NJPW “NAGATA PRODUCE ~ BLUE JUSTICE.3″, 8/30/11 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,600 Fans

1. Hiromu Takahashi beat Kyosuke Mikami (7:42) with a Fisherman’s suplex hold.
2. Wataru Inoue & King Fale beat Hideo Saito & Gedo (10:37) when Inoue used the Spear of Justice on Gedo.
3. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask (12:55) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Liger.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Tomoaki Honma (11:55) with the Anaconda Vice.
5. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi beat Togi Makabe & KUSHIDA (14:44) when Taichi pinned KUSHIDA after Suzuki used a sleeper hold.
6. Tama Tonga Return Match: Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tama Tonga beat Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii (16:36) when Naito used a Stardust press on Ishii.
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Jun Akiyama beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano (15:52) when Nagata used a Dai*Nakanishi backdrop hold on Yano.

The major promotions of Japanese professional wrestling along with special guests from elsewhere united today for a special charity event for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. The historic Tokyo Nippon Budokan was overfull as extra seats were sold to meet demand, 17,000 fans watching New Japan, All Japan, Professional Wrestling NOAH, and other stars meet in ten unique matches, each with a different theme and feel. Exciting junior action, stars of the future, nostalgic reunions, legend dream teams, and the stars of today. IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi, closed the show in vintage style in a six man tag match featuring some of the names who have become top stars in their promotions in recent years. Tanahashi dropped his High Fly Flow on former young lion rival and tag partner KENSO (Kenzo Suzuki) to win the match. After the roaring success of this emotional event, it was announced there will be another “ALL TOGETHER” on 2/19/12 at Sendai Sun Plaza, Sendai of course being the city hit by that awful tsunami.

NJPW/AJPW/NOAH “ALL TOGETHER”, 8/27/11 (PPV)
Tokyo Nippon Budokan
17,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. ALL TOGETHER Opening Match ~ SUNRISE OF J: Kota Ibushi , Taiji Ishimori , Hiroshi Yamato & BUSHI beat Tiger Mask , Kaz Hayashi , Shuji Kondo & Ricky Marvin (10:05) when Ishimori used a 450 splash on Marvin.
2. FIGHTING FOR FUTURE: Tetsuya Naito , Shuhei Taniguchi & Seiya Sanada beat Mohammed Yone , Yujiro Takahashi & Manabu Soya (11:10) when Sanada used a moonsault press on Takahashi.
3. OVER THE BORDER: Togi Makabe & Akitoshi Saito beat Hirooki Goto & Taiyo Kea (9:55) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on Kea.
4. JUNIOR ONE NIGHT CARNIVAL: Prince Devitt , Ryusuke Taguchi , Kotaro Suzuki , Katsuhiko Nakajima & KAI beat Koji Kanemoto , KENTA , Yoshinobu Kanemaru , Minoru & Genba Hirayanagi (15:07) when KAI used plancha splash on Hirayanagi.
5. ONE NIGHT REUNION: Masakatsu Funaki , Takuma Sano & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Minoru Suzuki, Atsushi Aoki & Taichi (12:47) when Funaki used a standing chickenwing hold on Aoki.
6. Destroyer Cup – ALL TOGETHER Special Battle Royal: Kentaro Shiga won the Battle Royal by eliminating Gedo (11:54). Participants: Hideo Saito , Tomohiro Ishii , Gedo , Takaaki Watanabe , Hiromu Takahashi , King Fale , KUSHIDA , Wataru Inoue , Tomoaki Honma , Super Strong Machine , Jun Nishikawa , Satoshi Kajiwara , Kento Miyahara , Che-Gyong Lee , Takumi Soya , Soshun , Yasufumi Nakanoue , Masanobu Fuchi , Rene Dupree , Joe Doering , BLACK BUSHI , Masao Inoue , Yoshinari Ogawa , Akira Taue , Kentaro Shiga, MAZADA, Zack Sabre Jr.
7. MIDSUMMER ENCOUNTER IN BUDOKAN: Takeshi Morishima , Akebono, Yutaka Yoshie & Ryota Hama beat Yuji Nagata , Hiroyoshi Tenzan , Osamu Nishimura & Wataru Inoue (11:20) when Morishima used a backdrop suplex on Nishimura.
8. NO FEAR! GO AHEAD!: Kensuke Sasaki & Jun Akiyama beat Yoshihiro Takayama & Takao Omori (15:44) when Sasaki used a Northern Light bomb on Omori.
9. BELIEVE THE POWER OF “Prowrestling!”: Kenta Kobashi & Keiji Muto beat Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka (14:58) when Kobashi used a moonsault press on Iizuka.
10. ALL TOGETHER NOW!: Hiroshi Tanahashi , Go Shiozaki & Suwama beat Shinsuke Nakamura , Takashi Sugiura & KENSO (22:50) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on KENSO.

