Hello all, I’m back now. Obviously a lot happened in New Japan while I was away and the results archive is now fully updated. Summarizing…

* Updated results for the May tour -> Link. Some good attendances, including a packed house in Hiroshima for what was the biggest show of the series.

NJPW, 4/24/10
Hiroshima Green Arena Small Arena
2,320 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Ryusuke Taguchi & AKIRA beat Nobuo Yoshihashi & Kyosuke Mikami (11:09) when Taguchi used a crab hold on Mikami.
2. Karl Anderson beat King Fale (7:59) with the Gun Stun.
3. Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo beat Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask & Tomoaki Honma (11:20) when Yano used the Oni Koroshi on Honma.
4. Hirooki Goto beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (9:52) with the Shouten.
5. 3WAY Match: Giant Bernard beat Yuji Nagata & Yujiro Takahashi (10:16) with the Bernard Driver on Takahashi.
6. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tetsuya Naito & Negro Casas beat Togi Makabe, Wataru Inoue & Jushin Thunder Liger (19:15) when Naito used a Stardust press on Inoue.
7. Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Takashi Iizuka (18:09) with the High Fly Flow.

* The 5/3 Fukuoka super-show was also a huge success with attendance up 500 over last year in what was a dead territory for New Japan not so long ago. With better advertising, cards, and production values, the “WRESTLING DONTAKU” tradition has returned.
* Nakamura’s dominant IWGP Heavyweight Title reign was ended by Makabe, who finally stepped up to the next level after failing to do so following his G1 win last year. Makabe was very popular and avenged several key losses to the CHAOS leader.
* Yano finally took Tanahashi’s scalp, pinning the MVP and ace for his biggest singles win yet and perhaps announcing himself as more than just a bit part player.
* Marufuji made a successful V4 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title, pinning Taguchi in a close match.
* Still nothing between Goto and Tanaka in this very even series, a double KO making them 2-2-1.
* Aogi-gun’s Nagata & Inoue won the IWGP Tag Team Title in a 3WAY but champions NO LIMIT weren’t even directly beaten so felt hard done by. Wataru Inoue’s first major conquest since becoming a heavyweight, Nagata’s mentoring starting to pay off.
* Liger again a champion at last, beating old rival Negro Casas to win the CMLL World Welterweight Title.

NJPW “WRESTLING DONTAKU 2010″, 5/3/10 (WPW/PPV)
Fukuoka International Center
6,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Nobuo Yoshihashi (5:44) with a crab hold.
1. Tiger Mask, AKIRA & Tomoaki Honma beat Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo (7:56) when Tiger used a Destroy suplex hold on Gedo.
2. Manabu Nakanishi beat King Fale (8:15) with an Argentine backbreaker.
3. CMLL World Welterweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger beat Negro Casas (c) (10:04) with an air scissors drop to become the new champion.
4. IWGP Tag Team Title – 3WAY Match: Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue beat Yujiro Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito (c) and Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (12:20) when Inoue used the Spear of Justice on Anderson to become the 56th champions.
5. Special Singles Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Masato Tanaka went to a double KO (13:41).
6. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Naomichi Marufuji (c) beat Ryusuke Taguchi (22:40) with the Tiger Frosion (4th defense).
7. Special Singles Match: Toru Yano beat Hiroshi Tanahashi (16:57) by pinfall.
8. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Togi Makabe beat Shinsuke Nakamura (c) (18:18) with a top rope King Kong kneedrop to become the 54th champion.

* New Japan’s first “SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT” was another huge success both in terms of attendance and quality. 3,200 fans meant a sell out for NJ’s first advance on the JCB Hall in Tokyo.
* The veteran team of Kanemoto & El Samurai won the tournament and subsequently the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title, beating previous champions Apollo 55 in the final. A big surprised, none really expected this team to win and will probably mean more return dates for Samurai in New Japan.
* In a hastily arranged rematch from the January Tokyo Dome show, Tiger Mask tried to continue his “revenge” pattern by challenging the man who took the IWGP Jr. belt from him, Marufuji. Marufuji again proved too much, beating Tiger Mask by referee stop. Having not submitted, Tiger was angry and attacked Marufuji after the match to some boos. Marufuji has now beaten almost everyone, the Best of the Super Jr. winner is likely to challenge though.

NJPW “SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT 1ST”, 5/8/10 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo JCB Hall
3,200 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Fujita “Jr.” Hayato & Taro Nohashi beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Nobuo Yoshihashi (10:51) when Hayato used the Helm on Yoshihashi.
2. SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Koji Kanemoto & El Samurai beat Davey Richards & Tama Tonga (10:50) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Tonga.
3. SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Gedo & KUSHIDA beat Kota Ibushi & Austin Creed (13:18) when KUSHIDA used a backslide on Creed.
4. SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt beat Mascara Dorada & Valiente (7:59) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Dorada.
5. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Hirooki Goto, Wataru Inoue & Tomoaki Honma beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano, Yujiro Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Tomohiro Ishii (16:46) when Makabe used a top rope King Kong kneedrop on Ishii.
6. SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT – Semi Final: Koji Kanemoto & El Samurai beat Fujita “Jr.” Hayato & Taro Nohashi (12:45) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Nohashi.
7. SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT – Semi Final: Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt beat Gedo & KUSHIDA (11:36) when Devitt used a vertical drop DDT on Gedo.
8. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Naomichi Marufuji (c) beat Tiger Mask (20:59) by referee stop (5th defense).
9. SUPER J TAG TOURNAMENT – Final / IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Koji Kanemoto & El Samurai beat Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt (21:27) when Samurai used the Samurai clutch on Devitt to become the 25th champions.

* Participants for this year’s Super Jr. tournament were announced, with EIGHT first timers including the latest addition, Taiji Ishimori. Ishimori used to appear regularly for New Japan before he joined NOAH, where he has steadily climbed the junior ranks there. This appears, on paper, to be the freshest BOSJ in some years and begins on May 30th at Korakuen

Block A: Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Prince Devitt, Gedo, Kota Ibushi (DDT), KUSHIDA (SMASH), La Sombra (CMLL), Davey Richards (ROH)
Block B: Koji Kanemoto, AKIRA, Ryusuke Taguchi, Nobuo Yoshihashi, Taiji Ishimori (NOAH), Fujita “Jr.” Hayato (Michinoku Pro), Kenny Omega (DDT), Tama Tonga

* Hiroshi Tanahashi has been in Mexico and as usual success follows the MVP. He led the on-excursion Taichi and CMLL regular OKUMURA (Shigeo Okumura) to capture the CMLL Trios Title on the 7th. These are the first foreign team ever to win these belts after they dethroned Hector Garza, Hijo del Fantasma & La Mascara.