Tag: NJPW

NJPW Battle In The Valley 1/13/2024 (Results), Jack Perry

  • Pre-Show – STRONG Survivor powered by NJPW Academy: Matt Vandagriff def. Goldy.
  • Pre-Show: Stephanie Vaquer def. Viva Van.
  • Shota Umino, Fred Rosser & Jacob Fatu def. Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson).
    • After the match, Jack Perry attacked Shota Umino from behind to make his NJPW Debut & his first wrestling appearance since AEW All In.
    • Perry pulled out an AEW contract and ripped it up in the ring to send a message. It’s also worth noting that Perry was sporting a beard and a black armband that read “Scapegoat,” which appears to be his new nickname. It appears that this is all part of an angle however details are few and far between as of this writing.
  • Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr def. Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr.
  • David Finlay def. TJP.
  • NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship Match: Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c) def. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors).
  • NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship Match: Giulia (c) def. Trish Adora (w/ Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean of The Infantry).
  • There was a video vignette of Mustafa Ali, where he challenged Hiromu Takahashi to a match on 4/12 for NJPW Windy City Riot.
  • Matt Riddle & Jeff Cobb def. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr).
  • AEW Triple Crown (NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship, ROH World Championship & AEW Continental Championship): Eddie Kingston (c) vs Gabe Kidd Ended in a Tie via Count-Out.
    • After the match, the Bullet Club WAR DOGS (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors) attacked Kingston, laying out Kingston in the ring from the attack.
  • No Disqualification Match: Jon Moxley def. Shingo Takagi.
    • After the match, Moxley called out Tetsuya Naito, saying it was time. The match was made official for Windy City Riot.
  • Kazuchika Okada def. Will Ospreay.
    • Bullet Club WAR DOGS (David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd & Clark Connors) attacked Ospreay & Okada after the match. TJP & Jeff Cobb made the save before Eddie Kingston joined in to run off the Bullet Club.
    • Will Ospreay gave his thanks to NJPW, the fans, and to Okada for helping him become a better person & wrestler, saying that his run, but did promise that United Empire would bury War Dogs on New Beginning in Osaka.

NJPW Battle In The Valley 1/13/2024

Tonight’s NJPW Battle In The Valley card is set. The event will be held tonight in San Jose, CA. You can catch the action at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Triller.

You can check out the final card below:

Will Ospreay vs Kazuchika Okada

No DQ: Shingo Takagi vs Jon Moxley

NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship (AEW Triple Crown): Eddie Kingston (c) vs Gabe Kidd

Matt Riddle & X vs TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr.)

NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Giulia (c) vs Trish Adora

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c) vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors)

TJP vs David Finlay

Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr vs Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr.

Shota Umino, Fred Rosser & Jacob Fatu vs Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson)

Viva Van vs Stephanie Vaquer

STRONG Survivor powered by NJPW Academy: Matt Vandagriff vs Goldy

Backstage News On Jacob Fatu And Matt Riddle’s Deals With NJPW

Matt Riddle and Jacob Fatu — who collided this past weekend at Major League Wrestling’s Kings of Colosseum event — are set to make their debuts for New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Battle in the Valley on Saturday night. While discussing the upcoming NJPW STRONG pay-per-view on “Wrestling Observer Radio,” veteran wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer spoke about Riddle and Fatu’s deals with the Japanese promotion.

“Jacob Fatu was a deal made through MLW because he’s under contract to MLW,” Meltzer said. “MLW will be bringing in more New Japan guys, so it’s part of that deal right there. And Matt Riddle is gonna be working for both.”

Riddle, who was released by WWE last September, will team up with a mystery tag team partner against The Mighty Don’t Kneel’s Zack Sabre Jr. and Bad Dude Tito at Battle in the Valley. Riddle was first seen in NJPW the night after Wrestle Kingdom 18 at New Year Dash!!, appearing in a pre-recorded video challenging the new NJPW World Television Champion and NJPW president Hiroshi Tanahashi to a match. Riddle is set to tour with NJPW next month. Meanwhile, the team of Fatu, Fred Rosser, and Shota Umino will take on Team Filthy’s Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs, and Jorel Nelson in a six-man tag team match at Battle in the Valley. The main event of that pay-per-view will see Kazuchika Okada take on Will Ospreay.

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to Wrestling Observer Radio

Former WWE Star Matt Riddle Makes NJPW Debut, Challenges President & NJPW World TV Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi

Matt Riddle debuted for NJPW in a vignette where he challenged President and NJPW World TV Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi during Friday’s New Year Dash event. The video aired after Tanahashi’s title defense against Ryusuke Taguchi, with Riddle setting his sights on the “Ace” and promising to see him soon. Tanahashi responded with a promo in Japanese to accept the challenge, which NJPW commentator Chris Charlton translated roughly, “I will have to do some research as I have no idea who that is.” 