Lineups for all but four of the shows making up “G1 CLIMAX SPECIAL 2011” have been announced with all roads leading to Kobe World Hall on 9/19. On 9/11 at Korakuen, “Apollo 55″ Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi make their V7 defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title against the team they beat in their second defense back in March, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi. Four singles matches have been added to the 9/19 Kobe big show, including chapter three of Tetsuya Naito vs. Yujiro Takahashi, with the G1 Climax runner-up looking to get revenge over his former tag partner, who is now 2-0 up in singles matches since the team split. Tanahashi is missing for much of the tour as he will be in Mexico working for CMLL but the IWGP Heavyweight Champion will of course be back for his title defense against Nakamura.

Also announced today was the card for NEVER.7, which has a theme of young but established stars against less established young men, headlined by Naito vs. KUSHIDA.

NJPW, 9/3/11
Yokkaichi Australia Memorial Hall

1. Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Hiromu Takahashi
2. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tama Tonga vs. Tiger Mask & Tomoaki Honma
3. Yuji Nagata & King Fale vs. Toru Yano & Hideo Saito
4. Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
5. Wataru Inoue & Prince Devitt vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
6. Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & KUSHIDA vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo

NJPW, 9/4/11
Twin Messe Shizuoka

1. Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Prince Devitt & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA
3. Tama Tonga vs. Hideo Saito
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Gedo
5. Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
6. Togi Makabe, Hirooki Goto & Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii

NJPW, 9/7/11
Saku City Gymnasium

1. King Fale vs. Hiromu Takahashi
2. KUSHIDA vs. Kyosuke Mikami
3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Hideo Saito
4. MVP & Tama Tonga vs. Masato Tanaka & Tomohiro Ishii
5. Togi Makabe, Wataru Inoue, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
6. Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tiger Mask vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo

NJPW, 9/8/11
Toyama Techno Hall

1. Tama Tonga vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi
3. Yuji Nagata & King Fale vs. Toru Yano & Hideo Saito
4. MVP, Tetsuya Naito & Tiger Mask vs. Masato Tanaka , Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo
5. Togi Makabe, Wataru Inoue, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
6. Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii

NJPW, 9/9/11
Chichibu Cultural Sports Center

1. Kyosuke Mikami vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Tama Tonga vs. King Fale
3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tiger Mask vs. Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
4. MVP, Tetsuya Naito & KUSHIDA vs. Masato Tanaka , Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo
5. Togi Makabe, Wataru Inoue, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
6. Hirooki Goto, Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano & Hideo Saito

NJPW, 9/10/11
Tokorozawa Citizen Gymnasium #2

1. King Fale vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA vs. Kyosuke Mikami & Hiromu Takahashi
3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Hideo Saito
4. Tetsuya Naito & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo
5. Togi Makabe, Wataru Inoue, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
6. Hirooki Goto, MVP & Tama Tonga vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & Tomohiro Ishii

NJPW, 9/11/11 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Kyosuke Mikami vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Jushin Thunder Liger & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA
3. Tomoaki Honma & Tama Tonga vs. Toru Yano & Gedo
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata & King Fale vs. Takashi Iizuka, Hideo Saito & Tomohiro Ishii
5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
6. Special Tag Match: Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
7. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Hirooki Goto, MVP & Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi

NJPW “KANTARO HOSHINO MEMORIAL SHOW”, 9/19/11 (WPW/PPV)
Kobe World Hall

1. Special Singles Match: Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru Suzuki
2. Special Singles Match: Togi Makabe vs. Lance Archer
3. Special Singles Match: Yuji Nagata vs. Hideo Saito
4. Special Singles Match: Tetsuya Naito vs. Yujiro Takahashi
5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. KUSHIDA
6. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

NJPW “NEVER.7 ~GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL~”, 9/21/11 (Samurai! TV)
Osaka World Hall

1. Go To the Next Level I: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Go To the Next Level II: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Kyosuke Mikami
3. Go To the Next Level III: Hideo Saito vs. King Fale
4. Go To the Next Level IV: Toru Yano vs. Hiromu Takahashi
5. Go To the Next Level V: Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga
6. Go To the Next Level VI: Tetsuya Naito vs. KUSHIDA

I received an email today that was very critical of my New Japan coverage on this site. This was from a long-time reader of SSS who remembers how thorough and comprehensive my coverage of New Japan used to be, with detailed descriptions of every house show, every press conference, and so on. This person, who I will not name as I respect any opinion of my site, suggested I should close SSS because “others do it better now”.

I’m the first to admit my coverage isn’t nearly as good as it once was and hasn’t been for a long time but there are reasons for this. The primary reason is time, I just do not have the time to spare like I used to and often have to rush to get reports up. Now I have to work more and have other things that take up big chunks of my time.

