NJPW “NEW JAPAN ROAD”, 3/25/13
Nagoya International Conference Hall
1,700 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu went to a draw (10:00) when the time limit expired.
2. Akitoshi Saito beat Takaaki Watanabe (8:27) with the Sickle of Death.
3. Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, KUSHIDA & Hiromu Takahashi (10:49) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Takahashi.
4. Yuji Nagata & Captain New Japan beat Takashi Iizuka & YOSHI-HASHI (11:03) when YOSHI-HASHI was DQ’d.
5. Toru Yano & Jado beat Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku (9:11) when Yano used the Uragasumi on TAKA.
6. Shinsuke Nakamura, Yujiro Takahashi & Tomohiro Ishii beat Togi Makabe, Hirooki Goto & Tama Tonga (13:32) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on Tonga.
7. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & BUSHI (14:02) when Okada used the Rainmaker on BUSHI.

* There was a special appearance by local boy Akitoshi Saito on this show as he defeated young lion Takaaki Watanabe. Saito was a New Japan regular in the 1990s as part of Heisei Ishingun but has been a NOAH mainstay since the turn of the century. Nowadays he is a freelancer but still based more in NOAH.

Seven titles will be defended across two shows as New Japan presents “INVASION ATTACK” on 4/7 at Sumo Hall and “ROAD TO INVASION ATTACK” two days earlier at Korakuen Hall. At Korakuen, the Killer Elite Squad will make their V4 defense of the IWGP Tag Team Title against Nakamura & Ishii after accepting a challenge from the CHAOS team yesterday. Prince Devitt makes his V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against Alex Shelley and like the tag match this also leads into another title match two days later. Another match of note at Korakuen is GHC Tag Team Champions, Yano & Iizuka, facing the all-star Suzuki & Takayama duo (non-title).

On to Sumo Hall and there will be a triple main event featuring three title matches! Of course the biggest of them all sees Hiroshi Tanahashi make his V8 defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Title against New Japan Cup winner Kazuchika Okada. Tanahashi’s previous reign lasted from 1/4/11 to 2/12/12 before Okada took the belt off him. But Tanahashi then won it back on 6/16/12 and has held it since, and looks to continue his domination of Japan’s most prestigious title in April. Nakamura makes his V7 defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Title against Davey Boy Smith Jr. in a direct sequel to the IWGP Tag Team Title match two days earlier, and of course he beat Smith’s tag partner Lance Archer in his previous defense. The NWA invasion begins with Rob Conway defending the historic NWA World Heavyweight Title against Satoshi Kojima, Kojima’s most high profile match for a while.

Nagata once again locks horns with Sakuraba but not in the singles match he requested, instead another tag as he and Goto face Saku & Shibata. In a rematch from the New Japan Cup second round, Minoru Suzuki looks to avenge his defeat to Toru Yano, while Tomoaki Honma makes his formal return by teaming with Makabe against Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi. The CMLL World Tag Team Title will be on the line as New Japan’s Tama Tonga and his partner El Terrible defend the belts against La Mascara & Valiente. Akebono and Bob Sapp return for the first time since 1/4 in another New Japan vs. CHAOS eight man tag, and the show opens with TIME SPLITTERS’ V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title against 4-time champions Apollo 55. This show should be on iPPV like most other important New Japan events these days, but nothing announced just yet.

NJPW “ROAD TO INVASION ATTACK”, 4/5/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Road to INVASION ATTACK I: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. KUSHIDA
2. Road to INVASION ATTACK II: Yuji Nagata & Hirooki Goto vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan
3. Road to INVASION ATTACK III: Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yujiro Takahashi, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado
4. Road to INVASION ATTACK IV: Minoru Suzuki & Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka
5. Road to INVASION ATTACK V: Hiroshi Tanahashi & BUSHI vs. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo
6. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) vs. Alex Shelley
7. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii

NJPW “INVASION ATTACK”, 4/7/13 (WPW)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) vs. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi
2. Special 8 Man Tag Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, Super Strong Machine & Akebono vs. Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Bob Sapp
3. CMLL World Tag Team Title: El Terrible & Tama Tonga (c) vs. La Mascara & Valiente
4. Special Tag Match: Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi
5. Special Singles Match: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Hirooki Goto vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata
7. Triple Main Event I – NWA World Heavyweight Title: Ron Conway (c) vs. Satoshi Kojima
8. Triple Main Event II – IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
9. Triple Main Event III – IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada

–> NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 (3/11/13 to 3/23/13) <--

NJPW, 3/23/13 (WPW/iPPV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,015 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Yuji Nagata, Super Strong Machine & BUSHI (10:07) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on BUSHI.
2. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (11:13) when Kojima used a lariat on YOSHI-HASHI.
3. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Hirooki Goto beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. (8:14) with the Goto Shiki.
4. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada beat Toru Yano (10:42) with the Red Ink.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku (14:04) when Ishii used a brainbuster on TAKA.
6. Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Captain New Japan, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (13:22) when Devitt used the Bloody Sunday on Captain.
7. New Japan Cup – Final: Kazuchika Okada beat Hirooki Goto (23:52) with the Rainmaker.

* The incredible Kazuchika Okada has done it! In little more than 14 months after returning from his overseas excursion he has now won the IWGP Heavyweight Title, G1 Climax, and New Japan Cup! Okada today completed the hat-trick by winning the 2013 New Japan Cup, first defeating CHAOS comrade Yano in the semi final while Goto beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. Then the two native big guns collided in the final with Okada overcoming Goto (the winner in 3 of the last 4 NJC tournaments before today) using his Rainmaker! And so destiny draws Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada back together and they faced off after the match with their fourth big match since Okada’s return now set for 4/7 at Sumo Hall. Tanahashi is 2-1 going into it having beaten Okada in the Tokyo Dome main event… will Okada continue to make history and defeat the man who took the title from him last June?

* IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title co-holder Alex Shelley challenged Prince Devitt to a match for his IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title on 4/7 at Sumo Hall after the semi final.

* Tomoaki Honma returned to New Japan after the second match to save former GBH pal Togi Makabe from a CHAOS beatdown. Honma was fired by New Japan for some allegedly dodgy reasons looks to have been allowed back.

* Nakamura & Ishii challenged the Killer Elite Squad for a match for the IWGP Tag Team Title with Archer & Smith accepting but at the same time Davey Boy Jr. challenged Shinsuke for a match for his IWGP Intercontinental Title! Ishii’s improved results on this tour look to have been rewarded if he’s given a shot at the tag belts.

* It was announced that the NWA will send an “assassin” to the 4/7 Sumo Hall (video) and he is NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Rob Conway, who wrestled in the WWE for 7 years and held the WWE Tag Team Title three times with Sylvain Grenier as La Résistance. Kojima has requested a title match and looks to be the the first line of defense against the NWA “invasion”.

* Yuji Nagata has requested a singles match with Kazushi Sakuraba on 4/7 after they collided in a tag match on 3/17 in Amagasaki. These two were youngsters during the legendary New Japan vs. UWFi feud and first met around 18 years ago.

* So after all those challenges “INVASION ATTACK” on 4/7 is shaping up very nicely with a possible card of Tanahashi vs. Okada (IWGP Heavyweight), Nagata vs. Sakuraba, Conway vs. Kojima (NWA World Heavyweight) Nakamura & Ishii vs. KES (IWGP Tag) OR Nakamura vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. (IWGP IC), and Devitt vs. Shelley (IWGP Jr.).

–> NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 (3/11/13 to 3/23/13) <--

NJPW, 3/22/13
Kumagaya Citizen Gymnasium
1,100 Fans

1. Takaaki Watanabe beat Sho Tanaka (7:38) with a crab hold.
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Tiger Mask beat Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Hiromu Takahashi (10:03) when Shelley used the Automatic Midnight on Takahashi.
3. Hirooki Goto & BUSHI beat YOSHI-HASHI & Jado (9:43) when Goto used the Goto Shiki on Jado.
4. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Karl Anderson beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan (14:25) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Captain.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku (14:56) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on TAKA.
6. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Tama Tonga (16:17) when Yano used the Akakiri on Tonga.

–> NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 (3/11/13 to 3/23/13) <--

NJPW, 3/20/13
Sendai Industrial Exhibition Hall Aztec Museum
1,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu went to a draw (10:00) when the time limit expired.
2. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi (12:05) when Devitt used the Bloody Sunday on Takahashi.
3. Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga beat YOSHI-HASHI & Jado (11:33) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Jado.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan beat Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Takaaki Watanabe (12:50) when Kojima used a lariat on Watanabe.
5. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo (14:43) when Smith used a jumping powerbomb on Gedo.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi (13:50) when Goto used the Shouten Kai on Iizuka.

-

Here is the full card for New Japan’s NJC finale at Korakuen which will be available on iPPV for $25 (link). Very little of the way of big matches except the tournament semis and final.

NJPW, 3/23/13 (WPW/iPPV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuji Nagata, Super Strong Machine & BUSHI vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask
2. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
3. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Hirooki Goto vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
4. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano
5. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Captain New Japan, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi
7. New Japan Cup – Final:

–> NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 (3/11/13 to 3/23/13) <--

NJPW, 3/19/13
Shirakawa City Central Gymnasium
1,300 Fans

1. Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu went to a draw (10:00) when the time limit expired.
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe (11:25) when Shelley used the Automatic Midnight on Takahashi.
3. Hirooki Goto & BUSHI beat YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo (10:15) when Goto used the Shouten Kai on Gedo.
4. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Tama Tonga beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan (14:48) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Captain.
5. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado (12:13) when Smith used a Sharpshooter on Jado.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Karl Anderson beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi (15:19) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Iizuka.

–> NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 (3/11/13 to 3/23/13) <--

NJPW, 3/17/13 (Samurai! TV)
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium
5,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Captain New Japan & BUSHI (8:22) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on BUSHI.
2. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Takashi Iizuka, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo (11:58) when Kojima used a lariat on Gedo.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura & Jado beat Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku (9:34) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on TAKA.
4. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Davey Boy Smith Jr. beat Yujiro Takahashi (11:43) with a jumping powerbomb.
5. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Hirooki Goto beat Tomohiro Ishii (18:46) with the Shouten Kai.
6. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata beat Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi (11:13) when Sakuraba used a triangle choke hold on Nakanishi.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley beat Tama Tonga, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (12:18) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Tonga.
8. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Toru Yano beat Minoru Suzuki (10:14) with the Akakiri.
9. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Kazuchika Okada beat Karl Anderson (15:27) with the Rainmaker.

* Kazuchika Okada won the 2012 G1 Climax final rematch today against Karl Anderson to move one step closer of completing a hat-trick of IWGP Heavyweight Title, G1 Climax, and New Japan Cup since his return to Japan 14 1/2 months ago. The Rainmaker sunk the Machine Gun before a sold out crowd of 5,500 to set up a semi final against CHAOS comrade Toru Yano who pulled off a big win over Minoru Suzuki to continue a great month for him that also saw him pin Takashi Sugiura to win the GHC Tag Team Title for he and Iizuka.

* Hirooki Goto has a big chance of making it 4 New Japan Cup tournament wins in 5 years after beating Tomohiro Ishii in a close match. Ishii had beaten Kojima in round one, which itself was a major overachievement, and he came close to doing it again today but Goto had just too much and dropped him with the Shouten Kai. Goto will meet Davey Boy Smith Jr., who defeated Nakamura in round one and added another CHAOS scalp to his collection today with a win over Yujiro.

* Laughter7 met tough opposition in their latest return to New Japan, facing former IWGP Tag Team Champions and third generation veterans Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi. This wasn’t as overwhelming a win as some of their tag matches have been but they were victorious when Sakuraba choked out Nakanishi with a triangle choke. Saku and Nagata slapped hands out of respect after the match with a future rematch suggested.

