–> “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ NEW JAPAN ISM 2012” <--

NJPW, 1/30/12
Chiba Port Arena Sub Arena
700 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Tomohiro Ishii beat Hiromu Takahashi (8:23) with a lariat.
2. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka beat Captain New Japan & King Fale (9:29) when Yano used the Oni Koroshi on Fale.
3. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA beat YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo (11:18) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Gedo.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga (10:38) when Kojima used a lariat on Tonga.
5. Yuji Nagata beat TAKA Michinoku (7:53) with a backdrop hold.
6. Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue beat Minoru Suzuki & Taichi (11:48) when Inoue used the Spear of Justice on Taichi.
7. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma (16:10) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Honma.

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The rivalry continues as Tetsuya Naito and Shinsuke Nakamura go to war in Osaka next month. This feud has been going on a long time and the singles matches have been dominated by Nakamura but this will be a good chance for Naito to strike back. This was one of several matches added to the now complete card today as well as a big Elimination Match.

NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/12/12 (WPW/PPV)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

1. Tomoaki Honma & King Fale vs. Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. Davey Richards & Rocky Romero
4. Elimination Match: Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue, Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA vs. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshihiro Takayama, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
5. IWGP Tag Team Title: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson
6. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Masato Tanaka (c) vs. Hirooki Goto
7. Special Singles Match: Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
8. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada

–> “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ NEW JAPAN ISM 2012” <--

NJPW, 1/29/12 (J SPORTS)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi beat Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe (6:45) when Taichi used the Dark Metamorphose on Takahashi.
2. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Captain New Japan beat Takashi Iizuka, Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo (8:45) when Captain used the Caribbean Death Grip on Gedo.
3. Masato Tanaka , YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii beat Tomoaki Honma, Tama Tonga & King Fale (10:34) when YOSHI-HASHI used a Swanton bomb on Fale.
4. Special Singles Match: Yuji Nagata beat Toru Yano (11:01) with a backdrop hold.
5. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & KUSHIDA beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger (10:06) when Bernard pinned Tenzan after the Magic Killer.
6. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yoshihiro Takayama beat Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue (9:50) when Suzuki used a Gotch-style piledriver on Inoue.
7. Special Singles Match: Hirooki Goto beat Yujiro Takahashi (10:00) with the Shouten Kai.
8. Special Tag Match: Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito (17:46) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Tanahashi.

* Okada’s domination of Tanahashi continues in spectacular fashion as the newly returned bad boy pins Tanahashi in today’s tag main event ahead of their IWGP Heavyweight Title match coming up in Osaka.

* Koji Kanemoto has renewed his contract with New Japan under the same terms as last year. He is free to pick and choose when he wants to wrestle and can wander around freely under the New Japan banner. Kanemoto’s body has been feeling the effects of age and injuries in recent years so he isn’t able to wrestle full-time anymore.

–> “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ NEW JAPAN ISM 2012” <--

NJPW, 1/26/12
New Sunpia Tochigi
711 Fans

1. King Fale beat Takaaki Watanabe (7:03) with a crab hold.
2. Gedo beat Hiromu Takahashi (7:42) with the Gedo clutch.
3. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan beat Takashi Iizuka, Rocky Romero & Jado (11:10) when Captain used the Caribbean Death Grip on Jado.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Tiger Mask (10:04) when Tenzan used the Anaconda Vice on Tiger.
5. Togi Makabe, Wataru Inoue & KUSHIDA beat Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (11:57) when Inoue used the Spear of Justice on Taichi.
6. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii beat Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma (13:43) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on Honma.
7. Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, Hirooki Goto & Tama Tonga (18:22) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Tonga.

–> “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ NEW JAPAN ISM 2012” <--

NJPW, 1/25/12
Shirakawa Central Gymnasium
900 Fans

1. King Fale beat Takaaki Watanabe (8:24) with a crab hold.
2. TAKA Michinoku beat Hiromu Takahashi (6:47) with the Super K.
3. Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA & Captain New Japan beat Takashi Iizuka, Jado & Gedo (10:50) when Captain used the Caribbean Death Grip on Gedo.
4. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Prince Devitt beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger (10:37) when Anderson pinned Liger after the Magic Killer.
5. Yuji Nagata, Tetsuya Naito & Tama Tonga beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii (15:54) when Naito used a Stardust press on Ishii.
6. Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue beat Minoru Suzuki & Taichi (11:25) when Inoue used the Spear of Justice on Taichi.
7. Kazuchika Okada, Yujiro Takahashi, YOSHI-HASHI & Rocky Romero beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi (15:38) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Honma.