Secondly, while I have had since 1998 and always will have a strong emotional attachment to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the other things in my life mean my passion for it isn’t as strong as it used to be. It is natural that when you can’t focus on one thing as much as before that your interest in that thing becomes less intense.

For the last couple of years, I have struggled to make the time to even watch New Japan, whereas in the past I used to watch everything from the secondary tapings to the internet-only matches. Now I have to limit myself to carefully selected matches. Does this mean I don’t know every little thing about New Japan now like I used to? Yeah, probably, but I like to think my longevity in following New Japan since 1998 and covering it in some form since 1999, means I still know a lot of things that many others don’t.

Now, as for the person’s suggestion I should close SSS, I have often wondered if I should when my coverage becomes so basic that it might not interest people anymore but as far as I can tell this site still gets decent hits and is still read by many hardcore and casual puroresu fans. So I still have no plans to close it even though I can’t give as much of my time to it anymore. And while I run this site it will give New Japan/puroresu some relevance in my life and probably stop the risk of me drifting away from it like countless people I’ve known have over the last ten years.

And so that is it, Strong Style Spirit will remain open indefinitely until a time comes when I simply can’t do it anymore – but I don’t think that time will be any time soon. The site is now over a decade old and will be much older before it bites the dust. I am sorry that my coverage may not be as good as it used to be but I will do my best with the time I can spare for SSS.

– Stuart

NJPW “NEW JAPAN LIVE IN TSUBAME ~TSUBAME RETURNS~”, 8/22/11
Tsubame Citizen Gymnasium
1,400 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Tiger Mask & Hiromu Takahashi beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Takaaki Watanabe (12:00) when Takahashi used a crab hold on Watanabe.
2. Wataru Inoue beat King Fale (7:07) with the Spear of Justice.
3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yuji Nagata beat Takashi Iizuka & Hideo Saito (12:46) when Saito was DQ’d.
4. Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii beat Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma (13:22) when Takahashi used the Tokyo Pimps on Honma.
5. Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi beat TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (10:35) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on Taichi.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & KUSHIDA beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano & Gedo (17:58) when KUSHIDA used the Midnight Express on Gedo.

Wataru Inoue replaces the injured Satoshi Kojima at “ALL TOGETHER”, teaming with several third generation peers including his mentor Yuji Nagata. New Japan’s King Fale, along with All Japan’s BLACK BUSHI and freelancer Kentaro Shiga have been added to the battle royal on the show too. In all, 82 wrestlers will appear on this special event.

NJPW/AJPW/NOAH “ALL TOGETHER”, 8/27/11
Tokyo Nippon Budokan

1. ALL TOGETHER Opening Match ~ SUNRISE OF J: Kota Ibushi , Taiji Ishimori , Hiroshi Yamato & BUSHI vs. Tiger Mask , Kaz Hayashi , Shuji Kondo & Ricky Marvin
2. FIGHTING FOR FUTURE: Tetsuya Naito , Shuhei Taniguchi & Seiya Sanada vs. Mohammed Yone , Yujiro Takahashi & Manabu Soya
3. OVER THE BORDER: Togi Makabe & Akitoshi Saito vs. Hirooki Goto & Taiyo Kea
4. JUNIOR ONE NIGHT CARNIVAL: Prince Devitt , Ryusuke Taguchi , Kotaro Suzuki , Katsuhiko Nakajima & KAI vs. Koji Kanemoto , KENTA , Yoshinobu Kanemaru , Minoru & Genba Hirayanagi
5. ONE NIGHT REUNION: Masakatsu Funaki , Takuma Sano & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Minoru Suzuki, Atsushi Aoki & Taichi
6. Destroyer Cup – ALL TOGETHER Special Battle Royal: Hideo Saito , Tomohiro Ishii , Gedo , Takaaki Watanabe , Hiromu Takahashi , King Fale , KUSHIDA , Wataru Inoue , Tomoaki Honma , Super Strong Machine , Jun Nishikawa , Satoshi Kajiwara , Kento Miyahara , Che-Gyong Lee , Takumi Soya , Soshun , Yasufumi Nakanoue , Masanobu Fuchi , Rene Dupree , Joe Doering , BLACK BUSHI , Masao Inoue , Yoshinari Ogawa , Akira Taue , Kentaro Shiga, MAZADA, Zack Sabre Jr.
7. MIDSUMMER ENCOUNTER IN BUDOKAN: Yuji Nagata , Hiroyoshi Tenzan , Osamu Nishimura & Wataru Inoue vs. Takeshi Morishima , Akebono, Yutaka Yoshie & Ryota Hama
8. NO FEAR! GO AHEAD!: Kensuke Sasaki & Jun Akiyama vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Takao Omori
9. BELIEVE THE POWER OF “Prowrestling!”: Kenta Kobashi & Keiji Muto vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka
10. ALL TOGETHER NOW!: Hiroshi Tanahashi , Go Shiozaki & Suwama vs. Shinsuke Nakamura , Takashi Sugiura & KENSO

Satoshi Kojima is off Nagata’s 8/30 Korakuen show due to an eye injury suffered in the G1 Climax, which looks likely to keep him out of action a while. Young lion Kyosuke Mikami is also sidelined at the moment with injury, while Manabu Nakanishi remains a long-term casualty after suffering spinal damage earlier in the year. The card for the 8/22 house show was announced, featuring a Tanahashi vs. Nakamura prelude match.

