Tag: NJPW

10-Hour “Kenny Omega-Thon” Airing Today On AXS TV

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AXS TV is presenting a 10-Hour Kenny Omega Marathon today beginning at 2pm ET/1pm C/11am/ PT.

AXS TV issued the following:

KENNY OMEGA REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY TO BECOMING CHAMPION IN AXS TV’S 10-HOUR ‘KENNY OMEGA-THON’ FRIDAY, DEC. 28 STARTING AT 2pE/11aP

Los Angeles – Join IWGP Heavyweight Champion and “Best Bout Machine” Kenny Omega as he revisits his journey toward becoming the champion and defending the belt at Wrestle Kingdom 13 as host of the 10-hour “Kenny Omega-thon” special on Friday, Dec. 28 starting at 2pE/11aP on AXS TV.

The marathon kicks off with Omega’s historic feat as the first non-Japanese wrestler to win the G1 Climax tournament in 2016, which set him on the path to the heavyweight title, and also features Omega’s acclaimed trilogy of matches with Kazuchika Okada; his run as IWGP U.S. Champion, including the highly publicized match with Chris Jericho at last year’s Wrestle Kingdom; and his current reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Leading up to AXS TV’s premiere of Wrestle Kingdom 13 on Jan. 4 at 8pE/5pP, the network will air a late-night strip of the best of Wrestle Kingdom on weeknights at 5aE/2aP starting Friday, Dec. 7. Highlights include headlining matches from the last five Wrestle Kingdom Events including: Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi’s trilogy from 2013, 2015 and 2016; Okada’s battles with Tetsuya Naito from 2014 and 2018; Naito vs. Tanahashi from 2017 and many more.

“Kenny Omega-thon” Schedule (subject to change) – Friday, Dec. 28 at 2pE/11aP:

– 2pE – G1 Climax 26 Final – Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto

– 3pE – Wrestle Kingdom 11 – IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada

– 4pE – Dominion 2017 – IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Omega vs. Okada

– 5pE – G1 Special in USA – IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final –Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii

– 6pE – Wrestle Kingdom 12 – IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship – Omega vs. Chris Jericho

– 7pE – New Beginning in Sapporo 2018 – IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship – Omega vs. Jay White

– 8pE – Dominion 2018 – IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Omega vs. Okada (2 hr)

– 10pE – G1 Special in San Francisco – IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Omega vs. Cody

– 11pE – King of Pro-Wrestling 2018 – IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Omega vs. Cody vs. Kota Ibushi

NJPW To Return To The United States In Early 2019 For New Beginning Shows

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New Japan Pro Wrestling will return to the United States to start off their 2019. The company announced they will invade U.S. territory for their “New Beginning” tour.

On January 30th, The Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California will host night one of the tour. The Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina will host night two on February 1st. The young lions currently training in the NJPW Dojo in Los Angeles will be a part of the show. They are currently being trained by Katsuyori Shibata.

Both shows will coincide with the New Beginning shows in Japan on February 2nd and 3rd, in Sapporo. Wrestlers who will not be wrestling at the Japan shows will compete on the U.S. tour.

The last time NJPW was in the United States was for Fighting Spirit Unleashed inside the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California on September 30th. Tickets go on sale for the 2019 shows in California and North Carolina on December 22nd.

Source: WrestlingINC

AXS TV To Broadcast “Same-Week” NJPW Events With Kevin Kelly/Don Callis On Commentary

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A new era of NJPW on AXS TV will begin in 2019 … as the cable company announced they’ll start broadcasting “same-week coverage” of events with a new announce team.

The press release states:

AXS TV ushers in a new era of its NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING (NJPW) coverage with real-time same-week coverage of the promotions’ biggest events in 2019. The new schedule kicks off with a same-day near-live two-hour broadcast of NJPW’s biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 13, on Friday, Jan. 4 at 8pE/5pP.

The Wrestle Kingdom special is headlined by IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito, and will feature the network debut of the NJPW commentary team of Kevin Kelly and Don Callis.

“Same-day coverage of NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 ushers in a new era of NJPW on AXS TV,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “Based on the tremendous growth of NJPW on AXS TV, we are making major changes to reward wrestling fans by delivering NJPW in primetime on Friday nights as close to when it takes place as possible.”

This means the highly criticized team of Jim Ross and Josh Barnett will no longer call the shows.

AXS TV’s upcoming NJPW schedule is tentatively as follows:

  • Jan. 4 – Wrestle Kingdom 13 (2 hours)
  • Jan. 11 – Wrestle Kingdom 13 (2 hours)
  • Jan. 18 – Wrestle Kingdom 13
  • Jan. 25 – New Year Dash
  • Feb. 1 – New Year Dash
  • Feb. 8 – New Beginning in Sapporo
  • Feb. 15 – New Beginning in Sapporo
  • Feb. 22 – New Beginning in Sapporo

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Cody Rhodes Gives Medical Update Following Knee Injury Scare

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Cody Rhodes had an injury scare over the weekend, but a trip to the doctor has revealed he’ll still be good to go for Final Battle and Wrestle Kingdom 13.