Bad Intentions finally relinquished their grip on NOAH’s GHC Tag Team Title earlier, just 2 1/2 weeks after losing the IWGP Tag Team Title to TenKoji. They were beaten by one of NOAH’s most reputable tag teams of past years, Triple Crown holder Jun Akiyama and the now-freelance Akitoshi Saito. Despite losing both titles, Bernard and Anderson will go down in record books for being the most successful IWGP Tag Team Champions in a single reign ever and also the first team to hold both the IWGP and GHC Tag Team titles at the same time.

NOAH “GREAT VOYAGE 2012 IN OSAKA”, 1/22/12
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
3,400 Fans

- GHC Tag Team Title: Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito beat Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (c) (15:38) when Saito used the Death Brand on Anderson to become the 23rd champions.

NJPW/CMLL “NJPW PRESENTS CMLL FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″, 1/22/12 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,950 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Tama Tonga beat YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Gedo & OKUMURA (10:11) when Tonga used the Headshrinker on OKUMURA.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger & Maximo beat Misterioso Jr. & Taichi (8:15) when Maximo used the TeAmo Maximo on Misterioso.
3. CMLL World Welterweight Title: Mascara Dorada (c) beat KUSHIDA (13:22) with a Dorada-style huracanrana (4th defense).
4. Special Singles Match: Hirooki Goto beat Rush (9:49) with the Shouten Kai.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Mephisto beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Diamante (14:24) when Mephisto used an avalanche-style double-arm face buster on Diamante.
6. NWA World Historic Welterweight Title: La Sombra (c) beat Volador Jr. (21:47) with a moonsault*moonsault (3rd defense).

* Two successive sell outs made the second edition of “FANTASTICA MANIA” an even bigger commercial success than the first, despite much weaker cards on paper.

NJPW/CMLL “NJPW PRESENTS CMLL FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″, 1/21/12 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,950 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi beat Danshoku Dino & Maximo (8:04) when Taichi used a cradle on Dino.
2. YOSHI-HASHI & OKUMURA beat Tama Tonga & King Fale (11:27) when YOSHI-HASHI used a Swanton bomb on Fale.
3. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask beat Jado, Gedo & Misterioso Jr. (12:50) when Devitt used a diving footstomp on Gedo.
4. Hirooki Goto & KUSHIDA beat Rush & Mascara Dorada (10:24) when KUSHIDA used the 9469 on Dorada.
5. Tetsuya Naito, Jushin Thunder Liger & Diamante beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Yujiro Takahashi & Mephisto (13:33) when Naito used a Stardust press on Mephisto.
6. Special Tag Match: Kazuchika Okada & Volador Jr. beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & La Sombra (12:33) when Volador used the Volador Spiral on Sombra.

New Japan has announced lineups for the upcoming joint New Japan/CMLL double header, the entire February tour, the latest edition of NEVER, and finally the big Osaka show in February where all roads lead. As expected it will be Kazuchika Okada who faces Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in Tana’s V12 defense in this record-breaking reign. Some very big news is that Okada does after all appear to have joined CHAOS after he appeared at the press conference with Gedo and is teaming up with CHAOS for the entire February tour. This, plus the addition of Okada’s Tokyo Dome opponent YOSHI-HASHI, means New Japan’s heel faction is heavily strengthened.

The Osaka show will see three rematches, two from the Dome and one from last year, with Hirooki Goto challenging Masato Tanaka for the IWGP Intercontinental Title as he looks to follow up on his big win over Takashi Sugiura. “No Remorse Corps” Davey Richards & Rocky Romero continue their long-running feud with “Apollo 55″ Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi as they are granted an immediate rematch for the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title, and finally “Bad Intentions” Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson are also given a quick rematch against new IWGP Tag Team Champions, “TenKoji” Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima.