NJPW “NEW JAPAN LIVE IN TSUBAME ~TSUBAME RETURNS~”, 8/22/11
Tsubame Citizen Gymnasium

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & Takaaki Watanabe vs. Tiger Mask & Hiromu Takahashi
2. Wataru Inoue vs. King Fale
3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yuji Nagata vs. Takashi Iizuka & Hideo Saito
4. Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii
5. Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & KUSHIDA vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano & Gedo

NJPW “NAGATA PRODUCE ~ BLUE JUSTICE.3″, 8/30/11 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kyosuke Mikami
2. Wataru Inoue & King Fale vs. Hideo Saito & Gedo
3. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomoaki Honma
5. Togi Makabe & KUSHIDA vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
6. Tama Tonga Return Match: Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tama Tonga vs. Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Jun Akiyama vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano

Hiroshi Tanahashi will make his V7 defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Title against 2011 G1 Climax winner Shinsuke Nakamura at Kobe World Hall on 9/19. This battle of eternal rivals promises to be one of the biggest between them yet as Nakamura looks to end Tanahashi’s nine month reign as champion. Also announced was Kota Ibushi’s V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against KUSHIDA. Kojima picked up a right eye injury in yesterday’s match with Tenzan and is a doubt for the tour.

Also announced today was another excursion to CMLL in Mexico for the living legend Jushin Thunder Liger. He will leave after the 9/11 Korakuen show and his return date is undecided, suggesting he could be there for a while. Koji Kanemoto, a part-timer in New Japan these days despite being under contract, will also be missing as he competes in All Japan’s Jr. Heavyweight League from 9/11 to 9/25.

NJPW “KANTARO HOSHINO MEMORIAL SHOW”, 9/19/11 (WPW/PPV)
Kobe World Hall

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. KUSHIDA
1. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

–> “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~” <--

NJPW, 8/14/11 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
11,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Hideo Saito [2] beat Yuji Nagata [10] (4:29) with the Caribbean Death Grip.
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Giant Bernard [10] beat Toru Yano [10] (7:29) with the Bernard Driver.
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Lance Archer [8] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [10] (7:19) with the Dark Days.
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Yujiro Takahashi [6] beat Togi Makabe [10] (8:37) with the Tokyo Pimps.
5. G1 Climax – Block A: Tetsuya Naito [12] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [12] (5:11) with the Polvo de Estrellas.
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Strong Man [4] beat Hirooki Goto [12] (7:27) with a Blockbuster.
7. G1 Climax – Block B: Karl Anderson [8] beat MVP [12] (8:30) with the Gun Stun.
8. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8] beat Satoshi Kojima [12] (14:10) with the TTD.
9. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [14] beat Minoru Suzuki [12] (12:13) with the Boma Ye.
10. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) beat Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega (15:01) when Devitt pinned Omega after the Black Sunday (6th defense).
11. G1 Climax – Final: Shinsuke Nakamura beat Tetsuya Naito (20:19) with the Boma Ye.

* Shinsuke Nakamura again rampaged through the G1 Climax group stage. Only this time he didn’t stumble at the final hurdle as he ended his wait of winning the prestigious G1 Climax at last! Nakamura faced an unlikely opponent in the final, the tournament’s young comeback king Tetsuya Naito, who scored a massive upset over Tanahashi earlier in the day to win Block B after other results made this match a playoff for the final. Nakamura fought much later in the show so even had he lost the final could have claimed tiredness, as he sunk Minoru Suzuki with his TTD after a string of upsets, including Tenzan showing signs of his old self by beating Kojima, also made this a playoff for the final. Nakamura then went on to win a memorable final in which Naito moved to another level in New Japan, one final Boma Ye ending Naito’s dreams of the G1. Nakamura becomes number one contender for the IWGP Heavyweight Title, a showdown with his eternal rival Tanahashi on the horizon.
* After having both suffered defeats to IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Kota Ibushi, lately, Devitt and Taguchi scored a little revenge today as Apollo 55 made a successful V6 defense of their IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title over the Golden Lovers, with whom their long-running rivalry continues.

-

Final standings.

Block A:
1. Tetsuya Naito [12]
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi [12]
3. Togi Makabe [10]
- Yuji Nagata [10]
- Toru Yano [10]
- Giant Bernard [10]
- Yoshihiro Takayama [10]
8. Lance Archer [8]
9. Yujiro Takahashi [6]
10. Hideo Saito [2]

Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [14]
2. Hirooki Goto [12]
- Satoshi Kojima [12]
- MVP [12]
- Minoru Suzuki [12]
6. Karl Anderson [8]
7. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8]
8. La Sombra [4]
9. Wataru Inoue [4]
10. Strong Man [4]

–> “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~” <--

NJPW, 8/13/11 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,015 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP [12] beat La Sombra [4] (4:59) with the Oyasumi.
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Satoshi Kojima [12] beat Wataru Inoue [4] (9:51) with a lariat.
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Karl Anderson [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] (9:39) with the Gun Stun.
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata [10] beat Lance Archer [6] (8:42) with a backdrop hold.
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Strong Man [2] beat Minoru Suzuki [12] (9:31) with a Blockbuster.
6. G1 Climax – Block A: Tetsuya Naito [10] beat Giant Bernard [8] (10:44) by countout.
7. G1 Climax – Block A: Yoshihiro Takayama [10] beat Togi Makabe [10] (12:14) with an Everest German suplex hold.
8. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto [12] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [12] (13:13) with the Shouten Kai.
9. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano [10] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [12] (16:57) with the Kagamiwari.

*** Apologies for the downtimes, the server I am on has been under DDoS attack and my host has been trying to stop it. I can’t say for sure if they have ended but hopefully it will be resolved soon if not. ***

* Today’s results, capped off by a huge win for Yano over Tanahashi, make things very, very intriguing going into the final day. From Block A, Tanahashi remains the favourite as he is in the lead but wrestlers like Naito (who he faces tomorrow) and Yano could sneak through. Tanahashi defeated Makabe and Takayama, yet if both were to win while Naito and/or Yano (who beat Tanahashi) did likewise, Block A would be in a state of confusion. Of the crew on 10pts, only Nagata has no chance whatsoever, having wrestled his last match of the tournament today.
* From Block B, Goto’s big win over Nakamura and Strong Man’s monster upset victory over Suzuki to break his G1 duck shook things up massively. Goto, Kojima, and MVP took advantage of these slip-ups by winning so that five men now sit on 12pts. All five have matches tomorrow although one suspects the Nakamura vs. Suzuki match could be the crucial one.

-

Block A:
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [12]
2. Togi Makabe [10]
- Yuji Nagata [10]
- Tetsuya Naito [10]
- Toru Yano [10]
- Yoshihiro Takayama [10]
7. Giant Bernard [8]
8. Lance Archer [6]
9. Yujiro Takahashi [4]
10. Hideo Saito [0]

Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [12]
- Hirooki Goto [12]
- Satoshi Kojima [12]
- MVP [12]
- Minoru Suzuki [12]
6. Karl Anderson [6]
7. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
8. La Sombra [4]
8. Wataru Inoue [4]
10. Strong Man [2]

-

Tomorrow’s match order has been announced.

NJPW, 8/14/11 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Hideo Saito
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Giant Bernard vs. Toru Yano
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Lance Archer vs. Yoshihiro Takayama
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi
5. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Strong Man
7. G1 Climax – Block B: Karl Anderson vs. MVP
8. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Satoshi Kojima
9. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Minoru Suzuki
10. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega
11. G1 Climax – Final: Block A 1st place vs. Block B 1st place

–> “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~” <--

NJPW, 8/11/11 (Samurai! TV)
Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium #2
1,800 Fans

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Tetsuya Naito [8] beat Hideo Saito [0] (7:25) with a Stardust press.
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] beat La Sombra [4] (9:16) with the Anaconda Vice.
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto [10] beat Wataru Inoue [4] (11:09) with the Shouten Kai.
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano [8] beat Lance Archer [6] (8:51) with the Kuro Kirishima.
5. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP [10] beat Strong Man [0] (8:18) with the Oyasumi.
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Satoshi Kojima [10] beat Karl Anderson [4] (12:55) with a lariat.
7. G1 Climax – Block A: Togi Makabe [10] beat Giant Bernard [8] (12:35) with a King Kong kneedrop.
8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [12] beat Yujiro Takahashi [4] (12:43) with the High Fly Flow.
9. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata [8] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [8] (13:51) with a backdrop hold.

* One of the biggest feuds of 2002-2003 that saw two Tokyo Dome main events, Nagata vs. Takayama, was revived today as Nagata pinned the mighty Takayama to draw level on 8pts with him in a rare main event that doesn’t feature the younger generation of New Japan stars that rule the company nowadays.
* Tanahashi went top of Block A with a victory over Yujiro but Makabe is trailing him like a hound, a big win over Bernard today ensuring he is just 2pts behind the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
* The deadlocked trio of Goto, Kojima, and MVP all scored crucial necessary wins to keep them in distance of group leaders Nakamura and Suzuki, neither of whom wrestled today.
* Yano and Naito continued surprise comebacks in the tournament which now see them tied with Bernard and Takayama on 8pts.
* The man who ruled the G1 briefly in the 2000s, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, has also managed to avoid an embarrassing campaign by notching up some wins to ensure he sits in 6th place in Block B, although he cannot reach the final.