Rhodes announced he heard a loud pop in his knee while teasing a t-shirt toss at an ROH event on Friday. Because of this, he was forced to miss an IWGP United States title defense against Trent.

After visiting a physician on Monday, Rhodes shared an update:

GOOD news is my doctor is fairly confident that my mcl/pcl/acl are structurally sound. BAD news is the meniscus is fairly damaged, gonna’ require a scope. No dates will be adjusted at the moment, and I’ll definitely still compete in the final battle main event & at WK.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Update On Jim Ross’ Status For Wrestle Kingdom 13, Contractual Status With WWE

With New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 coming up in two months’ time, there have been talks about Jim Ross’s status for the show, and if he will be calling the matches for AXS TV. Ross is currently under contract with AXS TV, but also signed a new deal with WWE last year.

On the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shed some light on Jim’s contractual status with WWE and AXS TV. Dave revealed that Ross’s contract with AXS TV expires on December 31st this year, and that he won’t be calling the pay-per-view for the network in January.

Meltzer also revealed that WWE told Ross he couldn’t announce for the QUINTENT event earlier this year in Las Vegas. Dave noted that Jim’s contract with WWE will run out on March 31st next year, and unless he signs an extension, Ross will be free to work with NJPW from April 1st, 2019.

Source: WrestlingINC

NJPW Power Struggle Results 11/3/18

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Soberano Jr., Volador Jr., Tiger Mask, and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Toa Henare, ACH, Chris Sabin, and Ryusuke Taguchi – Winners: Toa Henare, ACH, Chris Sabin, and Ryusuke Taguchi via Pinfall

KUSHIDA, Tomoaki Honma, and Togi Makabe vs. Robbie Eagles, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga – Winners: Robbie Eagles, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga

Kazuchika Okada and Beretta vs. Jay White and Bad Luck Fale – Winners: Okada and Beretta via Pinfall

Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay vs. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi – Winners: Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi via Pinfall

Super Jr. Tag League Finals: Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado vs. BUSHI and Shingo Takagi vs. Sho and Yoh – Winners: Sho and Yoh via Pinfall to win the Super Jr. Tag League

NEVER Openweight Championship: (C) Taichi vs. Hirooki Goto – Winner: Hirooki Goto via Pinfall to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion

RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: (C) Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki – Winner: Tomohiro Ishii

Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Winner: Tetsuya Naito via Pinfall

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: (C) Chris Jericho vs. EVIL – Winner: Chris Jericho via Submission

Post-match, Jericho puts in the walls of jericho again. Out from the back comes Tetsuya Naito and he hammers away on Jericho. Jericho is able to bail out of the ring and head up the ramp to the back. Jericho questions if Naito wants the title and Naito holds the ropes open, inviting him back in the ring. Jericho walks to the back holding his title up. Naito gets on the mic and says he’ll be the next to challenge for Jericho’s title. Backstage, Jericho calls EVIL a tough s.o.b. and says he’s already beat Naito and there won’t be a rematch anywhere. Jericho said that was EVIL’s first classic match, but for him it was just another classic in a long list of classics. Notes he’s still undefeated in NJPW. (from WrestlingINC)

NJPW Announces Wrestle Kingdom 13 Matches For Jericho, Okada And More

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The Wrestle Kingdom 13 main event is already known, but NJPW has now announced additional top matches for the annual event — including Chris Jericho‘s Intercontinental title defense.

NJPW’s website confirms Jericho will be forced to put his title on the line against Los Ingobernables de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito in a rematch from their bout at Dominion.

The company also announced Kazuchika Okada will wrestle against Jay White. As you may recall, White caused Gedo to turn his back on “The Rainmaker.”

Plus, Taiji Ishimori will challenge for KUSHIDA‘s IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title and Suzuki Gun will defend the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship against Roppongi 3K and LIJ.

This is all in addition to the main event between Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Wrestle Kingdom 13 takes place on January 4, 2019.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

NJPW Locker Room Reportedly Suffering From Low Morale Following Management Changes

The current state of New Japan Pro Wrestling has been a hot topic of discussion amongst pro wrestling as of late. On the last episode of Wrestling Observer Radio this morning, Dave Meltzer touched on the current backstage morale in NJPW.

According to Meltzer, “There is a lot of unrest, everyone is unhappy.” Apparently much of the unrest comes from the fact that NJPW is under new management. Toy magnate Harold Meij was brought on as the new NJPW President this summer.