All in all, a very eventful start to the touring year and New Japan seems as loaded with talent and diversity as it has in many year, especially with Minoru Suzuki also appearing to stick around after his Tokyo Dome loss to Tanahashi. Also of note, Hideo Saito seems to have transformed permanently into Captain New Japan!

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NJPW/CMLL “NJPW PRESENTS CMLL FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″, 1/21/12 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Danshoku Dino & Maximo vs. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
2. Tama Tonga & King Fale vs. YOSHI-HASHI & OKUMURA
3. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask vs. Jado, Gedo & Misterioso Jr.
4. Hirooki Goto & KUSHIDA vs. Rush & Mascara Dorada
5. Tetsuya Naito, Jushin Thunder Liger & Diamante vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Yujiro Takahashi & Mephisto
6. Special Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & La Sombra vs. Kazuchika Okada & Volador Jr.

NJPW/CMLL “NJPW PRESENTS CMLL FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″, 1/22/12 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Tama Tonga vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Gedo & OKUMURA
2. Jushin Thunder Liger & Maximo vs. Misterioso Jr. & Taichi
3. CMLL World Welterweight Title: Mascara Dorada (c) vs. KUSHIDA
4. Special Singles Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Rush
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Diamante vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Mephisto
6. NWA World Historic Welterweight Title: La Sombra (c) vs. Volador Jr.

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NJPW, 1/25/12
Shirakawa Central Gymnasium

1. King Fale vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Hiromu Takahashi vs. TAKA Michinoku
3. Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA & Captain New Japan vs. Takashi Iizuka, Jado & Gedo
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Prince Devitt
5. Yuji Nagata, Tetsuya Naito & Tama Tonga vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
6. Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kazuchika Okada, Yujiro Takahashi, YOSHI-HASHI & Rocky Romero

NJPW, 1/26/12
New Sunpia Tochigi

1. King Fale vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Gedo
3. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan vs. Takashi Iizuka, Rocky Romero & Jado
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Tiger Mask
5. Togi Makabe, Wataru Inoue & KUSHIDA vs. Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
6. Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, Hirooki Goto & Tama Tonga vs. Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI

NJPW, 1/29/12 (J SPORTS)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe vs. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
2. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Captain New Japan vs. Takashi Iizuka, Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo
3. Tomoaki Honma, Tama Tonga & King Fale vs. Masato Tanaka , YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii
4. Special Singles Match: Yuji Nagata vs. Toru Yano
5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & KUSHIDA
6. Special Tag Match: Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru Suzuki & Yoshihiro Takayama
7. Special Singles Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
8. Special Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada

NJPW, 1/30/12
Chiba Port Arena Sub Arena

1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi

NJPW, 2/3/12
Nagano Sports Park Gymnasium

1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Rocky Romero
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA vs. Kazuchika Okada, Yujiro Takahashi, Jado & Gedo

NJPW, 2/4/12
Wing Hat Kasukabe

1. Wataru Inoue, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & King Fale
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii

NJPW, 2/5/12
Gifu Industrial Hall

1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & KUSHIDA
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi

NJPW, 2/6/12
Takaoka Techno Dome

1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask vs. Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & KUSHIDA
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Masato Tanaka & YOSHI-HASHI

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NJPW “NEVER.8 ~GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL~”, 2/10/12
Osaka World Hall

1. KUSHIDA vs. Shoichi Uchida
2. Takaaki Watanabe vs. YOSHI-HASHI
3. Captain New Japan vs. Gedo
4. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Toru Yano
5. Karl Anderson vs. Tama Tonga
6. Yuji Nagata vs. King Fale
7. Tomoaki Honma vs. Yujiro Takahashi

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NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/12/12 (WPW/PPV)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. Davey Richards & Rocky Romero
2. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Masato Tanaka (c) vs. Hirooki Goto
3. IWGP Tag Team Title: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson
4. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada

NJPW “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ WRESTLE KINGDOM VI IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/12 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Dome
43,000 Fans

0. Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga beat Tomoaki Honma & Kyosuke Mikami (8:47) when Tonga used the Headshrinker on Mikami.
1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Davey Richards & Rocky Romero (c) (12:44) when Taguchi used a front cradle on Richards to become the 30th champions.
2. AERIAL KINGDOM feat. CMLL SUPER ESTRELLAS: Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA & Mascara Dorada beat Atlantis, Valiente, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (10:18) when Liger used a brainbuster on Valiente.
3. NEW JAPAN RESPIRATION – Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI Return Match: Kazuchika Okada beat YOSHI-HASHI (Nobuo Yoshihashi) (4:37) with the Rainmaker.
4. BLUE JUSTICE NEVER DIE: Masakatsu Funaki & Masayuki Kono beat Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue (6:34) when Funaki used a left kick on Inoue.
5. TOKYO MONSTER WAR: MVP & Shelton Benjamin beat Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi (9:41) when MVP used the Irreversible Crisis on Takahashi.
6. IWGP Tag Team Title: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (c) (12:40) when Tenzan used a moonsault press on Bernard to become the 58th champions.
7. NJPW vs. NOAH BATTLE CONCENTRATION I: Hirooki Goto beat Takashi Sugiura (12:35) with the Shouten Kai.
8. FIGHTING WITHOUT HONOR OR HUMANITY: Togi Makabe beat Yoshihiro Takayama (9:15) with a King Kong kneedrop.
9. NJPW vs. NOAH BATTLE CONCENTRATION II: Go Shiozaki & Naomichi Marufuji beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano (15:10) when Shiozaki used the Go Flasher on Yano.
10. GENIUS FACES GENIUS: Keiji Muto beat Tetsuya Naito (22:35) with a moonsault press.
11. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) beat Minoru Suzuki (25:59) with the High Fly Flow (11th defense).

* New Japan’s biggest announced Tokyo Dome attendance since 2006 (also 43,000) witnessed a spectacular show as the leader of the Japanese professional wrestling industry began its 40th anniversary year in style with the biggest event of the Japanese calendar. This was also the tenth 1/4 Tokyo Dome show that I’ve covered since launching this site in 2001 (but I did cover others on the old RSPW newsgroup before then!).

* Hiroshi Tanahashi, the iconic figure of the modern era in Japan, smashed Yuji Nagata’s IWGP Heavyweight Title defense record and became the most successful IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all time with the joint-most reigns and of course this defense record. Minoru Suzuki presented a difficult challenge in a 26 minute main event that could have gone either way before Tana landed his High Fly Flow to ensure a year to the day after winning back the belt, he begins 2012 with a firm grip on it. Tanahashi now has 11 successful defenses but there are still wrestlers lining up to face him. And one of them, Kazuchika Okada, stormed into the ring after the match and challenged Tanahashi to a title shot next (more below on Okada).

* Professional wrestling’s ultimate genius Keiji Muto returned home to New Japan to take on one of the emerging young stars of the company Tetsuya Naito. Naito has won comparisons to Muto with his excellent athletic ability and charisma and for a wrestler such as this (and Tanahashi in the past) facing the Wrestling Master has become something of a tradition. Naito starred in this Tokyo Dome semi main event opposite Muto (who entered to his memorable old New Japan theme TRIUMPH) in a 22 1/2 minute battle that saw him ultimately succumb to a moonsault press but only after a great battle and as any long-term New Japan fan knows a competitive loss to Muto (or the late, great Hashimoto) is as good as a win for a young wrestler. Naito refused to shake hands with Muto after the match but 2012 promises to be a big year for him.

* New Japan and NOAH locked horns once more on January 4th with two matches, including a tag match that saw a big confrontation between Nakamura (teaming with Yano) and Shiozaki (teaming with Marufuji). These two have history and with Shiozaki now the GHC Heavyweight Champion many eyes were on this bout. In the end Shiozaki pinned Yano but there were sparks between Nakamura and Marufuji after the match but Nakamura dismissed him backstage saying he hoped Marufuji enjoyed fighting him today as he won’t entertain the thought of fighting this mere junior again in singles or tag matches.

