Category: New Japan Pro Wrestling

NJPW Star Tomoaki Honma Announces Return To Ring After Career-Threatening Injury

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In March of 2017, former IWGP Tag Team Champion Tomoaki Honma suffered a career-threatening injury after being the recipient of a draping DDT by Jado during a six-man tag team match. Following the move, the match was immediately stopped due to Honma being unable to move anything from the neck down. It was later reported that he had injured his cervical vertebrae, and had to stay in the hospital for nearly four months.

Following the injury, Honma was forced to forfeit his opportunity at the IWGP Tag Team Championship, and New Japan stated that his in-ring return is “tentative.” Thankfully, days after the injury, Nikkan Sports reported that he was able to regain movement of lower limbs, and “grasp objects on the upper extremities.” Still, it was reported that Honma was “recovering a lot,” and a return to the ring was undetermined. In November, Honma was training and taking bumps again in hopes for an in-ring return soon.

Fifteen months later, Honma has fully recovered, as he appeared at the block finals of the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament and issued an open challenge for any tag team to compete against him and Togi Makabe at the Kizuna Road show on June 23rd in Yamagata.

With over 20 years in the pro wrestling business, the 41-year-old Honma has competed for various promotions in Japan, most notably Big Japan, All Japan, New Japan, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. In February of 2007, Honma joined NJPW’s G.B.H. (Great Bash Heel) faction, and stayed loyal to the group until it dissolved. G.B.H. reformed in 2013 with Honma and former leader Makabe, feuding with CHAOS and Bullet Club.

At Wrestle Kingdom 10, Honma won his first title in New Japan, as he and Makabe defeated Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. They retained the titles for three months before losing them to Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa at Invasion Attack.

Source: WrestlingINC

Kenny Omega To Be In Street Fighter V Video Game

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Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is due out on June 26 and Kenny Omega will be playing as the live action actor of one of the characters in the game, Cody, the new mayor of Metro City. In the video above, you can see Omega involved as part of the video game’s promotion and what his character is like in the game.

On Twitter, Omega commented on the role that he kept very close to the chest.

Wrestling fans have been making jokes about Omega playing this character due to the name and somewhat similar resemblance to Cody Rhodes. It should be noted the “Cody” in Street Fighterhas been a playable character since the late 90s.

Source: WrestlingINC

NJPW “G1 Special In San Francisco” To Air Live On AXS TV

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AXS TV announced NJPW‘s “G1 Special in San Francisco” will air live on July 7.

The press release states:

“The event marks NJPW’s most ambitious foray into the U.S. market to date, with a crowd of over 10,000 expected at the historic Cow Palace in Daly City, California. Wrestling Hall of Famer Jim Rossand former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NJPW veteran Josh Barnett will call the action ringside as the best wrestlers in the world, including “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, enter the ring …”

“G1 Special in San Francisco” begins at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.

“As New Japan Pro Wrestling continues their U.S. expansion, we are proud to provide a platform for NJPW and TV Asahi to bring their electrifying events to as many fans as possible through our live, primetime broadcasts,” said AXS TV Fights CEO Andrew Simon. “The Cow Palace has a rich history of major pro wrestling events and we are excited to continue that tradition with our presentation of the G1 Special in San Francisco.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

John Morrison Interested In Signing With NJPW

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New Japan Pro Wrestling is continuing to gain popularity as a promotion. Although the company has been in operation since 1972, it has only been the past few years that they have made such a strong American presence. For years, NJPW has partnered with American promotions such as the NWA and Ring of Honor, even featuring these promotions and the NWA and ROH World Championships on their annual Wrestle Kingdom pay-per-view.

However, due to the ongoing western popularity, New Japan had their first American independent event last year, G1 Special in USA, which crowned Kenny Omega as the inaugural IWGP United States Champion after winning an eight-man tournament. Since then, the promotion announced two more U.S. events, Strong Style Evolved which occurred on March 25, and G1 Special in San Francisco, scheduled for July 7.

With the influx of gaijin (non-Japanese, or “foreign”) wrestlers now frequently competing in New Japan, such as Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Cody, Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, Zack Sabre, Jr., Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Killer Elite Squad, Beretta, and more, other names have become interested in joining the promotion. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, former Intercontinental Champion John Morrison has inquired to New Japan to compete for the company.

Morrison, 38, left WWE in 2011. Since then, he has competed for a number of promotions, primarily Impact Wrestling, Lucha Underground, and AAA. According to the Observer, Morrison’s relationship with AAA may cause a snag in being able to join New Japan. There had been some interest previously, but this same issue kept him from joining the New Japan roster. New Japan typically does not use anyone from the AAA roster, due to their working relationship with CMLL. However, New Japan executives have seemingly softened their restrictions on the AAA ban, since Rey Mysterio is competing for both promotions.

Source: WrestlingINC

Chris Jericho Cuts Foul-Mouthed Tirade Against Tetsuya Naito At NJPW BOTSJ

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Over the past couple months, Chris Jericho has attacked Tetsuya Naito twice from behind, first at New Year Dash and then at Wrestling Dontaku. Earlier today at NJPW BOTSJ (Night 4) IWGP Intercontinental Championship Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI defeated Tiger Mask and Toa Henare in a tag match. Afterwards, the lights went out and Chris Jericho popped up on the screen to cut a promo on his upcoming opponent at Dominion. Just a note, the video above is not safe for work.