-

Block A:
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [12]
2. Togi Makabe [10]
3. Yuji Nagata [8]
- Tetsuya Naito [8]
- Toru Yano [8]
- Giant Bernard [8]
- Yoshihiro Takayama [8]
8. Lance Archer [6]
9. Yujiro Takahashi [4]
10. Hideo Saito [0]

Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [12]
- Minoru Suzuki [12]
3. Hirooki Goto [10]
- Satoshi Kojima [10]
- MVP [10]
6. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
7. Wataru Inoue [4]
- Karl Anderson [4]
- La Sombra [4]
10. Strong Man [0]

–> “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~” <--

NJPW, 8/10/11 (Samurai! TV)
Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium #2
1,500 Fans

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Lance Archer [6] beat Yujiro Takahashi [4] (7:14) with the Dark Days.
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano [6] beat Hideo Saito [0] (6:09) with the Oni Koroshi.
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Satoshi Kojima [8] beat La Sombra [4] (9:25) with a lariat.
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] beat Strong Man [0] (7:18) with the Anaconda Vice.
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Minoru Suzuki [12] beat Wataru Inoue [4] (14:19) with a Gotch-style piledriver.
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [12] beat Karl Anderson [4] (12:11) with the Boma Ye.
7. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP [8] beat Hirooki Goto [8] (10:39) with the Irreversible Crisis.
8. G1 Climax – Block A: Tetsuya Naito [6] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [8] (10:32) with a front cradle.
9. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [10] beat Giant Bernard [8] (13:05) with a crucifix hold.

* Tanahashi repeats his feat from last month when he successfully defended his IWGP Heavyweight Title against Giant Bernard by pinning him again in today’s main event to take the lead in Block A.
* Although it might be too little, too late, young Naito has made a big comeback in the tournament and today’s win over Takayama is perhaps the biggest of his career so far.
* Nakamura and Suzuki remained runaway leaders in Block B, both winning today to move to 12pts, but behind them are Goto, Kojima, and MVP desperately trying to keep up with them on 8pts. MVP’s big win over Goto today meant the IWGP Intercontinental Champion stayed in the hunt.
* The completely insane Hideo Saito (0-7) and CMLL’s Strong Man (0-6) are suffering horror G1 campaigns and will at least want to regain some pride with at a win each.

-

Block A:
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [10]
2. Togi Makabe [8]
- Giant Bernard [8]
- Yoshihiro Takayama [8]
5. Yuji Nagata [6]
- Tetsuya Naito [6]
- Toru Yano [6]
- Lance Archer [6]
9. Yujiro Takahashi [4]
10. Hideo Saito [0]

Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [12]
- Minoru Suzuki [12]
3. Hirooki Goto [8]
- Satoshi Kojima [8]
- MVP [8]
6. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4]
- Wataru Inoue [4]
- Karl Anderson [4]
- La Sombra [4]
10. Strong Man [0]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling, All Japan Pro-Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling NOAH unite later this month for “ALL TOGETHER”, the special charity event for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year. Ten matches make up one of the most unique and diverse cards ever seen in Japanese pro wrestling, featuring wrestlers from the three most well known promotions but also several guests from elsewhere, including the Kensuke Office and DDT.

Top young generation stars from the “Big 3″ collide in an exciting main event as Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP Heavyweight Champion), Go Shiozaki (GHC Heavyweight Champion) & Suwama (Triple Crown Champion) battle Shinsuke Nakamura, Takashi Sugiura & KENSO. In one of many emotional reunions on the day, this will mark the first time former tag partners Tanahashi and Kenzo Suzuki have been in the same ring since KENSO left New Japan many years ago now.

Underneath that the legends take center stage as Kenta Kobashi, recently back from a very long absence, teams with Keiji Muto against CHAOS’ Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka. For Yano and even Iizuka, despite his age and experience, this is a huge match in such a prominent position on such a big card, considering some of the names in lower profile matches.

The seventh match features another emotional reunion as New Japan third generation trueborns, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Osamu Nishimura unite against the “fat man” team of Takeshi Morishima, Akebono, Yutaka Yoshie & Ryota Hama. The fifth match is also of particular interest with Masakatsu Funaki, Takuma Sano, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Minoru Suzuki all involved, and all came out of New Japan’s dojo from 1984 to 1988, the first three within a year of each other.

Many other matches including special junior bouts make up what should be a great card for a great cause.

