Not for the first time in his already hugely successful career, New Japan junior ace Prince Devitt is a double champion! The IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, on excursion to CMLL in Mexico, today captured the NWA World Historic Middleweight Title from Volador Jr. at Arena Mexico. Devitt posted a Tweet saying “My luggage is going to be slightly heavier leaving Mexico that when I arrived!” with a photo of his two belts.

New Japan have today announced that due to a private issue, the company has terminated the contract of Tomoaki Honma. The company haven’t elaborated but it usually takes something quite serious for a Japanese wrestler to leave a company while under contract.

Honma had been with New Japan since early 2007 when he joined Makabe’s heel group GBH, and when Nakamura performed a coup d’état and took over GBH in 2009 (turning it into CHAOS), Honma was the only one who remained with Makabe and the two became fan favourites. I’ll post more details on his exit if they ever come to light.

NJPW “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY ~ EXCITING BATTLE IN OKINAWA 2012″, 3/25/12
Okinawa Prefectural Budokan
2,500 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Hiromu Takahashi beat Takaaki Watanabe (7:46) with a crab hold.
2. Ryusuke Taguchi, Kaijin Habu Otoko & Gurukun Diver beat KUSHIDA, Menso~re Oyaji & Eisa 8 (15:10) when Otoko pinned Oyaji.
3. Hirooki Goto & Tiger Mask beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Jado (11:47) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on Jado.
4. Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata beat Minoru Suzuki & Taichi (12:42) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on Taichi.
5. Tetsuya Naito & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Kazuchika Okada & Gedo (12:59) when Naito used a Stardust press on Gedo.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii (14:58) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Ishii.

Yuji Nagata followed up on his recent win over Masayuki Kono by completely defeating him on All Japan’s Sumo Hall show earlier in a Cage Death Match. A bloodied up Nagata knocked out Kono who has been feuding with Nagata over the honour of his mentor Masakatsu Funaki, who Nagata injured at the Tokyo Dome in January. It’s unknown if this ends the feud until Funaki returns or if perhaps Nagata might enter the Champion Carnival again. Kojima also appeared on the show in his old haunt, pinning Seiya Sanada.

AJPW “40TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR 2012 PRO-WRESTLING LOVE IN RYOGOKU VOL. 14″, 3/20/12
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
9,000 Fans

- STACK OF ARMS vs. Seigi Gun – Cage Death Match: Yuji Nagata beat Masayuki Kono (18:44) by KO.
- AJPW vs. NJPW – Special Singles Match: Satoshi Kojima beat Seiya Sanada (14:08) with a lariat.

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

NJPW, 3/19/12 (Samurai! TV)
Fukushima National Athletic Meet Gymnasium #2
1,100 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Wataru Inoue beat Takaaki Watanabe (9:07) with a German suplex hold.
2. Davey Richards, Rocky Romero, Jado & Tomohiro Ishii beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & Hiromu Takahashi (15:59) when Ishii used a powerbomb on Takahashi.
3. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka beat Tama Tonga & KUSHIDA (8:47) when Yano used the Akakiri on KUSHIDA.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Lance Archer & Taichi went to a no contest (6:31).
5. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (13:18) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on Taichi.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito, Karl Anderson & Captain New Japan beat Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka , Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (20:13) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on YOSHI-HASHI.

* After the TenKoji vs. Archer & Taichi tag match went to a no contest, all four were added to the next match which changed from a regular tag to an eight man tag match.

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

NJPW, 3/18/12 (Samurai! TV)
Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium
1,800 Fans

1. Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii beat Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe (9:42) when Ishii used a crab hold on Watanabe.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA beat Davey Richards, Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo (14:25) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on Romero.
3. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka beat Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga (11:33) when Yano used the Kuro Kirishima on Tonga.
4. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue beat Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (14:13) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on TAKA.
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Karl Anderson beat Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & YOSHI-HASHI (15:39) when Naito used a Stardust press on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. IWGP Tag Team Title: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (c) beat Yoshihiro Takayama & Lance Archer (17:42) when Tenzan used a moonsault press on Archer (2nd defense).

* Yano & Iizuka, who beat TenKoji in a non-title match on 3/4 at Korakuen, intruded after Tenzan & Kojima’s successful V2 defense of the IWGP Tag Team Title, Yano stealing their belts and issuing a challenge to the champions.

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

NJPW, 3/17/12 (Samurai! TV)
Aomori Industrial Hall
1,600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Tomohiro Ishii beat Takaaki Watanabe (10:09) with a crab hold.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA beat Davey Richards, Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo (13:41) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on Jado.
3. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka beat Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga (9:45) when Yano used the Oni Koroshi on Tonga.
4. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshihiro Takayama, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi beat Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue (16:54) when Archer used the Dark Days on Inoue.
5. Hirooki Goto & Tetsuya Naito beat Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (12:47) when Goto used the Shouten Kai on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura & Masato Tanaka beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Karl Anderson & Tomoaki Honma (18:25) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Honma.

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

NJPW, 3/16/12
Kumagaya Citizen Gymnasium
1,000 Fans

1. KUSHIDA beat Hiromu Takahashi (8:08) with the 9469.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Davey Richards, Rocky Romero & Gedo (11:15) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on Gedo.
3. Wataru Inoue, Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Jado (13:00) when Captain used the Caribbean Death Grip on Jado.
4. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (15:49) when Nagata used the Nagata Lock II on Taichi.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI beat Karl Anderson & Tomoaki Honma (13:58) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on Honma.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Tetsuya Naito beat Kazuchika Okada, Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii (17:07) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Ishii.

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

NJPW, 3/13/12
Ota Nitta Bunka Center Airys Hall
800 Fans

1. Tama Tonga beat Takaaki Watanabe (8:02) with the Headshrinker.
2. Davey Richards, Rocky Romero & Jado beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi (11:29) when Richards used the Contract Killer on Tiger.
3. Wataru Inoue, Captain New Japan & KUSHIDA beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Gedo (11:00) when Captain used the Caribbean Death Grip on Gedo.
4. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (15:04) when Kojima used a lariat on Taichi.
5. Hirooki Goto & Karl Anderson beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Yujiro Takahashi (11:37) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Takahashi.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma beat Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii (17:37) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on YOSHI-HASHI.

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

NJPW, 3/12/12
Tsubame Citizen Gymnasium
1,600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Tama Tonga beat Hiromu Takahashi (8:40) with the Headshrinker.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Davey Richards, Rocky Romero & Gedo (10:01) when Liger used an air scissors drop on Gedo.
3. Wataru Inoue, Captain New Japan & KUSHIDA beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Jado (13:10) when Inoue used the Spear of Justice on Jado.
4. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (15:24) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on Taichi.
5. Tetsuya Naito & Karl Anderson beat Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI (16:38) when Naito used a Stardust press on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Tomoaki Honma beat Kazuchika Okada, Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii (17:02) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Ishii.

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

NJPW, 3/11/12 (Samurai! TV)
Act City Hamamatsu
2,600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Wataru Inoue beat Takaaki Watanabe (7:44) with the Spear of Justice.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Jado & Gedo (8:09) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on Jado.
3. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka beat Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga (11:06) when Yano used the Oni Koroshi on Tonga.
4. Davey Richards, Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii beat Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA (11:54) when Richards used the Contract Killer on KUSHIDA.
5. Togi Makabe, Riki Choshu, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata beat Minoru Suzuki, Yoshihiro Takayama, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (14:40) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on TAKA.
6. Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & YOSHI-HASHI beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Karl Anderson & Tomoaki Honma (16:19) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Honma.
7. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Hirooki Goto (c) beat Yujiro Takahashi (17:08) with the Shouten Kai (1st defense).

* Goto overcame a tough challenge in the form of Yujiro today as he made a successful V1 defense of his IWGP Intercontinental Title. In doing so scored his second win of the year over Yujiro following a victory on 1/29 at Korakuen. The up-and-coming CHAOS man has chance for quick retaliation though as they meet again on 4/1 in the New Japan Cup first round.