* Togi Makabe took on his former tag partner and now bitter rival Yoshihiro Takayama in a fierce match to settle their grudge. The two wasted very little time, getting straight to the heavy strikes and slams. Makabe won a complete victory over the once dominant force of Japanese pro wrestling to show just how far he has come in recent years, pinning Takayama following a King Kong kneedrop.

* The other New Japan vs. NOAH match saw another old rivalry renewed as the most successful GHC Heavyweight Champion in NOAH history Takashi Sugiura went to war with New Japan’s Hirooki Goto (who made a Kabuki style entrance in costume). Goto had another up-and-down 2011, still lacking the consistency needed to stay at the very top so this was very important as in the past he couldn’t beat Sugiura so had to change that at the Tokyo Dome in order to progress. And that he did, overcoming the powerful Sugiura with his Shouten Kai for the huge win and possibly just what he needs to make 2012 a great year. No doubt his ultimate target is the elusive IWGP Heavyweight Title but Goto suggested backstage that his main priority now are CHAOS’ Masato Tanaka and Yujiro Takahashi, and specifically Tanaka’s IWGP Intercontinental Title as of course Tanaka recently beat Goto in a defense.

* The most successful IWGP Tag Team Title holders of all time finally relinquished their grip on the belts today but it took a very special tag team to end a reign that began in 2010 and ended in 2012 for Bad Intentions. New Japan’s beloved TenKoji – Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima – back together, began their latest adventure with an emotional win over Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson. It took a lot to keep Bernard down but a moonsault from Tenzan finally did and TenKoji began their third reign as champions and first since their memorable run in 2000/2001. The two gave a great microphone performance after the match and in 2012 one of the most popular tag teams in Japanese history are back! Of course Bad Intentions still hold NOAH’s GHC Tag Team Title but have a difficult defense coming up against Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito – history has shown double champions often lose both titles in quick succession, can they avoid that?

* MVP attempted to reverse the bad fortune put on him by CHAOS by bringing Shelton Benjamin to New Japan today as the two battled Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi. Tanaka has had MVP’s number lately, often thanks to outside interference, and after winning the IWGP Intercontinental Title from the former WWE superstar in October, again beat him in a defense last month. But with the help of Shelton today, MVP got one back on Tanaka and made Yujiro tap out to the Irreversible Crisis.

* Masakatsu Funaki made a long overdue return to the place it all started for this fighting icon, New Japan, teaming with former NEW JAPAN FACTORY (New Japan’s MMA branch) member Masayuki Kono against Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue. Fans enjoyed seeing Nagata vs. Funaki but after Funaki downed Wataru in 6 1/2 minutes, there was a definite feeling that a great rivalry between Nagata and Funaki had begun with the hope that they will meet again.

* Two of New Japan’s brightest young stars returned at once as Kazuchika Okada’s long stay in the USA and Nobuo Yoshihashi aka YOSHI-HASHI’s long stay in Mexico came to an end. Both made impressive entrances with elaborate new looks and YOSHI-HASHI made a sneak attack on Okada before the bell to try and seize the chance to beat the much larger man. But after some back and forth Okada won a complete victory over CHAOS’ newest member with his Rainmaker finisher, looking strong and dominant, which led to his challenge issued to Tanahashi later in the show.

* Jushin Thunder Liger made a triumphant return home to New Japan after a very long stay in Mexico’s CMLL and brought with him a colorful cast of CMLL stars in preparation for the upcoming “NJPW PRESENTS CMLL FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″ double header at Korakuen Hall. Liger led Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA & Mascara Dorada to victory over Atlantis, Valiente, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi in this entertaining match, the living legend dropping Valiente with a brainbuster for the win.

* The main show kicked off with an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title match as Davey Richards & Rocky Romero made their V2 defense of the belts against previous champions Devitt & Taguchi (in crazy costume, see the top left picture in the collage above!). A lively opener ended when Taguchi cradled Richards, meaning the belts are once again in the hands of Apollo 55 who now begin their fourth reign having largely dominated this title since 2009 now. Devitt, the ultimate ace of New Japan’s junior division, is again a double champion as he also holds the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. The only problem for New Japan is finding challengers for Devitt & Taguchi as they have beaten just about everyone in their last few reigns.