According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, NJPW has a preliminary hold on a date for a show on July 7th at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. They run March 25th in Long Beach, which sold out 5,000 seats in under 20-minutes. There is also talk of the July return being in a major arena in either Long Beach or Las Vegas. The show would be on the same night as UFC’s show in Las Vegas for International Fight Week.
Source: 411Mania
NJPW sent out the following press release today, announcing that NJPW will be available in English on DVD from March of this year…
New Japan Pro Wrestling Worldwide DVD distribution deal announced for the first time outside of Japan
For the first time in its decorated history, the world’s premier professional wrestling brand will be available in English on DVD from March of this year. WrestlingStore.co.uk in association with TV Asahi, have acquired the distribution rights for all territories excluding Japan for the King Of Sports DVD releases. Now available to pre-order, the first title “An Introduction to NJPW” will see some of the biggest names in Pro Wrestling do battle in this special two disc release
Witness New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest stars, “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and the Ace of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi along with some of the notable past and future stars of NJPW such as “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, The leader and originator of the Bullet Club “The Real Rock ‘N Rolla” Prince Devitt, “King Of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura, Kota Ibushi, The Young Bucks and Kushida in this epic double disc set.
The DVD runtime is nearly four and a half hours with just about every match shown in its entirety. Relive classic matches from Wrestle Kingdom 8 on January 4th 2014, the final of the gruelling G1 Climax 2013 Tournament, AJ Styles first match as a member of the NJPW roster, The Best of the Super Juniors 21 Final and four defences of the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight championship.
Full Match Listing
Disc 1
Kazuchika Okada v Prince Devitt
IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Kizuna Road 2013
July 20 2013 – Akita Municipal gymnasiumShinsuke Nakamura v Kota Ibushi
G1 Climax 23 Block B – Day 4
August 4, 2013 – Osaka Bodymaker ColosseumTetsuya Naito v Hiroshi Tanahashi
G1 Climax 23 Finals
August 11th 2013 – Ryogoku Kokugikan in TokyoTetsuya Naito v Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Wrestle Kingdom 8
Jan 4 2014 – Tokyo DomeShinsuke Nakamura v Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Intercontinental Championship – Wrestle Kingdom 8
Jan 4 2014 – Tokyo DomeDisc 2
AJ Styles v Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Wrestling Dotaku
May 3 2014 – Fukuoka Kokusai CenterRicochet v Kushida
Best of the Super Juniors XXI Final
June 8 2014 – Yoyogi National GymnasiumThe Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) vs. The Time Splitters (Shelley & KUSHIDA)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship – Dominion
June 21 2014 – Bodymaker Colosseum
*Match is not shown in it’s entirety.Kota Ibushi vs. Ricochet
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – Dominion
June 21 2014 – Bodymaker ColosseumAJ Styles v Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Heavyweight Championship – King Of Pro-Wrestling 2014
13 October 2014 – Ryogoku KokugikanSpecial Pre-Order Offer.
“An Introduction” to NJPW is available to pre-order now at http://www.wrestlingstore.co.uk, priced at only £19.99 with a scheduled release date of April 2nd. All orders received before the 31st of March will be automatically entered into a draw with FIVE winners picked at random to receive a limited edition signed concept artwork print.
Hand signed by the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, Tetsuya Naito, this special artwork was created as a preview piece during the contract process and were later signed by last year’s G1 Climax winner.
The artwork on the final DVD release will differ so these are truly unique pieces and will be sent on the DVD release date.
It was announced at the start of the show that due to a concussion, Katsuya Kitamura was unable to compete tonight. His match against Manabu Nakanishi has been postponed.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA, & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yuji Nagata, Ren Narita, Tomoyuki Oka, Shota Umino, & Tetsuhiro Yagi – Winners: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA, & Ryusuke Taguchi
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Toa Henare, Juice Robinson & David Finlay – Winners: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship: (C) Roppongi 3K vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Desperado – Winners and new IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions: Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Desperado
SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI – Winner: SANADA
Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi – Winner: Tetsuya Naito
Rey Mysterio video package for Strong Style Evolved aired: Didn’t say much other than he’s happy to be a part of the Strong Style Evolved show. Kevin Kelly did bring up the possible bicep injury, but didn’t have any new details.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: (C) Minoru Suzuki vs. Togi Makabe – Winner: Minoru Suzuk
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay (Non-Title Match) – Winner: Kazuchika Okada
NJPW announced the full card for their 46th Anniversary Show on March 6, which will air live on NJPW World at 5am ET / 2am PT. The main event will be IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada taking on IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay in a non-title match. Below is the full card:
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yuji Nagata, Toa Henare, Tomoyuki Oka, Shota Umino, and Tetsuhiro Yagi
* Katsuya Kitamura vs. Manabu Nakanishi
* Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano vs. Juice Robinson and David Finlay
* Roppongi 3k (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Desperado (IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship)
* EVIL and SANADA (c) vs. Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI (Non-Title Match)
* Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
* Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Togi Makabe (IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
* IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay (Non-Title Match)
Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi will face The Young Bucks at NJPW Strong Style Evolved in Long Beach, California on March 25. On Twitter, Omega said as a friend he wasn’t sure if he was ready for this match, but as a team the Golden Lovers will be. The Young Bucks recently announced they would no longer be Junior Heavyweights, Omega later proclaimed he and Ibushi were the best tag team in the world, which the Young Bucks took exception to.
