Impact Wrestling’s parent company Anthem purchased a majority interest in AXS TV earlier this year.

No official comment has been released from AXS TV at this time.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

New Japan Confirms Schedule For First New Beginning USA Tour In 2020

NJPW of America is kicking off 2020 with a bang by traveling to five U.S. cities in nine days.

New Japan released details on their upcoming “New Beginning USA” tour via Twitter Monday night.

The cities/dates are as follows:

  • January 24 in Tampa, FL
  • January 26 in Nashville, TN
  • January 27 in Raleigh, NC
  • January 30 in Miami, FL
  • February 1 in Atlanta, GA

NJPW ran thirteen shows in the States in 2019. When they announced their new American subsidiary, the promotion shared plans to double that record for next year.

See the announcement below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet