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

Koji Kanemoto and Tiger Mask’s four month reign of the GHC Jr. Tag Team Title finally ended today at NOAH’s second Christmas show. Where KENTA and Atsushi Aoki had previously failed, Naomichi Marufuji and Aoki succeeded, Aoki pinning the man who defeated him in the 2009 Best of the Super Jr. semi finals, Kanemoto, to reclaim the tag belts for NOAH.

NOAH “NOAHFUL GIFT IN DIFFER 2010″, 12/24/10
Tokyo Differ Ariake
1,400 Fans

- GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Aoki beat Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask (c) (23:18) when Aoki used the Assault Point on Kanemoto to become the 13th champions.

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.

Koji Kanemoto headlined Sumo Hall today for, I believe, the first time in his career as part of DRAGON GATE’s first advance on the hallowed building. Kanemoto, after repeated wins in DG, challenged Open The Dream Gate Champion, Naruki Doi, in the main event. This was a super-physical match to the extent that Doi was barely conscious for part of the match. He survived Kanemoto’s famous ankle hell attacks and won in close to half an hour with the Muscular Bomb.

DRAGON GATE “THE GATE OF ANNIVERSARY”, 3/22/09
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
11,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

- Open The Dream Gate Title: Naruki Doi (c) beat Koji Kanemoto (27:41) with the Muscular Bomb (2nd defense).

After beating BxB Hulk in the same building last time he appeared in DRAGON GATE, Kanemoto again appeared today to build up his upcoming Sumo Hall main event against Naruki Doi. The two were opposite each other in trios action, with Kanemoto getting the upper hand leading in.

DRAGON GATE “GLORIOUS GATE”, 3/5/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,150 Fans - Super No Vacancy

- Koji Kanemoto , Masaaki Mochizuki & Don Fujii beat Naruki Doi, BxB Hulk & Naoki Tanisaki (16:03) when Mochizuki used a kakato otoshi on Tanisaki.

–> “CIRCUIT 2009 NEW JAPAN ISM” <--
The build up to Sumo Hall is now over with a packed house in Toyohashi today ending the run of shows leading in on what has been a tour of "roaring business" according to the latest NJ article at Kami Pro, with excellent (real) ticket sales and big profits. Along with Makabe pinning Choshu in a six man tag, old favourite El Samurai also made a special appearance today, his first on the main New Japan brand since leaving the company for what was then Muga World. He teamed with fellow veteran AKIRA against the gaijin force of Bernard & Anderson, Samurai falling to Anderson's Gun Stun. The Wataru Inoue vs. Tomohiro Ishii feud that has raged on throughout the tour has led to Wataru demanding an early conclusion. As such, New Japan is considering having them face each other in the opening round of this year's New Japan Cup next month.

NJPW, 2/12/09
Toyohashi City Gymnasium #2
1,300 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Jado & Gedo beat Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (13:35) when Gedo used the Gedo clutch on Naito.
2. Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari (13:42) when Tiger used a Tiger suplex hold on Ishikari.
3. Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii beat Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (14:41) when Iizuka used a sleeper hold on Hirasawa.
4. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson beat El Samurai & AKIRA (11:33) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Samurai.
5. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma beat Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi (10:01) when Makabe used a lariat on Choshu.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Nobuo Yoshihashi beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada (17:15) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on Okada.

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BxB Hulk was still unable to cut down Koji Kanemoto at Korakuen Hall early today as Aniki denied the DRAGON GATE star the revenge he sought from the 2007 Best of the Super Jr. tournament. Kanemoto submitted Hulk with his ankle hold and provoked DRAGON GATE after the match. This led to the arrival of Open The Dream Gate Champion, Naruki Doi, who demanded a match with Kanemoto at the biggest show in DG history, set for March 22nd at Sumo Hall. Although nothing was decided about that, a trios match was set up for DG’s 3/5 Korakuen Hall show with Kanemoto teaming with Masaaki Mochizuki and Don Fujii against Doi, Hulk, and Naoki Tanisaki. Will it lead to Doi risking DRAGON GATE’s top prize against Aniki? Well, probably.

DRAGON GATE, 2/12/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- Koji Kanemoto beat BxB Hulk (12:37) with an ankle hold.