Source: WrestlingINC
NJPW/ROH Honor Rising: Night Two – The Young Bucks declaring they are no longer Junior Heavyweights, teasing a match against Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi after Omega said the Golden Lovers were the best tag team in the world. In the main event, Ibushi and Omega defeated Scurll and Cody with Scurll taking the pin. Here are the full results:
* The Beer City Bruiser defeated Henare
* David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Jay Lethal defeated Hikuleo, Chase Owens, and Yujiro Takahashi
* BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Flip Gordon
* Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, and Bad Luck Fale (c) defeated Cheeseburger, Delirious, and Jushin Thunder Liger (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Championship)
* The Young Bucks and Hangman Page defeated Chuckie T, YOSHI-HASHI, and Jay White
* Dalton Castle defeated Beretta and the Beer City Bruiser (ROH World Championship)
* Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega defeated Marty Scurll and Cody
During the post show press conference, Omega reiterated he and Ibushi were going to change the world. He also said Cody will not manipulate the team and his behavior is that of a “WWE reject.” The two will meet one-on-one at ROH Supercard of Honor XII in New Orleans on April 7.
The next event to air live in NJPW World is their 46th Anniversary Show featuring IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay in a non-title match.
Source: WrestlingINC
Earlier today, the co-promotional NJPW/ROH Honor Rising: Night One show took place with Cody, Marty Scurll, and Hangman Page defeating Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, and Chase Owens via pinfall. Omega and Ibushi received a huge pop from the crowd, at one point Cody spit on a “Golden Lovers” sign (Omega and Ibushi’s tag name).
The finish came down to Page pinning Owens, keeping up Page’s momentum as he’s expected to get a shot at Jay White’s IWGP United States Championship down the line. During and after the match, out of frustration Cody barked at The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, and Hangman Page. Above are the first two matches from the show. Below are the full results:
* Bad Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Toa Henare and Katsuya Kitamura
* Jushin Thunder Liger, Delirious, and Cheeseburger defeated Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Hikuleo
* The Young Bucks defeated Juice Robinson and David Finlay
* Flip Gordon defeated Hiromu Takahashi and KUSHIDA
* Jay White, Trent, and Chuckie T defeated Dalton Castle, Jay Lethal, and Ryusuke Taguchi
* Hirooki Goto (c) defeated Beer City Bruiser (NEVER Openweight Championship)
* Cody, Marty Scurll, and Hangman Page defeated Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and Chase Owens
Honor Rising: Night Two will take place early tomorrow at 4:30am ET / 1:30am PT live on NJPW World. Below is the full card:
* Henare vs. The Beer City Bruiser
* David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Jay Lethal vs. Hikuleo, Chase Owens, and Yujiro Takahashi
* Ryusuke Taguchi and Flip Gordon vs. BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi
* Cheeseburger, Delirious, Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, and Bad Luck Fale (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Championship)
* Chuckie T, YOSHI-HASHI, Jay White vs. The Young Bucks and Hangman Page
* Dalton Castle vs. Beretta (ROH World Championship)
* Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega vs. Marty Scurll and Cody
Source: WrestlingINC
NJPW announced one-half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions, EVIL, will miss the 46th Anniversary on March 6 due to a fractured orbital bone. EVIL and SANADA were originally going to take on YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto, but that has now been changed to SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI. The injury came during NJPW’s four-day Australian tour.
Source: WrestlingINC
Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuya Kitamura – Winner: Yuji Nagata via Pinfall
Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) vs. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) – Winners: El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru via Submission
Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi and Kushida), Michael Elgin and Togi Makabe vs. Suzuki-gun (Taka Michinoku, Taichi, Takashi Iizuka and Minoru Suzuki) – Winners: Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi and Kushida), Michael Elgin and Togi Makabe via Pinfall
Taguchi Japan (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) and Toa Henare vs. Chaos (Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii and Jay White) – Winners: Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii and Jay White via Ref Stoppage
Rey Mysterio showed via video to challenge Jushin Thunder Liger at Strong Style Evolved. The U.S. show will take place in Long Beach, California on March 25 and is already sold out.
Gedo vs. BUSHI – Winner: BUSHI via Pinfall
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito – Winner: Tetsuya Naito via Pinfall
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship) – Winner: Will Ospreay via Pinfall
Hirooki Goto (c) vs. EVIL (NEVER Openweight Championship) – Hirooki Goto (c) vs. EVIL (NEVER Openweight Championship)
Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA (IWGP Heavyweight Championship) – Winner: Kazuchika Okada via Pinfall
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer said that Kenny Omega is likely to stay in NJPW this year but could move to WWE in 2019. Omega has already made the decision to remain with New Japan through the end of 2018.
Meltzer said that everyone’s different. While some can earn millions of dollars in WWe, others are helped by a career on the independent scene. He said that while Omega does great in the independents, his style may not be a match for WWE and it’s possible he might not succeed there.
Source: 411Mania
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