NJPW/AJPW/NOAH “ALL TOGETHER”, 8/27/11
Tokyo Nippon Budokan

1. ALL TOGETHER Opening Match ~ SUNRISE OF J: Kota Ibushi , Taiji Ishimori , Hiroshi Yamato & BUSHI vs. Tiger Mask , Kaz Hayashi , Shuji Kondo & Ricky Marvin
2. FIGHTING FOR FUTURE: Tetsuya Naito , Shuhei Taniguchi & Seiya Sanada vs. Mohammed Yone , Yujiro Takahashi & Manabu Soya
3. OVER THE BORDER: Togi Makabe & Akitoshi Saito vs. Hirooki Goto & Taiyo Kea
4. JUNIOR ONE NIGHT CARNIVAL: Prince Devitt , Ryusuke Taguchi , Kotaro Suzuki , Katsuhiko Nakajima & KAI vs. Koji Kanemoto , KENTA , Yoshinobu Kanemaru , Minoru & Genba Hirayanagi
5. ONE NIGHT REUNION: Masakatsu Funaki , Takuma Sano & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Minoru Suzuki, Atsushi Aoki & Taichi
6. Destroyer Cup – ALL TOGETHER Special Battle Royal: Hideo Saito , Tomohiro Ishii , Gedo , Takaaki Watanabe , Hiromu Takahashi , KUSHIDA , Wataru Inoue , Tomoaki Honma , Super Strong Machine , Jun Nishikawa , Satoshi Kajiwara , Kento Miyahara , Che-Gyong Lee , Takumi Soya , Soshun , Yasufumi Nakanoue , Masanobu Fuchi , Rene Dupree , Joe Doering , Masao Inoue , Yoshinari Ogawa , Akira Taue , MAZADA, Zack Sabre Jr.
7. MIDSUMMER ENCOUNTER IN BUDOKAN: Yuji Nagata , Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura vs. Takeshi Morishima , Akebono, Yutaka Yoshie & Ryota Hama
8. NO FEAR! GO AHEAD!: Kensuke Sasaki & Jun Akiyama vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Takao Omori
9. BELIEVE THE POWER OF “Prowrestling!”: Kenta Kobashi & Keiji Muto vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka
10. ALL TOGETHER NOW!: Hiroshi Tanahashi , Go Shiozaki & Suwama vs. Shinsuke Nakamura , Takashi Sugiura & KENSO

–> “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~” <--

NJPW, 8/8/11 (J SPORTS)
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
5,000 Fans – No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Wataru Inoue [4] beat Karl Anderson [4] (9:07) with the Spear of Justice.
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Satoshi Kojima [6] beat Strong Man [0] (8:15) with a lariat.
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Yoshihiro Takayama [8] beat Yujiro Takahashi [4] (9:25) with an Everest German suplex hold.
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Tetsuya Naito [4] beat Lance Archer [4] (12:38) with a front cradle.
5. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (11:17) with the Irreversible Crisis.
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [10] beat La Sombra [4] (10:49) with the Boma Ye.
7. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [8] beat Hideo Saito [0] (8:01) with the High Fly Flow.
8. G1 Climax – Block B: Minoru Suzuki [10] beat Hirooki Goto [8] (12:38) with a Gotch-style piledriver.
9. G1 Climax – Block A: Togi Makabe [8] beat Yuji Nagata [6] (13:13) with a King Kong kneedrop.

* After today’s results Block A has four men tied on 8pts with no clear leader. Tanahashi, Makabe, Bernard, and Takayama all sit deadlocked yet with four shows remaining only one can advance to the final.
* Block B is led by Nakamura, who like last year is on a rampage, and Minoru Suzuki, both sat on 10pts. Despite his loss to Suzuki today, Goto is still well in reach on 8pts while Kojima and MVP have work to do on 6pts.

-

Block A:
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [8]
- Togi Makabe [8]
- Giant Bernard [8]
- Yoshihiro Takayama [8]
5. Yuji Nagata [6]
6. Tetsuya Naito [4]
- Toru Yano [4]
- Yujiro Takahashi [4]
- Lance Archer [4]
10. Hideo Saito [0]

Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [10]
- Minoru Suzuki [10]
3. Hirooki Goto [8]
4. Satoshi Kojima [6]
5. MVP [6]
6. Wataru Inoue [4]
- Karl Anderson [4]
- La Sombra [4]
9. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]
10. Strong Man [0]

–> “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~” <--

NJPW, 8/7/11 (J SPORTS)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
5,500 Fans – No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Yoshihiro Takayama [6] beat Hideo Saito [0] (3:29) with an Everest German suplex hold.
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano [4] beat Yujiro Takahashi [4] (8:30) with the Oni Koroshi.
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] beat Wataru Inoue [2] (9:50) with the Anaconda X.
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Minoru Suzuki [8] beat La Sombra [4] (9:32) with a Gotch-style piledriver.
5. Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku beat Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma (9:14) when Archer used the Dark Days on Honma.
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [8] beat Strong Man [0] (6:56) with the Boma Ye.
7. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto [8] beat Karl Anderson [4] (10:56) with the Shouten Kai.
8. G1 Climax – Block A: Giant Bernard [8] beat Yuji Nagata [6] (10:00) with the Bernard Driver.
9. G1 Climax – Block B: Satoshi Kojima [4] beat MVP [4] (11:26) with a lariat.
10. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] beat Togi Makabe [6] (18:46) with the High Fly Flow.

