New Japan has announced the full card for its 41st anniversary show at Korakuen Hall on 3/3, which is completely sold out in advance. As expected it will be headlined by the big IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion match as company ace Hiroshi Tanahashi faces junior ace Prince Devitt in the battle of two men who have largely dominated their weight classes in recent years. However, despite Devitt’s calls for a shot at Tanahashi’s title this will be a non-title match.

What will be a title match is Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Lance Archer as Shinsuke makes his V6 defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Title against the IWGP Tag Team Title co-holder. Nakamura is really giving the IC Title its own character with matches of all styles, and this defense against the tall American powerhouse will come after defenses this year against shoot legend Kazushi Sakuraba and lucha star La Sombra.

Along with Nakamura vs. Archer, CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun also continues in the form of an Elimination match as Okada leads Ishii, Jado & Gedo against Suzuki, Davey Boy Jr., TAKA & Mashimo. As per usual with New Japan’s Elimination Matches over-the-top rope eliminations are allowed. “TIME SPLITTERS” KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley make their V2 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against the “junior legend duo” of Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask after accepting the challenge from the veteran masked men.

Aogi-gun reunites as Yuji Nagata brings his small group back together to face Goto, Anderson, Tama & Taguchi. Along with Wataru and Captain New Japan (who was a member under his original name Mitsuhide Hirasawa before going overseas), we see a very rare appearance nowadays of the legend Super Strong Machine (Junji Hirata, but he’ll deny it!) who has been with New Japan since 1978. The anniversary show opens in very traditional fashion as for the first time all four of New Japan’s active young lions appear in the same match.

New Japan has confirmed its first advance on Sumo Hall for 2013 in the form of “INVASION ATTACK” on 4/7. Whether the name foreshadows anything or is unclear at this stage. There will also be a Korakuen show leading directly into it two days before.

NJPW “ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 3/3/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Anniversary Opening Match: Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
2. Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue, Super Strong Machine & Captain New Japan vs. Hirooki Goto, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Ryusuke Taguchi
3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask
4. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
5. Elimination Match: Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Jado & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku
6. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Lance Archer
7. Anniversary Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Prince Devitt

–> “NEW JAPAN ROAD” <--

NJPW, 2/12/13
Takaoka Techno Dome
1,150 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Wataru Inoue beat Yohei Komatsu (8:01) with a crab hold.
2. YOSHI-HASHI & Jado beat Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan (11:31) when YOSHI-HASHI used a Swanton bomb on Captain.
3. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & BUSHI beat Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA & Hiromu Takahashi (10:50) when Tiger used an avalanche-style double-arm suplex on Takahashi.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Yuji Nagata & Takaaki Watanabe (11:40) when Kojima used a lariat on Watanabe.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii beat Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku (10:27) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on TAKA.
6. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo beat Minoru Suzuki & Hiro Tonai (12:28) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Tonai.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi (14:10) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Iizuka.

–> “NEW JAPAN ROAD” <--

NJPW, 2/11/13 (Samurai! TV)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2
1,950 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe beat BUSHI & Sho Tanaka (9:13) when Watanabe used a crab hold on Tanaka.
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov, Jado & Gedo (11:18) when Tiger used a Tiger suplex hold on Gedo.
3. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI beat Hirooki Goto & Wataru Inoue (12:33) when Ishii used a brainbuster on Inoue.
4. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., TAKA Michinoku & Hiro Tonai beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Tama Tonga & Captain New Japan (11:19) when Archer used the Killer bomb on Captain.
5. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi (13:10) when Takahashi was DQ’d.
6. Special Tag Match: Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada beat Minoru Suzuki & Kengo Mashimo (11:10) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Mashimo.
7. Special Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Karl Anderson & Prince Devitt (14:11) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Devitt.

* Tanahashi got his pinfall back from Devitt in today’s main event after the Irishman recently upset the ace of New Japan in another tag bout. Devitt, the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, is calling for a shot at Tanahashi’s IWGP Heavyweight Title.

* Nakamura and Archer had another face-to-face after the sixth match with the American set to challenge for Shinsuke’s IWGP Intercontinental Title soon.

* Despite being pinned by Makabe in their singles match yesterday, Yujiro laid Makabe out with his own chain after the fifth match today, suggesting this new rivalry will continue.

* Masked veterans Liger & Tiger Mask have challenged KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley to an IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title match which is another title match on the horizon. A tough test for the TIME SPLITTERS against two of New Japan’s most accomplished active juniors.

-

New Japan continues to assist Pro Wrestling NOAH, a company very short on numbers nowadays after so many problems and a mass exodus of talent. The likes of Nagata, Tenzan, and Kojima have been appearing regularly, and now the CHAOS tandem of Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka are set to challenge for the GHC Tag Team Title, once held by New Japan teams such as Nagata & Tanahashi (2003) and Bernard & Anderson (2011).

NOAH, 3/10/13
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

- GHC Tag Team Title: Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura (c) vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka

NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/10/13 (WPW/PPV/iPPV)
Hiroshima Sun Plaza
4,780 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Tama Tonga, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado (8:20) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on Jado.
2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) beat Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov (11:26) when KUSHIDA used the Midnight Express on Koslov (1st defense).
3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) beat Ryusuke Taguchi (14:01) with the Bloody Sunday (2nd defense).
4. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (14:16) when Archer used the Killer bomb on Kojima (3rd defense).
5. Special Singles Match: Togi Makabe beat Yujiro Takahashi (8:00) with a King Kong kneedrop.
6. Special Tag Match: Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata beat Hirooki Goto & Wataru Inoue (11:07) when Sakuraba used a Kido clutch on Inoue.
7. Special Singles Match: Shinsuke Nakamura beat Kengo Mashimo (11:21) with the Boma Ye.
8. Special Singles Match: Minoru Suzuki beat Kazuchika Okada (15:59) with a Gotch-style piledriver.
9. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) beat Karl Anderson (25:10) with the High Fly Flow (7th defense).

* “THE NEW BEGINNING” turned out to be anything but as a packed house of 4,780 fans in Hiroshima watched four successful title defenses today. I haven’t been able to watch the iPPV yet but was told the main event was sensational which is no surprise given the talent levels of the two men involved.

* Hiroshi Tanahashi made a successful V7 defensive of his IWGP Heavyweight Title over Karl Anderson in what was described as the best match of the show as mentioned. This was Anderson’s first shot at the title, quite belated given how impressive he has been in recent years, and he put up a good 25 minute challenge before succumbing to the High Fly Flow. Tanahashi is well on course to matching if not beating his V11 defense record set last year and other than Okada’s 3 month reign with two successful title defenses included, Tanahashi has now held the title for the better part of two years with 18 successful defenses since 1/4/11. No new challenger appeared after the match although Devitt’s recent surprise pinfall has brought up the idea he could challenge Tanahashi at the 3/3 anniversary show. If not, the New Japan Cup is next month and as always will produce a new contender.

* Kazuchika Okada suffered his second high profile defeat already this year as he fell to Suzuki Gun leader Minoru Suzuki in the semi final. Suzuki himself had lost at the Tokyo Dome like Okada, falling to Nagata, so it was an important match for both men. Suzuki showed how competitive he still is with the top dogs though, pinning Okada after his Gotch-style piledriver. This was the only thing resembling an upset on the show and may lead to the continuation of CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun.

* In the other CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun match, Shinsuke Nakamura unsurprisingly defeated K-DOJO’s Kengo Mashimo with his Boma Ye. After the match though, IWGP Tag Team Title co-holder Lance Archer – also a member of Suzuki Gun – appeared and challenged Shinsuke to an IWGP Intercontinental Title match.

* Laughter7 returned to New Japan after their complete defeat at the Tokyo Dome where Shibata was crushed by Makabe and Sakuraba narrowly lost to Nakamura in one of the best matches of recent times. Today they were back in tag mode as they face two men with strong links to Shibata, Hirooki Goto & Wataru Inoue. Inoue once again proved to be a fairly easy target for the hard-hitting tag team and Sakuraba went old school when he busted out a Kido clutch to finish off Wataru. What next for Laughter7?