* Choshu’s special appearance was a very rare stop in New Japan for the legendary Power Hall nowadays but shows that relations are still good between New Japan and one of its favourite sons.

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

NJPW, 3/10/12 (Samurai! TV)
Nagoya International Conference Hall
2,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Tomohiro Ishii beat Takaaki Watanabe (10:05) with a lariat.
2. KUSHIDA beat Hiromu Takahashi (8:35) with the 9469.
3. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Rocky Romero, Jado & Gedo (10:51) when Liger used an air scissors drop on Gedo.
4. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & YOSHI-HASHI beat Karl Anderson, Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga (9:33) when Yano used the Kuro Kirishima on Tonga.
5. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue beat Minoru Suzuki, Yoshihiro Takayama, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (15:35) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on Taichi.
6. Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma (16:08) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Honma.
7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) beat Davey Richards (15:25) with the Bloody Sunday (4th defense).

* Devitt’s successful V4 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title means that he will carry the belt to CMLL in Mexico as he heads there after tomorrow’s show, starting up on the 15th and remaining there until April 8th. Today’s win over IWGP Jr. Tag Title co-holder Richards means that New Japan’s long-standing junior ace has retained the belt three times against him now over his two reigns. Devitt’s first reign lasted one day shy of a year and a record-breaking 7 defenses, but his second reign is quietly chugging along, as he will soon be half a year into the reign with four challengers bypassed.

The battle between the Rainmaker and the Stardust*Genius was one of my personal favourite matches of the last decade in New Japan. Two young up-and-coming stars thrust into the spotlight, the potential was there for a disappointment but it was anything but as they seized the reins and put on a fantastic match.

Here is the video from YouTube.

Or if that link disappears any time soon, click here to see it on Dailymotion.

New Japan have announced participants and first round pairings for the 2012 New Japan Cup, the eighth edition of the singles elimination tournament. No real surprise entrants besides La Sombra but after some questions about whether he’d remain with New Japan after his first year, MVP is back and battles CHAOS leader Shinsuke Nakamura in the first round. Other notable first round matches include Nagata vs. Suzuki, a rematch from two past Tokyo Dome events, Kojima vs. Naito, and Tanahashi vs. Yano. The winner of the tournament will challenge Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Title on 5/3 at the Fukuoka International Center.

Full cards for the upcoming March series have also been revealed, adding to the title matches already known. The legendary Riki Choshu makes his first appearance in a long time for New Japan on the 3/11 Hamamatsu show.

NEVER’s “ROAD TO THE SUPER JR. 2DAYS TOURNAMENT” returns this year also with the youth-based sub-brand hosting a tournament before the prestigious Best of the Super Jr. that will give one or two young juniors the chance to enter the tournament via another tournament. If the format remains the same as last year, the two day tournament will have eight round one matches then on the second day two sets of semi finals and two finals, with the winners advancing.

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

NJPW, 3/10/12 (Samurai! TV)
Nagoya International Conference Hall

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

NJPW, 3/11/12 (Samurai! TV)
Act City Hamamatsu

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

NJPW, 3/12/12
Tsubame Citizen Gymnasium

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

NJPW, 3/13/12
Ota Nitta Bunka Center Airys Hall

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

NJPW, 3/16/12
Kumagaya Citizen Gymnasium

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

NJPW, 3/17/12 (Samurai! TV)
Aomori Industrial Hall

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

NJPW, 3/18/12 (Samurai! TV)
Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium

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

NJPW, 3/19/12 (Samurai! TV)
Fukushima National Athletic Meet Gymnasium #2

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

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NJPW “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY ~ EXCITING BATTLE IN OKINAWA 2012″, 3/25/12
Okinawa Prefectural Budokan

1. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Takaaki Watanabe
2. Ryusuke Taguchi, Kaijin Habu Otoko & Gurukun Diver vs. KUSHIDA, Menso~re Oyaji & Eisa 8
3. Hirooki Goto & Tiger Mask vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Jado
4. Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
5. Tetsuya Naito & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii

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

NJPW, 4/1/12
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium

1. New Japan Cup – Round 1: La Sombra vs. YOSHI-HASHI
2. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Karl Anderson
3. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
4. New Japan Cup – Round 1: MVP vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
5. Ryusuke Taguchi, Captain New Japan & KUSHIDA vs. Kazuchika Okada, Jado & Gedo
6. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Togi Makabe vs. Lance Archer
7. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
8. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Satoshi Kojima vs. Tetsuya Naito
9. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano

NJPW, 4/4/12
Hitachinaka Matsudo Gymnasium

NJPW, 4/5/12 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Japan Cup – Round 2:
2. New Japan Cup – Round 2:
3. New Japan Cup – Round 2:
4. New Japan Cup – Round 2:

NJPW, 4/7/12
Yokkaichi Australia Memorial Hall

NJPW, 4/8/12 (WPW)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Japan Cup – Semi Final:
2. New Japan Cup – Semi Final:
3. New Japan Cup – Final:

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NJPW “NEVER.9 ~ROAD TO THE SUPER JR. 2DAYS TOURNAMENT 1st”~, 4/13/12
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

NJPW “NEVER.9 ~ROAD TO THE SUPER JR. 2DAYS TOURNAMENT Final~”, 4/15/12
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

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

NJPW, 4/21/12
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2

NJPW, 4/24/12
Kaikyo Messe Shimonoseki

NJPW, 4/25/12
Shunan Shinnanyo Gymnasium

NJPW, 4/27/12
Kitajima North Park Gymnasium

NJPW, 4/28/12
Kochi Sunpia Chres

NJPW, 4/30/12
Kumamoto City Distribution & Information Hall

NJPW, 5/1/12
Oita Event Hall

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NJPW “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY ~ WRESTLING DONTAKU 2012″, 5/3/12 (WPW/PPV)
Fukuoka International Center

1. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. New Japan Cup 2012 winner

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

NJPW, 5/4/12
Hiroshima Industrial Hall West Exhibition Pavilion

NJPW, 5/5/12
Takamatsu City Gymnasium

NJPW, 5/6/12
Okayama Orange Hall

NJPW “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 3/4/12 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,040 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA beat Tama Tonga, Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe (11:10) when KUSHIDA used the Midnight Express on Watanabe.
2. YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii beat Tomoaki Honma & Captain New Japan (10:19) when YOSHI-HASHI used a Swanton bomb on Captain.
3. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Jado & Gedo (8:36) when Tiger used a Tiger suplex hold on Gedo.
4. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue beat Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (12:35) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on Taichi.
5. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (14:37) when Yano used the Kuro Kirishima on Kojima.
6. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Karl Anderson (14:18) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on Anderson.
7. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) beat Tetsuya Naito (28:50) with the Rainmaker (1st defense).

* On the 40th anniversary of Japan’s longest standing and most famous pro wrestling group, two new generation stars headlined for the IWGP Heavyweight Champion with Kazuchika Okada, who shocked the world last month when he dethroned Tanahashi, facing the man who beat Tanahashi’s greatest rival Nakamura on the same show, Tetsuya Naito. Okada survived this grueling half hour challenge against the spirited Naito, pinning him after hitting the Rainmaker to complete a successful V1 defense. Okada declared himself the IWGP champion of a new era after the match. Fans are raving about this match, with the popular Black Eye blog calling it “Amazing amazing amazing! Legendary match.” and saying it was probably even better than the Tanahashi vs. Naito from last October.

* IWGP Tag Team Champions, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima, suffered an upset loss ahead of their upcoming title defense against Yoshihiro Takayama & Lance Archer, when they fell to CHAOS’ Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka in a non-title match, Yano pinning Kojima. Should TenKoji retain their belts against Suzuki Gun, it would appear likely that Yano & Iizuka would move into top contendership following this win.

* Hidekazu “Kero” Tanaka, New Japan’s most famous ring announcer of years gone by, made a return as a special guest.