Matt Riddle was released by WWE in September 2023, reportedly a result of burning too many bridges throughout his time with the company. He was accused of sexual assault during the #SpeakingOut movement, spurring litigation directly involving WWE as a defendant. He was also known for having real-life issues with top talent, and violating the company wellness policy multiple times.

While there was no explicit reasoning for his WWE release, Riddle was also involved in an incident last year at JFK Airport in New York which led to a police investigation. He is still not short of work outside WWE, however, with MLW looking to be his home promotion in the U.S. going forward. He will wrestle his return match for MLW on January 6 against Jacob Fatu. Riddle is also booked to face Rob Van Dam in March. Riddle is not the first of WWE’s 2023 releases to make their way to NJPW at the beginning of 2024. Nic Nemeth (formerly Dolph Ziggler) sat ringside for Wrestle Kingdom 18 on Thursday alongside his brother Ryan Nemeth, where he would be later involved in an angle with new IWGP Global Champion David Finlay.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Star Tama Tonga Says This Is His Last Month In The Promotion

During NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18, Tama Tonga beat Shingo Takagi, securing his fourth NEVER Openweight Championship.

In a post-show press conference, Tonga revealed that January marks his final month with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Tonga said he wanted to work closer to his family before talking highly about Japan, NJPW, and its talented roster.

Source: eWn

Nic Nemeth Confronts Champion After NJPW Debut At Wrestle Kingdom 18

Nic Nemeth and David Finlay needed to be pulled apart during today’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 event. David Finlay had just captured the IWGP Global Championship in a three-way match with Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley, before engaging in a heated exchange with Nemeth. 

Nemeth had been seated at ringside at Wrestle Kingdom alongside his brother Ryan Nemeth when Finlay came into focus. It was mentioned on the broadcast that Nemeth chased Finlay down backstage just as Kazuchika Okada made his entrance for the next match.

After their exchange, the former WWE star spoke to the media backstage while holding Finlay’s Global title. He noted that he isn’t currently signed to NJPW but he has a degree of pride for the IWGP Global title and found Finlay’s actions to be disgraceful. He made it clear that he would like to wrestle for the title, further decreeing to make the belt “the pinnacle.”

Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, was released by WWE in September 2023 after 19 years with the company. In recent years, the likes of Chris Jericho and Mercedes Mone have been brought into NJPW as major attractions owing to their previous runs in WWE. Like Nemeth, Jericho was involved in IWGP mid-card title programs, for the United States and Intercontinental titles, while Mone featured in the IWGP Women’s title program with inaugural champion — and now-WWE star — Kairi Sane. Mone similarly debuted at Wrestle Kingdom last year. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 1/4/2024 (Results)

PRE-SHOW

• King of Pro Wrestling 2024 New Japan Ranbo: Not much in the way of surprises, but we did get Michinoku Pro Wrestling’s Fujita “Jr” Hayato and Takashi Iizuka. Taiji Ishimori, YOH, Toru Yano, and Great O-Khan were the final four, and advance to challenge for the KOPW 2024 title at tomorrow’s New Year Dash!!

MAIN CARD

• Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira) def. Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors) to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

TJP is debuting his new masked gimmick, arising after losing NJPW’s first-ever Coffin Match as The Aswang, a creature of Filipino myth. He added some creepy mannerisms to his ring work, did some biting, and grabbed the referee by the arm to save himself from a pin at one point. He & Akira put down War Dogs with their 2×2 tandem knee strike on Moloney.

• Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Zack Sabre Jr to win the NJPW World TV Championship

President Ace tried to end it quickly, but ZSJ got his knees up on High Fly Flow. Submissions, counters & pinning predicaments galore followed as it became more of a catch-style match. A Zack Driver counter led to series of rolling pins, and Tanahashi got the final one for three. Sabre Jr. hands Tana the belt and bows before leaving with TMDK.

The new champ gets on the microphone, and offers a quick new year’s message and asks for continued support for NJPW.

• Yuya Uemura def. Yota Tsuji

Solid match from two guys NJPW hopes will be future stars. The larger Tsuji controlled for the most part. But he couldn’t put away the underdog Uemura, and when Tsuji went for a second curb stomp after Uemura kicked out of the first, a series of suplexes ended it.

• House of Torture (EVIL & Ren Narita) def. Kaito Kiyomiya & Shota Umino

We got a cool motorcycle entrance from Shooter, but we also got HoT shenanigans from the jump. They cut up a NOAH shirt on the ramp to get in Kiyomiya’s head. The ref was taken out before we even started allowing the whole faction to go to work on our heroes. Unimo finally got his hands on Narita (who turned on him during World Tag League), but EVIL choked him with a shirt. Narita used a push-up bar as a weapon while the ref was tied up with one of his teammates, then hit a Double Cross to pin his former friend.