-

NJPW, 3/23/13 (WPW/iPPV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Hirooki Goto vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
2. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano
3. New Japan Cup – Final:

Laughter7 face tough competition in their next assault on New Japan when third generation veterans Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi face them in Amagasaki this Sunday. Full card and match order for the show has been announced…

NJPW, 3/17/13 (Samurai! TV)
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Captain New Japan & BUSHI
2. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Takashi Iizuka, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo
3. Shinsuke Nakamura & Jado vs. Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku
4. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
5. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
6. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Tama Tonga, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi
8. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki
9. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada

–> NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 (3/11/13 to 3/23/13) <--

NJPW, 3/11/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,950 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Tomohiro Ishii beat Satoshi Kojima (13:37) with a brainbuster.
2. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hirooki Goto beat Tama Tonga (9:37) with the Shouten Kai.
3. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Toru Yano beat Manabu Nakanishi (6:18) by pinfall.
4. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Karl Anderson beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan (8:42) with the Gun Stun.
5. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley beat Captain New Japan, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (12:09) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Captain.
6. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Yujiro Takahashi beat Togi Makabe (10:45) with a Bukko Nuki German suplex hold.
7. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Minoru Suzuki beat Yuji Nagata (10:24) with a Gotch-style piledriver.
8. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Kazuchika Okada beat Lance Archer (10:14) with the Red Ink.
9. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Davey Boy Smith Jr. beat Shinsuke Nakamura (13:06) with a jumping powerbomb.

* Upsets galore on day one of the 2013 New Japan Cup mean that the second round will be missing several of the company’s biggest names. Davey Boy Smith Jr. got some revenge for his tag partner Lance Archer’s recent IWGP Intercontinental Title match loss to Shinsuke Nakamura by pulling off a huge win in the main event. This could also lead to Smith challenging for Shinsuke’s title in the near future.

* Kazuchika Okada is looking at add the New Japan Cup to the IWGP Heavyweight Title and G1 Climax that he has won since his return just over a year ago. Okada defeated Archer in another CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun match with his new finisher, the Red Ink, which he claims he has abandoned the Rainmaker for.

* The eternal rivalry between Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki continued two months after Nagata pinned the Suzuki Gun leader at the Tokyo Dome. As has been the case throughout their rivalry they continued to trade wins today as Suzuki pinned Nagata following a Gotch-style piledriver to advance.

* Yujiro Takahashi avenged his loss to Togi Makabe from “THE NEW BEGINNING” in February by beating him today as their grudge continues. A very big win for Yujiro who has taken big steps in recent months and gave Tanahashi a tough fight in his first ever IWGP Heavyweight Title shot back in November.

* Last year’s NJC semi finalist and last year’s G1 Climax runner-up Karl Anderson advanced by beating Tenzan while one day after winning the GHC Tag Team Title with Iizuka, Yano pinned Nakanishi to ensure qualification. Hirooki Goto, looking for his 4th NJC tournament win in 5 years, defeated Tama Tonga to the surprise of no one. But the opening match saw the biggest shock of them all as perennial midcarder Tomohiro Ishii stunned Korakuen Hall by beating Satoshi Kojima with a brainbuster! Deemed not high profile enough for the G1, Ishii has been a regular entrant in the NJC but the only time in five previous attempts he won his round one match was in 2009 when he beat Wataru Inoue by countout during their feud that year.

-

A rematch of the 2012 G1 Climax final is the pick of the bunch in round two next Sunday as Anderson and Okada lock horns again. CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun continues in two of the four matches with Yano vs. Suzuki and Yujiro vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr., while you would expect Goto to defeat Ishii but after Ishii’s win today you can’t be too sure…

NJPW, 3/17/13 (Samurai! TV)
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium

1. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
2. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
3. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki
4. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada

–> ANNIVERSARY SERIES (3/4/13 to 3/10/13) <--

NJPW, 3/10/13
Act City Hamamatsu
2,650 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 (8:00) when Tiger used an avalanche-style double-arm suplex on Takahashi.
3. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Super Strong Machine beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan (12:24) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Captain.
4. Togi Makabe, Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga beat Yujiro Takahashi, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado (11:19) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on YOSHI-HASHI.
5. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo (13:01) when Archer used the Blackout on Gedo.
6. Hirooki Goto, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (15:15) when Goto used the Shouten Kai on KUSHIDA.

