The juniors will take center stage at Korakuen Hall on July 29th as New Japan hosts “LAST REBELLION”, the final show before the 2012 G1 Climax begins. As we all knew, Low Ki makes his V2 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against DDT’s Kota Ibushi, but this will be only one half of the double main event. Announced today was Prince Devitt’s V2 defense of the NWA World Historic Middleweight Title following his successful first defense over Taichi yesterday. And a formidable challenge is being thrown his way in the form of Volador Jr. who headlined the second New Japan/CMLL “FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″ show in January.

New Japan also announced today that the Tenzan & Kojima vs. Yano & Iizuka decision match for the IWGP Tag Team Title on 7/22 will have four referees – one in the ring (Tiger Hattori) and three around it (Red Shoes Unno, Marty Asami, and Kenta Sato). Not only that, there will be no countouts to ensure that this feud, littered with DQs, countouts, and no contests, will have a full conclusion.

NJPW “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY ~ LAST REBELLION”, 7/29/12 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Captain New Japan & KUSHIDA vs. Jado & Gedo
2. Wataru Inoue, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, BUSHI & Tama Tonga
3. Karl Anderson, MVP, Shelton Benjamin & Rush vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Hirooki Goto & Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
6. Double Main Event I – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Low Ki (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
7. Double Main Event II – NWA World Historic Middleweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) vs. Volador Jr.

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TenKoji today suffered a defeat heading into their IWGP Tag Title match as they competed on Shinjiro Otani’s 20th anniversary show and were beaten by Emblem – Otani & Masato Tanaka. Otani has a close bond with Tenzan and Kojima as all three were part of New Japan’s third generation who graduated from the dojo in the early 1990s. Otani debuted against Tenzan (then using his real name Hiroyoshi Yamamoto) on June 25th, 1992. And of course Masato Tanaka is almost a full-timer nowadays in New Japan and is challenging Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Title on 7/22, and it was he who settled the match by pinning Kojima.

ZERO1 “SHINJIRO OTANI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 7/8/12
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- Shinjiro Otani 20th Anniversary Match: Shinjiro Otani & Masato Tanaka beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (25:53) when Tanaka used the Sliding D on Kojima.