* One of very few new rivalries of late has been Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi, two of New Japan’s tough guys and recent scuffles led to a singles match today. Makabe continued his fine form so far this year by pinning Yujiro after his King Kong kneedrop and must be quite high in contention for a shot at Tanahashi.

* The Killer Elite Squad once again proved too much for TenKoji as they made a successful V3 defense of their IWGP Tag Team Title. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. have so far proven much too strong for the most famous team of New Japan’s modern era, taking the belts off them, beating them in their V1 defense, and now beating them again in their V3 defense. Tenzan & Kojima did interupt that string of victories by beating the KES on the opening day of the 2012 World Tag League but compared to the three title matches that wasn’t important. The Killer bomb which has tormented TenKoji so was again their downfall today as Archer pinned Kojima after it.

* After half a year of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title being traded between Devitt, Low Ki, and Ibushi, Devitt is hoping to keep hold of the title for a while in his third reign of champion. Today he made a successful V2 defense of the belt he has become so familiar with since 2010 against against his close friend and Apollo 55 tag partner, winning with the Bloody Sunday. For Taguchi it was more of the same – seen as New Japan’s great young junior hope some years ago, he won the title in 2007 for what was his only reign so far and beat big dogs like Minoru (Tanaka), Tiger Mask, and Kanemoto. But since then he has struggled to make the same impact outside of tag matches and again fell short today.

* The TIME SPLITTERS (KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley) made a successful V1 defense of their IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title against the team they took the belts off last November, Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov). KUSHIDA pinned Koslov after his Midnight Express in what was the first of four successful title defenses on the show.

–> “ROAD TO THE NEW BEGINNING” <--

NJPW, 2/7/13
New Sunpia Tochigi
650 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe beat BUSHI & Yohei Komatsu (9:23) when Takahashi used a crab hold on Komatsu.
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Tiger Mask beat Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Jado (11:49) when Shelley used the I-94 on Jado.
3. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii (10:06) when Iizuka was DQ’d.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku (10:07) when Kojima used a lariat on TAKA.
5. Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue beat Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (9:27) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Gedo beat Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & Hiro Tonai (11:15) when Okada used the Rainmaker on Tonai.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Karl Anderson, Prince Devitt & Tama Tonga (15:43) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Tonga.

–> “ROAD TO THE NEW BEGINNING” <--

NJPW, 2/6/13
Chino Citizen Pavilion Multi-Hall
800 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe beat BUSHI & Sho Tanaka (8:31) when Watanabe used a crab hold on Tanaka.
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Gedo (10:15) when Shelley used the I-94 on Gedo.
3. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Wataru Inoue beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii (10:19) when Ishii was DQ’d.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask beat Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Hiro Tonai (9:39) when Tenzan used the Anaconda Vice on Tonai.
5. Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto beat Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (7:04) when Goto used the Goto Shiki on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Jado (16:28) when Suzuki used a Gotch-style piledriver on Jado.
7. Karl Anderson, Prince Devitt & Tama Tonga beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Captain New Japan & Ryusuke Taguchi (17:26) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Captain.

–> “ROAD TO THE NEW BEGINNING” <--

NJPW, 2/5/13
Koga City Gymnasium
1,000 Fans

1. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe beat BUSHI & Yohei Komatsu (9:26) when Takahashi used a crab hold on Komatsu.
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Tiger Mask beat Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Jado (11:16) when Shelley used the I-94 on Jado.
3. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii beat Manabu Nakanishi, Hirooki Goto & Captain New Japan (9:15) when Ishii used a brainbuster on Captain.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Hiro Tonai (10:21) when Kojima used a lariat on Tonai.
5. Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue beat Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (9:04) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Gedo beat Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku (11:43) when Okada used the Rainmaker on TAKA.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Karl Anderson, Prince Devitt & Tama Tonga (14:29) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Tonga.