The new management, while excellent businessmen, do not appear to be wrestling people. Before Meij came in to power the feeling backstage was reportedly that NJPW was doing great. Their business was up, the roster was, “very prideful of their work,” and they were making in-roads into the US market.

Meltzer went on to note that it’s not just Meij, or new GM Michael Craven, that have rubbed the roster the wrong way. It’s many members of the new management. He went so far as to say that, “A lot of people that you wouldn’t even think about leaving are thinking about it. People who I knew who were considering absolutely staying are questioning that commitment.”

It should be interested to see how things play out for NJPW over the next few months. Some top talents have contracts coming up and the new Firing Squad extension of Bullet Club has begun heavily recruiting.

Source: WrestlingINC

Kenny Omega Is Toughing Out A Fractured Rib

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IWGP Heavyweight champ Kenny Omega has revealed he’s currently suffering from a fractured rib … but the wrestler says he won’t be taking time off because he doesn’t want to disrespect the title.

Kenny talked about his injury situation while streaming a Mario Party session on Being the Elite‘s Twitch feed. Omega explained, “The foot is doing much better, it is my rib that is fractured right now.”

Adding, “My ribs are in a bad way, but what can you do … right? I’m not one of those guys that likes to try to brag. Like, ‘Hey, look. I’m injured and I’m so tough I’m gonna keep fighting.’ It’s not like that at all. It’s just you gotta do what you gotta do.”

The wrestler finished this portion of the conversation saying, “You just gotta go when you’re the champ, ya know? You can’t disrespect the belt. You can’t take days off.”

Kenny is scheduled to wrestle next month in a tag match with Kota Ibushi at Power Struggle.

https://clips.twitch.tv/DarkPuzzledAlbatrossDBstyle

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

NJPW King of Pro Wrestling Results 10/8/18

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IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: (C) El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs.  Jushin “Thunder” Liger and Tiger Mask – Winners: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Togi Makabe & Tomoak Honma vs. Juice Robinson & Toa Henare – Winners: Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma

The Young Bucks, Hangman Page & Chase Owens vs. Guerrillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori – Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori

Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & Takashi Iizuka – Winners: Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & Will Ospreay 

Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & Roppongi 3K vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, BUSHI & a mystery partner (Shingo Takagi “The Dragon”) – Winners: Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, BUSHI & “The Dragon” Shingo Takagi

https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1049232205631746049

EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Match is ruled a no contest

EVIL sits on his throne and is carried out by a number of druids, once he got to the ring, one of them attacked! It’s Chris Jericho! Jericho ended up destroying EVIL, hitting codebreaker, smacking EVIL with the title, and leaving through the crowd. The referees call a no contest for the match since EVIL isn’t fit to wrestle. Sabre Jr. is not happy and beats up some people at ringside. He goes after EVIL, but Naito comes out to make the save and clear out Sabre Jr. (Transcript from wrestlinginc.com)

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IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship (Vacant): Marty Scurll vs. KUSHIDA – Winner and new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion: KUSHIDA

Rights to Tokyo Dome Title Shot: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White – Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Post-match, White attacks Tanahashi and all the Young Lions. White attacks the leg some more, goes for bladerunner and Okada runs out for the save. Crowd is losing it and starts up an “Okada” chant. Gedo with the slight distraction on Okada, White attacks, but gets sent out of the ring. Gedo with a weak hit to the back, Okada blasts him with some punches. Crowd is loving this. Jado gets in the ring now to calm things down. Bullet Club OGs are headed to the ring, they all point at Okada, but grab Gedo and Jado. BC OGs want him to pick one, but as Okada goes to hit Gedo, Tama hits a gun stun on Okada. Gedo then stomps away on Okada along with the rest of the group. Jay White is invited to the ring he does the “Too Sweet” and gives Okada a blade runner. Looks like White, Gedo, and Jado are now in the Club. (Transcript from Wrestlinginc.com)

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1049253819790635008

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: (C) Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi vs. Cody – Winner: Kenny Omega

 

Post-match, Cody goes to head out, Omega asks him to return to the ring. Omega then says he’ll wait for Ibushi to be able to stand before he gives his final speech. He sits down and encourages Ibushi to stand up. Omega asked the crowd if they enjoyed the triple threat title match (a rarity for this title). He thanks the fans, hugs Ibushi, hugs Cody and says he loves Cody’s dog. As Omega signs off, out from the back comes Hiroshi Tanahashi with his Tokoyo Dome briefcase. Omega says we’re both tired, but if he wants to say something, say it right now. Tanahashi takes the mic, says they may have some philosophical differences about wrestling, but let’s put it all on the line at Wrestle Kingdom 13 and heads out of the ring. Omega does his “goodbye and good night” sign-off to close out the show. (Transcript from Wrestlinginc.com)

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