-

CHAOS duo Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka became the third New Japan team to capture NOAH’s GHC Tag Team Title today at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium. The dastardly duo ended the reign of NOAH all-star team Takashi Sugiura & Naomichi Marufuji when Yano pinned Sugiura to ensure the former IWGP Tag Team Champions became the 28th GHC Tag Team Champions. This becomes the second major title of Iizuka’s long career after three IWGP Tag Team Title reigns.

NOAH, 3/10/13
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
3,000 Fans – No Vacancy

- GHC Tag Team Title: Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka beat Takashi Sugiura & Naomichi Marufuji (c) (20:43) when Yano used the Kagamiwari on Sugiura to become the 28th champions.

–> ANNIVERSARY SERIES (3/4/13 to 3/10/13) <--

NJPW, 3/9/13
Tokorozawa Citizen Gymnasium
1,000 Fans

1. Takaaki Watanabe beat Yohei Komatsu (7:40) with a crab hold.
2. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask beat KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Hiromu Takahashi (10:45) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Takahashi.
3. Togi Makabe & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo (7:31) when Gedo was DQ’d.
4. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Tama Tonga beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan (10:44) when Tonga used the Headshrinker on Captain.
5. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado (11:34) when Smith used a Sharpshooter on Jado.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Karl Anderson beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & YOSHI-HASHI (15:56) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on YOSHI-HASHI.

Since the title of April’s Sumo Hall show, “INVASION ATTACK”, was revealed many have been wondering if the title could mean some sort of invasion was happening. And it looks to be, but not by any Japanese promotion but rather the NWA. NWA president Bruce Tharpe issued an advanced warning earlier that he would bring someone along with him on April 7th to begin an attack on New Japan…

Masked man BUSHI has been ruled out of action for a while with a spinal injury and is off upcoming shows.

–> ANNIVERSARY SERIES (3/4/13 to 3/10/13) <--

NJPW, 3/5/13
Nagano Sports Park Gymnasium
1,350 Fans

1. Takaaki Watanabe beat Sho Tanaka (7:56) with a crab hold.
2. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Hiromu Takahashi (10:21) when KUSHIDA used the Midnight Express on Takahashi.
3. Togi Makabe & Tiger Mask beat Yujiro Takahashi & Jado (9:38) when Jado was DQ’d.
4. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Hirooki Goto beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan (14:04) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Captain.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku (12:05) when Okada used the Rainmaker on TAKA.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & YOSHI-HASHI (14:11) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on YOSHI-HASHI.

–> ANNIVERSARY SERIES (3/4/13 to 3/10/13) <--

NJPW, 3/4/13
Tsubame Citizen Gymnasium
1,650 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu went to a draw (10:00) when the time limit expired.
2. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi (10:40) when Devitt used the Bloody Sunday on Takahashi.
3. Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga beat YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo (10:39) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Gedo.
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan beat Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Takaaki Watanabe (13:46) when Tenzan used a diving headbutt on Watanabe.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku (13:47) when Okada used the Rainmaker on TAKA.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi (15:46) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Iizuka.

-

New Japan announced participants and round one matches for the 2013 New Japan Cup, the 9th edition of the “G1 of Spring”. There are no major surprises in the tournament and the top round one matches continue the ongoing CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun feud with Nakamura vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Okada vs. Lance Archer as the two main matches. Right underneath is the rivalry that never dies as Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki happens again, two months after Nagata pinned Suzuki at the Tokyo Dome. “Laughter7″ Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata will appear on the 3/17 Amagasaki show in a tag match. The 3/20 Sendai show is a complete sell out in advance. The winner of the tournament of course will get a shot at Tanahashi’s IWGP Heavyweight Title, most likely on the big 4/7 Sumo Hall show titled “INVASION ATTACK”.

