Hiroshi Tanahashi will make his V7 defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Title against 2011 G1 Climax winner Shinsuke Nakamura at Kobe World Hall on 9/19. This battle of eternal rivals promises to be one of the biggest between them yet as Nakamura looks to end Tanahashi’s nine month reign as champion. Also announced was Kota Ibushi’s V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against KUSHIDA. Kojima picked up a right eye injury in yesterday’s match with Tenzan and is a doubt for the tour.

Also announced today was another excursion to CMLL in Mexico for the living legend Jushin Thunder Liger. He will leave after the 9/11 Korakuen show and his return date is undecided, suggesting he could be there for a while. Koji Kanemoto, a part-timer in New Japan these days despite being under contract, will also be missing as he competes in All Japan’s Jr. Heavyweight League from 9/11 to 9/25.

NJPW “KANTARO HOSHINO MEMORIAL SHOW”, 9/19/11 (WPW/PPV)
Kobe World Hall

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. KUSHIDA
1. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

CMLL held a press conference yesterday to discuss many things, including its healthy relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The following news was revealed:

* Taichi will be returning to CMLL for a second expedition, this one said to be long-term. He will arrive on October 4th and return to Arena Mexico on the 8th.
* The legend is back! After tournaments, titles, and much success in CMLL for several months, Jushin Thunder Liger finally returns home to New Japan. Liger’s return match will be on 10/11 at “DESTRUCTION ‘10″, New Japan’s next Sumo Hall event.
* No mention of young lion Nobuo Yoshihashi, who has been away with Liger all this time in Mexico. Will he stay there longer or return home?
* El Terrible & El Texano Jr., who feuded with NO LIMIT in Mexico and challenged the duo for the IWGP Tag Team Title on February’s Sumo Hall show, will return to New Japan for the 2010 G1 Tag League that begins on October 22nd!
* La Sombra was very popular in this year’s Best of the Super Jr. tournament and will return to New Japan, bringing young Mascara Dorada with him to compete in the 5-show SUPER J TAG LEAGUE from November 9th to 13th.
* Finally, CMLL confirmed that it will send talent for “WRESTLE KINGDOM V IN TOKYO DOME” on January 4th, 2011!

Jushin Thunder Liger has been absent from New Japan for quite a while now along with young lion Nobuo Yoshihashi, the two over in Mexico with CMLL. Liger has been on a rampage and a few days ago won the “G1 of Mexico”, the CMLL Universal Championship (Campeonato Universal). Liger beat La Sombra over three falls in the final, acquiring the help of OKUMURA (Shigeo Okumura) to wrap up the win.

Liger received a title belt for his win but it isn’t the sort that is defended, more like a trophy, unlike the CMLL World Middleweight Championship, which Liger has held since May.

The junior legend will remain in CMLL for a while yet as he is part of a cage match on CMLL’s 9/3 anniversary show, also featuring the likes of Mistico, Ultimo Guerrero, Volador, Atlantis, and others.

Jushin Thunder Liger will be the eighth opponent in Atsushi Aoki’s “Flash” trial series on NOAH soil on June 22nd. The two are in opposite blocks in the Best of the Super Jr. tournament so this will be a first time meeting.

NOAH, 6/22/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- Atsushi Aoki vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

Hiroyoshi Tenzan is about to return with a bang, firstly in the TenKoji reunion and today announced a showdown with the legendary Kenta Kobashi! Tenzan is one of several New Japan wrestlers who will appear on Pro Wrestling NOAH’s May 6th Tokyo Nippon Budokan show. He will take promising young lion Kazuchika Okada with him and the two will face Kobashi and NOAH youngster Atsushi Ito. Once they were nicknamed “The Unbeatables”, Jushin Thunder Liger & Koji Kanemoto being the team that entered NOAH to bring home the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title in 2003. They re-board the Ark on the same show as they face Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Genba Hirayanagi in response to provocation from the team aimed at the New Japan legends. By the way, this show is on the same day as the second half of NJ’s Korakuen double header, the first half of which sees Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada vs. Takashi Sugiura & Atsushi Aoki in another NJ vs. NOAH bout.

NOAH “GLOBAL TAG LEAGUE ‘09″, 5/6/09
Tokyo Nippon Budokan

- Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Genba Hirayanagi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Koji Kanemoto
- Kenta Kobashi & Atsushi Ito vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Kazuchika Okada

Both IWGP Tag titles were successfully defended at TNA’s “LOCKDOWN” PPV on the 19th. Team 3D went to war with Beer Money Inc. in an IWGP Tag vs. TNA Tag double title match and the world famous tandem came out on top, Brother Ray pinning Robert Roode after a 3D through the table. Meanwhile, NO LIMIT again failed to recapture the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title, this time in a 3WAY cage match as champions, the Motor City Machine Guns, defeated both them and Homicide and the 285lbs (yeah…) Shawn Hernandez. Both matches were officially sanctioned IWGP defenses unlike various others held in America in the past. The task remains for teams from New Japan to beat Team 3D and the MCMG.

TNA “LOCKDOWN”, 4/19/09 (PPV)
Philadelphia Liacouras Center

- 3WAY Tornado Six Sides of Steel Cage Match - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley (c) beat Homicide & Shawn Hernandez and Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (11:53) when Sabin pinned Naito after the Made in Detroit (3rd defense).
- Philadelphia Street Fight - IWGP Tag Team Title & TNA World Tag Team Title: “Team 3D” Brother Ray & Brother Devon (c) beat James Storm & Robert Roode (c) (13:57) when Ray pinned Roode after a 3D through a table (2nd defense) to become the 11th TNA World Tag Team Champions.

Daisuke Sekimoto continues to have trouble against New Japan opposition and today fell to junior legend Jushin Thunder Liger in a follow-up from Liger & AKIRA’s failed BJW Tag Team Title shot last month.

BJW, 1/22/09
Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

- Special Singles Match: Jushin Thunder Liger beat Daisuke Sekimoto (16:48) with a Samson clutch.

Following up on Liger & AKIRA’s failure to win the BJW Tag Team Title last month, Jushin Thunder Liger will re-advance on Big Japan to face their young powerhouse, Daisuke Sekimoto. Sekimoto, a regular on PREMIUM shows, has plenty of experience against big leaguers, including a mini-feud with Nakanishi once, while on the other hand Liger has lots of experience fighting heavyweights such as Sekimoto.

BJW, 1/22/09
Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

- Special Singles Match: Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Jushin Thunder Liger