• Tama Tonga def. Shingo Takagi to win the NEVER Openweight Championship

A hard-hitting 13 minute match that saw Tonga play the Bullet Club’s greatest hits (using Prince Devitt (aka Finn Bálor)’s Bloody Sunday, Karl Anderson’s Gun Stun & AJ Styles’ Styles Clash in the match). Takagi kicked out of all those, though. It was a DST that finally ended it, and Shingo’s reign.

• AEW’s Ryan Nemeth and free agent Nic “Dolph Ziggler” Nemeth take seats at ringside before our next match.

• Guerillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) def. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) to retain the NJPW Strong Openweight and win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles

After an early back-and-forth where both teams went for double-team moves, GoD took control in large part due to Hikuleo’s size advantage. ELP accidentally nailed his partner with a superkick, turning the tide. Bishamon had ELP down for the count, but Hikuleo broke up the pin. A dive took out YOSHI-HASHI, and GoD’s tandem chokeslam/splash looked to have finished off Goto, but he kicked out. He couldn’t kick out of a splash from the big man, though.

• El Desperado def. Hiromu Takahashi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

To get the drop on his long-time rival, Despy flew to take out the champ during his entrance. Takahashi fought his way back, but his knee was injured on a submission attempt and Desperado targeted the leg from there on out. It kept Taka from lifting his opponent to hit moves like Time Bomb. Strikes left Takahashi woozy, and multiple Pinche Loco (spinning sitout facebusters) continued the bad night for guys trying to hold onto titles.

• David Finlay def. Will Ospreay & Jon Moxley via pinfall (on Ospreay) to become the first IWGP Global Champion

Nic Nemeth and David Finlay needed to be pulled apart during today’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 event.

It was mentioned on the broadcast that Nic Nemeth chased Finlay down backstage just as Kazuchika Okada made his entrance for the next match.

After their exchange, the former WWE star spoke to the media backstage while holding Finlay’s Global title. He noted that he isn’t currently signed to NJPW but he has a degree of pride for the IWGP Global title and found Finlay’s actions to be disgraceful. He made it clear that he would like to wrestle for the title, further decreeing to make the belt “the pinnacle.”

• Kazuchika Okada def. Bryan Danielson via pinfall

• Tetsuya Naito def. SANADA to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

The English language announce team (Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton & Rocky Romero —which I have to say, outside of Romero, I am not a fan) drill us on the history between the champ and the G1 winner, as well as going on and on about each man’s connection to New Japan audiences. It didn’t help what was the typical slow first third of an NJPW main event where the competitors feel each other out.

Business picked up in before the midway point, with the challenger in control as he targeted SANADA’s neck in and outside the ring. A DDT reversal got the champ back in it, but Naito stopped his momentum by getting his knees up on a moonsault attempt. A barrage of strikes and signature moves followed, including Destino. But he wanted two to be sure, and the second attempt was countered into a TKO.

A pair of SANADA moonsaults didn’t get three, but did set us racing to the finish. Naito again couldn’t quite connect on his desired two finishers, which let the champ hit Deadfall. With both nearly spent, each man then hit each other’s finisher. Naito was able to follow his Deadfall with a Destino, and decided that was enough — and he was right. A three count later, and he was the IWGP World Heavyweight champion.

Having finally won the big one New Japan’s biggest stage, Naito was getting ready to address the fans when House of Torture struck. It was EVIL who grabbed the belt and a microphone. He said he wasn’t going to let him have his Roll Call, and that since Naito said he didn’t want the World Heavyweight title he was going to take it from him. That brought back SANADA, who took out EVIL. As Dick Togo helped his man out of the ring, SANADA got eye-to-eye with the new champ and held up one finger before collapsing to the mat and leaving.

Finally with the mic in his hand, Naito thanked SANADA, saying that though they followed different paths, he’s here because of him. The former champ was shown crying on his way out, as the match and aftermath served to get him over better than almost anything during his long reign.

The new champ then thanked the fans for creating the best possible moment for him, and promised Los Ingobernables de Japon fans a great 2024. He then did what he wanted to do four years, the biggest LIJ Roll Call of all time. After soaking in the scene, he then dragged the belt up the ramp as the announcers talked about how they thought he was already getting attached to it.

A truly happy ending as the Stardust Genius finally got to end his story, on his terms.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 1/4/2024 (Card)

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom18 from the Tokyo Dome 1/4/2024 beginning around 2:30 am EST on NJPW World.

CARD

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: SANADA (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley vs. David Finlay
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. El Desperado
  • IWGP Jr Tag Championship: Bullet Club War Dogs (c) vs. Catch 2/2
  • NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Tama Tonga
  • IWGP Tag & STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: Bishamon (IWGP Tag) vs. Hikuleo & El Phantasmo (STRONG Openweight Tag)
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada
  • Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura
  • Kaito Kiyomiya & Shota Umino vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Ren Narita)
  • Kickoff: KOPW 2024 New Japan Ranbo

Hiroshi Tanahashi Is The New President Of NJPW

Hiroshi Tanahashi is the new president of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

NJPW announced on Friday that Tanahashi has been named the new President and Representative Director of NJPW following a meeting of the company’s Board of Directors and shareholders.