* Tanahashi picks up a crucial win over rival Makabe to ensure he keeps up with the pace, hitting 6pts with three other big names including Makabe himself. This was said to have been a very hot match that had the Osaka fans stamping their feet in appreciation.
* Kojima defeats sworn friend MVP in an equally crucial win although he and MVP both remain 4pts or two wins behind the leaders of Block B.
* Giant Bernard takes the lead in Block A with a big win over one of the four men behind him, Nagata. Bernard’s impressive G1 campaign continues a big year for the gaijin ace.
* Goto, Nakamura, and Suzuki all hit 8pts and pulled away a little in Block B with wins over Anderson, Strong Man, and La Sombra respectively. Like last year, Strong Man has started very poorly with a 0-4 record.
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan, who has also struggled in a tournament he dominated so much for a while in the 2000s that he was nicknamed the new “Mr. G1″, finally broke his duck by beating Wataru Inoue.
* After a high impact return recently, Hideo Saito’s G1 Climax has been a large failure and shown he is still a distance behind the big players of New Japan. Saito/Hirasawa seems to be having an identity crisis, appearing in different outfits. His crushing loss to Takayama today means he has no points and a 0-5 record.

-

Block A:
1. Giant Bernard [8]
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi [6]
- Togi Makabe [6]
- Yuji Nagata [6]
- Yoshihiro Takayama [6]
6. Toru Yano [4]
- Yujiro Takahashi [4]
- Lance Archer [4]
9. Tetsuya Naito [2]
- Hideo Saito [0]

Block B:
1. Hirooki Goto [8]
- Shinsuke Nakamura [8]
- Minoru Suzuki [8]
4. Satoshi Kojima [4]
- MVP [4]
- Karl Anderson [4]
- La Sombra [4]
8. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]
9. Wataru Inoue [2]
10. Strong Man [0]

By semi-popular demand I’ve revived an old page that I never got around to putting up after the switch to WordPress in 2008. It is a list of wrestlers from the dojo who debuted with New Japan, and the year they started. Only New Japan trueborns (dojo graduates) and semi-trueborns (who started elsewhere, but were taken into the New Japan youth system) are listed, as well as original characters (such as Tiger Mask).

Titles/Tournaments/Data -> New Japan Debut Directory

There is a lot of other old data that I hope some time to get back up but my time is a lot more limited nowadays than it used to be, so it may take a while.

–> “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~” <--

NJPW, 8/6/11 (J SPORTS)
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
8,000 Fans

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto [6] beat La Sombra [4] (9:06) with the Shouten Kai.
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Karl Anderson [4] beat Strong Man [0] (7:55) with the Gun Stun.
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata [6] beat Yujiro Takahashi [4] (9:49) with a backdrop hold.
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [6] beat Wataru Inoue [2] (12:29) with the Boma Ye.
5. Satoshi Kojima & MVP beat TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (8:49) when Kojima used a lariat on TAKA.
6. G1 Climax – Block A: Togi Makabe [6] beat Hideo Saito [0] (5:23) with a King Kong kneedrop.
7. G1 Climax – Block B: Minoru Suzuki [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [0] (14:26) with a Gotch-style piledriver.
8. G1 Climax – Block A: Tetsuya Naito [2] beat Toru Yano [2] (14:05) with a Stardust press.
9. G1 Climax – Block A: Yoshihiro Takayama [4] beat Giant Bernard [6] (9:36) with an Everest German suplex hold.
10. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] beat Lance Archer [4] (11:33) with the High Fly Flow.

-

Block A:
1. Togi Makabe [6]
- Yuji Nagata [6]
- Giant Bernard [6]
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4]
- Yujiro Takahashi [4]
- Lance Archer [4]
- Yoshihiro Takayama [4]
8. Tetsuya Naito [2]
9. Toru Yano [2]
- Hideo Saito [0]

Block B:
1. Hirooki Goto [6]
- Shinsuke Nakamura [6]
- Minoru Suzuki [6]
4. MVP [4]
- Karl Anderson [4]
- La Sombra [4]
7. Wataru Inoue [2]
- Satoshi Kojima [2]
9. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [0]
- Strong Man [0]