“Naito, I read all of the things you’re saying about me,” Jericho said. “I know how you really feel and listen, you are one of the greatest performers in the world today. One of the biggest stars in NJPW, but to me you mean as much as this turtle.”

Jericho was outside and actually showed a turtle that he came across. He then continued on about taking Naito’s title away from him.

“Naito, I’m gonna f— you up! I’m going to take your Intercontinental Championship from you, not because you wanted it, you don’t want it, you’re too tranquilo. I’m not tranquilo,” Jericho scoffed. “I’m f—— crazy! I’m gonna show you just how crazy I can be at Dominion on June 9. I’ve been waiting for six months to get my hands on your stupid filthy head. Yeah, Los Ingobernables de Japon. Kiss my f—– ass!”

Naito had recently said in an interview he was, “superior” to Jericho, aside from name recognition, Jericho responded to that as well.

“You’re the best New Japan has to offer, but I’ve seen pieces of s— like you come and go, year after year, and guess what? Chris Jericho is still here,” Jericho continued. “The Alpha is still here. … I’m gonna make your famous Naito, when I beat your f—– ass at Dominion, take the Intercontinental Championship away from you, away from those filthy animals in Japan and take it back to the United States where it belongs. Be careful what you wish for junior because it’s going to come true. I’ll see you on June 9th at Dominion, f— face!”

When cameras cut back to Naito in the ring, he was relaxing on the mat (seemingly taking a nap) and cut a promo (translation by Chris Charlton).

https://twitter.com/reasonjp/status/998875727503097857

Source: WrestlingINC

NJPW President Wants To ‘Trouble WWE’

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As noted, New Japan Pro Wrestling has hired a new President, Harold Meij. At 54 years old, Meij (Dutch) will be the first NJPW President who is not Japanese. Previously, he held the role of CEO for TOMY, a Japanese toy company, and has lived in Japan for over 30 years. Meij began with TOMY in 2014 and took the company from its biggest loss year to the most profitable ever in 2017. In an interview (translation by Chris Charlton), Meij is looking to expand the company globally and said in three years he wants NJPW to bring in about $90 million in sales. In regards to WWE, “Long term, I want us to trouble WWE. If you just look at our product you’ll see that’s not out of the question.”

Source: WrestlingINC

New Japan Pro Wrestling Hires New President

According to Tokyo Sports (translation by @EvanDeadlySinsW), New Japan Pro Wrestling has hired a new President, Harold Meij. At 54 years old, Meij (Dutch) will be the first NJPW President who is not Japanese, replacing Katsuhiko Harada.

Previously, he held the role of CEO for TOMY, a Japanese toy company, and has lived in Japan for over 30 years. Meij began with TOMY in 2014 and took the company from its biggest loss year to the most profitable ever in 2017.

Bushiroad President (parent owner of NJPW) Takaaki Kidani decided to bring him into the wrestling fold and Meij is scheduled to begin his duties next month.

Source: WrestlingINC

Brandi Rhodes Injured During Recent Japan Tour Over The Weekend, Will Require Surgery

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Brandi Rhodes injured her collarbone wrestling in Japan.

Brandi tweeted:

According to Cody he injury, which is a broken clavicle, will require surgery to fix two separate fractures.

Cody tweeted:

Rey Mysterio NJPW Return Confirmed For Dominion

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NJPW has announced Rey Mysterio will be making up for his missed match this year at Strong Style Evolved by wrestling at their upcoming Dominion event.

As you may recall, Mysterio was sidelined back in march due to a bicep injury and was forced to miss his scheduled match against Jushin “Thunder” Liger. He did, however, set up possible matches with Liger, Will Ospreay, and Marty Scurll during a post-match altercation.

No official word yet on who Rey’s opponent will be.

Also confirmed for Dominion:

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega in a 2-out-of-3 falls, no time-limit match
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Chris Jericho for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
  • The Young Bucks vs. EVIL and SANADA for the IWGP Tag Team Championship
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Michael Elgin vs. Taichi for the NEVER Openweight Championship

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2018 (Night 2) Results: Chris Jericho Attacks Naito

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NJPW Wrestling Dontaku (Night 2) took place earlier today with IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event. In his most current title run, Okada now has a record 12 title defenses to his name. Chris Jericho also made a return to NJPW by initially posing as a fan and then attacking Tetsuya Naito, Jericho would use a ring bell to bust open Naito, which you can see in the video below.

It was also teased Bullet Club member, Bone Soldier, would be returning to NJPW, typically wearing a mask, he would take it off and reveal himself as Taiji Ishimori. In the U.S., Ishimori has spent much of his time in Impact Wrestling. Bone Soldier was previously played by Captain New Japan / Hideo Saito.

Bellow are the full results:

* Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Ren Narita, Shota Umino, and Yuya Uemura
* Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens defeated Yuji Nagata and Tomoyuki Oka
* Roppongi 3K defeated Taichi, Taka Michinoku and Takashi Iizuka
* Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano defeated Togi Makabe and Henare
* Hirooki Goto, Jay White, and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and Michael Elgin
* Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI defeated Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Desperado
* Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Bad Luck Fale, and Guerrillas of Destiny defeated Cody, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Marty Scurll
* Will Ospreay (c) defeated KUSHIDA (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship)
* Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)

Source: WrestlingINC