Takami Ohbari and Michiaki Nishizawa will be stepping down from their roles as President/Representative Director and Director.

Tanahashi has been a mainstay in NJPW and is an eight-time IWGP World Champion.

You can check out the full announcement below:

“Notice of newly appointed company President
After a meeting of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s board of directors and shareholders today, December 23 2023, the following personnel change has been made in Company management.

Reason for personnel change

Alterations to management structure

Newly appointed officials

President & Representative Director: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto (Chief of Business Production, TV Asahi)

Director: Taro Okada (President & CEO, Bushiroad Fight) *Mr. Okada’s position is on a part time basis

Effective December 23, Takami Ohbari and Michiaki Nishizawa will step down from their positions as President/Representative Director and Director respectively.

Newly appointed President/Representative Director profile

Hiroshi Tanahashi was born November 13 1976 in Ogaki City, Gifu. After graduating in law at Ristumeikan University, Tanahashi joined NJPW in 1999 and debuted that October. He won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first of a record eight times in 2006, achievements along with four time pro-wrestling MVP status that have led him to be called the ‘Ace’ of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Press conference

There will be a press conference on December 26 at 1PM JST concerning the changes made above.

Message to fans

Thank you for your ongoing support of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. On January 4 at Belc Presents Wrestle Kingdom 18 in the Tokyo Dome, Hiroshi Tanahashi will address the fans directly in his new role as President. NJPW looks forward to your continued support under the new leadership structure.”

AXS TV To Air New Episodes Of NJPW Starting Next Month

AXS TV announced the return of NJPW programming starting January 11.

NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING RETURNS TO AXS TV WITH 45 ALL-NEW EPISODES IN 2024, BEGINNING THURSDAY JANUARY 11 AT 10 PM ET

Highlights Include Iconic Matchups from Wrestle Kingdom 18, Featuring Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Kazuchika Okada and SANADA

LOS ANGELES (December 18, 2023) – AXS TV, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc., has renewed its fan-favorite New Japan Pro-Wrestling series with 45 all-new episodes in 2024. The upcoming season kicks off with four weeks of exclusive coverage from Wrestle Kingdom 18, beginning Thursday, January 11 at 10 p.m. ET. All episodes are presented in English and feature expert play-by-play commentary from NJPW’s own Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton.

Additionally, AXS TV NOW viewers will be able to enjoy classic episodes in English of NJPW every Sunday, starting January 7 at 6 a.m. PT and repeating throughout the day. The AXS TV NOW January slate includes unforgettable bouts from Wrestle Kingdom 7 through 13.

AXS TV’s New Japan Pro-Wrestling schedule for January is as follows (with more matches being announced at a later date):

January 11—Wrestle Kingdom 18

– Will Ospreay, Jon Moxley, and David Finlay go toe-to-toe in a triple threat match for the inaugural IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.

January 18—Wrestle Kingdom 18

-Next, “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada meets “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson once again, in a stunning rematch of their highly-acclaimed bout at Forbidden Door 2 last June.

January 25—Wrestle Kingdom 18

-Then, G1 CLIMAX 33 Winner Tetsuya Naito gets his long-awaited title shot, as the Los Ingobernables de Japón honcho challenges SANADA for the coveted IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

AXS TV NOW’s January slate of classic New Japan Pro-Wrestling episodes is as follows:

January 7

-Highlights from Wrestle Kingdom 7, 8, and 9.

January 14

-Highlights from Wrestle Kingdom 10 and 11.

January 21

-Highlights from Wrestle Kingdom 12 and 13.

AXS TV produces the English-language version of New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a joint venture with New Japan World and in association with TV ASAHI Corporation.

About AXS TV

AXS TV is a leading multi-platform music and entertainment digital platform and television company owned and operated by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc. AXS TV’s broad library offers content headlined by concerts and music-inspired programming, world-class professional wrestling and MMA. AXS TV’s signature programs include The Top Ten Revealed, The Very VERY Best of the 80s, and Parking Lot Payday. The channel also is the home of IMPACT Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Invicta Fighting Championships. AXS TV is available nationally in the United States, and parts of Canada and the Caribbean. Additionally, AXS TV’s digital programming can be enjoyed on several different platforms including the AXS.TV website and the Network’s app AXS TV NOW, and FAST Channel, as well as on the Network’s official YouTube channel, Facebook and Instagram pages, Twitter and TikTok profiles. For a full list of providers and territories, please visit axs.tv/subscribe.