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.
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.
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
NJPWannounced 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.
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.
AXS TV announced that it will live broadcast New Japan Pro Wrestling’s upcoming U.S. event “Strong Style Evolved” on Sunday, March 25 at 8pE/5pP. The press release can be seen below:
NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING’S BIGGEST STARS RETURN TO AMERICA ON AXS TV’S EXCLUSIVE LIVE BROADCAST OF ‘STRONG STYLE EVOLVED’ ON SUNDAY, MARCH 25 AT 8pE/5pP
The Sold-Out Show Will Feature Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito & More from Long Beach, California
‘STRONG STYLE EVOLVED’ Marks NJPW’s Second U.S. Event as Japan’s Biggest Wrestling Organization Continues to Expand Stateside
Leading up to the Live Broadcast, the Network will Premiere Matches from NJPW’s New Year Dash, New Beginning in Sapporo and More
Los Angeles (Feb. 7, 2018) – AXS TV—the exclusive U.S. television home for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW)—will partner with NJPW and TV ASAHI to broadcast NJPW’s second U.S. event STRONG STYLE EVOLVED live on Sunday, March 25 at 8pE/5pP from California State University Long Beach’s (CSULB) Walter Pyramid.
The cable network’s acclaimed commentary team, Wrestling Hall of Famer Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NJPW veteran Josh Barnett, will call the live action ringside at STRONG STYLE EVOLVED. The broadcast is expected to feature NJPW’s biggest stars including Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tetsuya Naito among others in matches to be announced.
“New Japan Pro Wrestling’s popularity and ratings in the U.S. are at an all-time high,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “The G1 Special last summer sold out in a few hours, while STRONG STYLE EVOLVED, in an arena twice the size, sold out in less than 10 minutes. This second U.S. event is a great opportunity to further our relationship with NJPW and TV Asahi and we are looking forward to growing their strong style brand of wrestling in the states.”
AXS TV previously televised NJPW’s first stateside event—G1 Special in USA—live in July 2017 and also took over production of the Friday night series from distribution partner TV Asahi to air the Japanese events closer to the original air date. Continuing this trend, AXS TV aired a special presentation of NJPW’s biggest annual event—Wrestle Kingdom 12—on Jan. 6, 2018 just two days after it took place in Japan, which became the most watched broadcast in series history.
AXS TV wraps up its final night of Wrestle Kingdom 12 coverage on Feb. 9 at 8pE/5pP. Then, the network will showcase the best matches from NJPW’s winter events including “New Year Dash” (Feb. 16), three hours from “The New Beginning in Sapporo” (Feb. 23-March 9) and more to be announced leading up to STRONG STYLE EVOLVED.
AXS TV’s upcoming NJPW schedule is as follows (subject to change):
* Feb. 9 – Wrestle Kingdom 12 Finale – Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito
* Feb. 16 – New Year Dash – NJPW’s top wrestlers face off in a series of tag team matches and establish new rivalries for 2018.
* Feb. 23 – The New Beginning in Sapporo – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki
* March 2 – The New Beginning in Sapporo – The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi 3K
* March 9 – The New Beginning in Sapporo – Kenny Omega vs. Jay White
NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo Night’s 1 & 2 took place over the weekend. The Results from both night’s are below:
NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo (Night One) took place with Hiroshi Tanahashi defending his IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Minoru Suzuki in the main event. Suzuki was able to capture the title (via ref stoppage) after going just over 32 minutes with Tanahashi. Also, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa) retained their titles against Togi Makabe, Henare, and Ryusuke Taguchi.
Below are the full results:
* Michael Elgin defeated Katsuya Kitamura (Kitamura Challenge Series, 0-2)
* Jushin Liger, KUSHIDA, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, and Tiger Mask IV defeated El Desperado, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
* Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano defeated Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi
* Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Roa (c) defeated Henare, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Togi Makabe (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship)
* Cody Rhodes, Hangman Page, and Marty Scurll defeated David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Kota Ibushi
* Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito defeated Will Ospreay and YOSHI-HASHI
* Gedo, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada defeated BUSHI, EVIL, and SANADA
* Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson defeated Jay White, SHO, and YOH
Night two of NJPW New Beginning took place and in shocking fashion Jay White defeated Kenny Omega to win the IWGP United States Championship via pinfall. Omega had been the inaugural champion, winning it last July at the G1 Special in Long Beach, California. After the match, Adam Page already looked to challenge Jay White, but Omega asked him to back off. Cody came down, they argued, Cody said Omega wasn’t being a leader, and ended up putting Omega down with a cross rhodes. Cody grabbed a chair, but Koto Ibushi ran out to make the save for Omega.
Also, Roppongi 3K defeated the Young Bucks to capture the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for a second time. Below are the full results:
* Juice Robinson defeated Katsuya Kitamura (Kitmaura Challenge Series, 0-3)
* El Desperado, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Jushin Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino, and Tiger Mask IV
* Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano defeated Leo Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi
* Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Roa defeated Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, and Tomoyuki Oka
* Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka defeated Henare and Michael Elgin
* Cody Rhodes, Hangman Page, and Marty Scurll defeated David Finlay, Kota Ibushi, and KUSHIDA
* BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito defeated Gedo, Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and YOSHI-HASHI
* Roppongi 3K (SHO and YOH) defeated Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) (c) (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship)
* “Switchblade” Jay White defeated Kenny Omega (c) (IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship)
Chris Jericho joined Dave Lagreca and Bully Ray on Busted Open in his first interview since his “Alpha vs. Omega” match with Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 12. Jericho discussed his future with NJPW now that his match against Omega is finished and having the biggest match in pro wrestling. Here are some of the highlights:
Having the biggest match in wrestling:
“When WWE did [Braun] Strowman vs. Brock [Lesnar] and [John] Cena vs. Roman [Reigns] on kind of a secondary PPV a few months ago, I was like ‘Well, there you go, that’s an amazing bonus for me’ because now – to me, those were the two biggest matches you can have in the wrestling world. Once that happened, it left it right open for ‘Alpha vs. Omega,’ there was no match hotter in the business that you could have.”
His future with NJPW:
“I need to keep the ball rolling, I don’t know, once again, the Naito thing is pretty interesting thing to me, and don’t over-saturate [myself]. Don’t join the G1 Climax and be just another guy. I really want to do the Brock Lesnar deal with NJPW, if it works out. Pick my spots and come and go to where you’re like, ‘This guy’s barely there, yet, when he’s there it makes an impact.’ And that might have to be the incentive, I just have to reevaluate and see what I want to do next wrestling wise.”
You can listen to the Jericho’s full comments in the tweet below.
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