Kazuchika Okada faces Minoru Suzuki in a major singles battle at “THE NEW BEGINNING” in under a week’s time. This was one of several big matches added to the card for which several title matches were previously announced. CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun has been picking up with Suzuki injecting some new blood into his faction in the form of K-DOJO stars Kengo Mashimo and Hiro Tonai. Along with Okada battling Suzuki, Shinsuke faces Kengo Mashimo who briefly feuded with Makabe last year. Makabe and Yujiro’s ongoing grudge culminates with a singles match in Hiroshima too. But perhaps the biggest news is the return of Laughter7 who after they were completely beaten at the Tokyo Dome seemed done with New Japan, especially considering their arrival was so unpopular and part of the decision that led to Chairman Kidani stepping down. But Saku and Shibata are back and face Goto and Inoue, both of whom have very strong ties to Shibata, in a special tag match. Remember this is an international PPV available for all to see and can be ordered at this page for US$25. Looks like it will be great value for money with some of the matches on offer.

NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/10/13 (WPW/PPV/iPPV)
Hiroshima Sun Plaza

1. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Tama Tonga, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado
2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) vs. Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov
3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
4. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
5. Special Singles Match: Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi
6. Special Tag Match: Hirooki Goto & Wataru Inoue vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata
7. Special Singles Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kengo Mashimo
8. Special Singles Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
9. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Karl Anderson

-

Cards for the two show “NEW JAPAN ROAD” mini-tour were also announced.

NJPW, 2/11/13 (Samurai! TV)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2

1. BUSHI & Sho Tanaka vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov, Jado & Gedo
3. Hirooki Goto & Wataru Inoue vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Tama Tonga & Captain New Japan vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., TAKA Michinoku & Hiro Tonai
5. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi
6. Special Tag Match: Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki & Kengo Mashimo
7. Special Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Karl Anderson & Prince Devitt

NJPW, 2/12/13
Takaoka Techno Dome

1. Wataru Inoue vs. Yohei Komatsu
2. Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Jado
3. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & BUSHI vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA & Hiromu Takahashi
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuji Nagata & Takaaki Watanabe
5. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku
6. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki & Hiro Tonai
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi

–> “ROAD TO THE NEW BEGINNING” <--

NJPW, 2/3/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,015 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & BUSHI beat Tama Tonga, Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe (8:44) when BUSHI used a Firebird splash on Watanabe.
2. Hirooki Goto, Wataru Inoue, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley beat YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Jado (13:23) when Goto used the Shouten Kai on YOSHI-HASHI.
3. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. beat Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan (11:23) when Smith used the Killer bomb on Captain.
4. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi (12:45) when Iizuka was DQ’d.
5. Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & Hiro Tonai beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Gedo (16:55) when Suzuki used a Gotch-style piledriver on Gedo.
6. Special Tag Match: Karl Anderson & Prince Devitt beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi (15:43) when Devitt used the Bloody Sunday on Tanahashi.
7. NEVER Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) beat Tomohiro Ishii (23:27) with the Sliding D (2nd defense).

* Masato Tanaka overcomes Tomohiro Ishii in a brutally stiff battle of CHAOS fighters to retain the NEVER Openweight Title in the main event of a sold out Korakuen Hall show.

* In an incredible outcome to the semi final, the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion pinned the IWGP Heavyweight Champion! Yes, Prince Devitt teaming with Tanahashi’s next challenger Karl Anderson pinned Tanahashi himself, who was teaming with Devitt’s regular tag partner Taguchi. A huge upet.

* Yujiro again dropped Makabe on his head after the fourth match as their new rivalry continues to gain steam.

–> “ROAD TO THE NEW BEGINNING” <--

NJPW, 2/2/13
Gifu Industrial Hall
2,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu went to a draw (10:00) when the time limit expired.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe (8:49) when Tiger used an avalanche-style double-arm suplex on Takahashi.
3. Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Jado beat KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & BUSHI (13:57) when Romero used the Contract Killer on BUSHI.
4. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan (11:30) when Archer used the Killer bomb on Captain.
5. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Wataru Inoue beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (12:49) when Makabe used a King Kong kneedrop on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii beat Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & Hiro Tonai (13:57) when Ishii used a lariat on Tonai.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Karl Anderson, Prince Devitt & Tama Tonga (14:25) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Tonga.

* Yujiro declared war on Makabe after the fifth match, laying him out and taunting him with a microphone. A new feud it looks like.