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Speaking of Kanemoto, he has been moved into the dark match on 2/15, ironically at the same building he could headline at in March. Hirasawa has been at war with Honma during the tour and appealed for the chance to fight GBH. Thus, Kanemoto and the young lion switch places on the card.

NJPW, 2/15/09 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Special Tag Match: Koji Kanemoto & Nobuo Yoshihashi vs. OKUMURA & Kazuchika Okada
1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title #1 Contender 4WAY Tag: Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt vs. Jado & Gedo vs. Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari
2. Riki Choshu, Manabu Nakanishi, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii, Karl Anderson & Tomoaki Honma
3. Special Tag Match - NJPW vs. TNA Augmented Reality: Masahiro Chono & AKIRA vs. James Storm & Robert Roode
4. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
5. Special Singles Match - Burn the Debt: Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto
6. CMLL World Welterweight Title - Lucha Libre Globalization: Mistico (c) vs. Mephisto
7. Special Singles Match - Wrestle-incident DIE OR BREED: Giant Bernard vs. Kurt Angle
8. IWGP Tag Team Title - Hardcore Rules: “Team 3D” Brother Ray & Brother Devon (c) vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano
9. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Koji Kanemoto will look to inflict some punishment on BxB Hulk when the two collide at DRAGON GATE’s 2/12 Korakuen Hall show. Hulk insulted Kanemoto today after Koji’s special appearance in DRAGON GATE, setting up a singles match between the two next month. BxB competed in the 2007 Best of the Super Jr. and was beaten easily by Kanemoto, but Aniki said today that this is a different BxB who will be a much tougher opponent.

DRAGON GATE, 1/23/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- Masaaki Mochizuki & Koji Kanemoto beat BxB Hulk & Naoki Tanisaki (11:19) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Tanisaki.

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DRAGON GATE, 2/12/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- BxB Hulk vs. Koji Kanemoto

Koji Kanemoto and Hikaru announced today that they were married on the 13th and both couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces. The latest pro wrestling couple announced on New Year’s Day when Kanemoto worked a ZERO1 show that they were engaged, and now that they are married Hikaru plans to retire from wrestling, her last match planned for April 26th.

When asked about kids, Aniki said he wants a girl first, and perhaps sent a warning to future suitors that if his daughter were to go on a date, it’d be a three person date, as he’d be there too.

Miruhon recently published an article that Kanemoto had been fired by New Japan over a disturbance, but today were forced into an apology after Kanemoto signed a new contract. When asked about it at the interview, he brushed it off with a smile, more important things on his mind.

New Japan wrestlers stepped back into the ZERO1 (which it officially became today) ring today to start 2009, the big results seeing the famous New Japan junior heel threesome of Otani, Kanemoto, and Takaiwa reunite to defeat the Complete Players when Otani pinned Gedo. After the match, 42-year-old Kanemoto surprisingly announced his marriage to 27-year-old joshi puroresu star Hikaru to big cheers. Kanemoto’s sworn friend Wataru Inoue brought out flowers to congratulate the two.

ZERO1 “GENESIS 2009″, 1/1/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- One Day Bond: Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita beat Minoru & Munenori Sawa (21:23) when Fujita used the Sasuke Sedgeway on Sawa.
- New Year Big Fight: Manabu Nakanishi beat Kohei Sato (14:56) with the Dai*Nakanishi German.
- New Year Special Match: Shinjiro Otani, Koji Kanemoto & Tatsuhito Takaiwa beat Masato Tanaka, Jado & Gedo (20:34) when Otani used a Spiral bomb on Gedo.

The Junior*Stars reunited today for Masaaki Mochizuki’s 15th anniversary special show and were victorious over very tough opposition, Mochi and Kanemoto’s old friend Shinjiro Otani. Kanemoto submitted the host of the show with an ankle hold for the win. Mochi called for all three outsiders in the main event to take part on his 1/23 show back at Korakuen, proposing he and Minoru reform the B’s, Kanemoto face a young wrestler from DRAGON GATE, and Otani battle Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa.

Buyuden “MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI 15TH ANNIVERSARY”, 12/27/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- Koji Kanemoto & Minoru beat Masaaki Mochizuki & Shinjiro Otani (22:48) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Mochizuki.