NJPW, 3/11/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomohiro Ishii
2. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga
3. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano
4. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Karl Anderson
5. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Captain New Japan, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi
6. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi
7. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
8. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
9. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

NJPW, 3/17/13 (Samurai! TV)
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium

1. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Winner of Makabe/Yujiro vs. Winner of Nakamura/Smith Jr.
2. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Winner of Kojima/Ishii vs. Winner of Goto/Tonga
3. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Winner of Tenzan/Anderson vs. Winner of Okada/Archer
4. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Winner of Nagata/Suzuki vs. Winner of Nakanishi/Yano

NJPW, 3/19/13
Shirakawa City Central Gymnasium

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

NJPW, 3/20/13
Sendai Industrial Exhibition Hall Aztec Museum

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

NJPW, 3/22/13
Kumagaya Citizen Gymnasium

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

NJPW, 3/23/13 (WPW)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

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

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

1. Anniversary Opening Match: Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe beat Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu (8:43) when Takahashi used a crab hold on Komatsu.
2. Hirooki Goto, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue, Super Strong Machine & Captain New Japan (9:23) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Captain.
3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask (11:22) when Shelley used the Shelley clutch on Tiger (2nd defense).
4. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (12:27) when YOSHI-HASHI was DQ’d.
5. Elimination Match: Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku beat Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Jado & Gedo (19:50) when Suzuki threw Okada over the top rope.
6. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) beat Lance Archer (15:01) with the Boma Ye (6th defense).
7. Anniversary Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Prince Devitt (17:23) with the High Fly Flow.

* New Japan ran it’s 41st anniversary show before a packed house at Korakuen Hall today with a good show headlined by a Champion vs. Champion match. IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi, faced IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Prince Devitt, in an exciting match between the undisputed leaders of New Japan’s two weight divisions. Tanahashi’s title wasn’t on the line and in the end it didn’t matter for him as he defeated Devitt with the High Fly Flow after 17 1/2 minutes. An irate Devitt left without a handshake after the match having failed in his big opportunity to beat New Japan’s leader.

* Shinsuke Nakamura made a successful V6 defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Title against one half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions, Lance Archer. Nakamura pinned Archer following his Boma Ye to make it three defenses already this year for Shinsuke against three wrestlers of completely different styles (Sakuraba, La Sombra, Archer) as he continues to give New Japan’s secondary title its own unique identity.

* CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun also continued with an Elimination Match in which Suzuki himself ended it by throwing opposite team leader Okada over the top rope. New Japan allows over the top rope eliminations in these matches which often means the bigger names don’t get pinned or submitted.

* “TIME SPLITTERS” KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley made a successful V2 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title and what a big win it was as they defeated the masked junior legend team of Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask. After Shelley finished off Tiger, the masked duo asked for a rematch but backstage Taguchi also asked for a title match on behalf of Apollo 55 (he and Devitt).

A few of catch-up notes as I’ve been busy in recent weeks:

* Koji Kanemoto has confirmed that he is no longer a New Japan wrestler, a move that seemed long overdue as he’s had nothing to do with New Japan for a while now but continued to sign annual contracts perhaps out of old loyalty to the company he started and spent all of his career at before venturing out into other promotions (mostly All Japan). I’ve never really found out what has happened that made Kanemoto have problems with New Japan as seems to have been the case.

* Young lion Hiromu Takahashi is heading to the UK on a long-term learning excursion after this year’s Best of the Super Jr., as he looks to build a style and identity for himself like so many before him.

* MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Low Ki have all left New Japan after stints with the company. MVP joined with much hype but was never really able to ascend to main event level and peaked by becoming the founding IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Low Ki was a key member of the junior division in the three way feud between he, Devitt, and Ibushi and I’m disappointed to see him go especially as the junior division isn’t exactly packed with big names.

* Having been bought out by Speed Partners, All Japan is now looking to lift itself again and the new owner of the company Nobuo Shiraishi has decided to provoke industry leader New Japan to get attention. Shiraishi said only Nagata and Nakamura are good wrestlers in New Japan which has upset a number of New Japan wrestlers who have lashed out at him on Twitter. Shiraishi seems to like MMA and may order All Japan wrestlers to fight in it, to which Bushiroad’s Kidani replied that he is 10 years out of date with his thoughts and that things have changed. Shiraishi also “threatened” to buy New Japan and Kidani was insulted by the blatant disrespect, saying this means war between New Japan and All Japan.