NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 7 ~EVOLUTION~ IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/13 (WPW/PPV/iPPV)
Tokyo Dome
29,000 Fans

0-1. Wataru Inoue, Tama Tonga & Captain New Japan beat Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado (5:58) when Tonga used the Headshrinker on Jado.
0-2. Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA & BUSHI beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Hiromu Takahashi (7:12) when BUSHI used a Firebird splash on Takahashi.
1. Special 8 Man Tag Match: Manabu Nakanishi, MVP, Strong Man & Akebono beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & Bob Sapp (7:53) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Iizuka.
2. NEVER Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) beat Shelton Benjamin (6:41) with the Sliding D (1st defense).
3. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) beat Hirooki Goto & Karl Anderson (10:52) when Smith used the Killer bomb on Goto (2nd defense).
4. Special Singles Match: Yuji Nagata beat Minoru Suzuki (17:03) with a backdrop hold.
5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title – 3WAY Match: Prince Devitt (c) beat Low Ki & Kota Ibushi (14:45) with an avalanche-style Bloody Sunday on Ibushi (1st defense).
6. Special Tag Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Keiji Muto & Shinjiro Otani (15:36) when Tenzan used a moonsault press on Otani.
7. Special Singles Match: Togi Makabe beat Katsuyori Shibata (8:37) with a King Kong kneedrop.
8. Double Main Event I – IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) beat Kazushi Sakuraba (11:12) with the Boma Ye (4th defense).
9. Double Main Event II – IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) beat Kazuchika Okada (33:34) with the High Fly Flow (6th defense).

The “Wrestlemania of Japan”, New Japan’s annual January 4th Tokyo Dome super-show, lived up to its hype and then some more. For the first time ever a 1/4 show aired live for all of us outside of Japan on New Japan’s USTREAM channel and while the price was up from the other iPPVs at $35, it was full value for money. The PPV was about 4 1/2 hours long not including the dark matches.

Bushiroad owned New Japan really turned up the spectacle for this show with several pop culture tie-ins including musical acts and special entrances that I will go into a little more detail about below. If this was a glimpse of the New Japan to come, mixing a reasonable but not excessive amount of entertainment with the great wrestling and characters we’re used to, then I have no complaints.

New Japan claimed 29,000 paid for this show with an emphasis on “paid” which seemed to be a new standard of announcing an attendance, whether for just this show or not remains to be seen. Without doubt this looked to be the best Tokyo Dome attendance in years even though the listed attendance gave an almost opposite impression. I would guess under normal standards they would have claimed 50,000 if not more for this show. Next year 1/4 falls on a Saturday so if New Japan has another strong year it’s possible the company could edge closer to selling out the Dome again. UPDATE: President Sugabayashi confirmed the new practice of listing paid fans only, no more “sponsor announcements” (whether for just the Tokyo Dome or in general I don’t know). He also confirmed what I suspected that there were more fans than last year when the announced attendance was 43,000.

I missed the dark matches if they were screened at all but the show opened with an eight man tag. 9 years ago Bob Sapp vs. Akebono was watched by about 40% of Japan and was one of the biggest fights in history as Akebono the sumo legend was going up against Sapp the pop culture icon who had been a sensation that year not just as a K-1 fighter but as a celebrity in general. “Sapp Time” couldn’t be avoided, it was everywhere you looked. But many years later their star has faded, Sapp little more than a novelty act and Akebono a respectable pro wrestler who has kept his career going. They were added on to what looked a generic New Japan vs. CHAOS match to give it a little more of a “Tokyo Dome” feel. The match was lighthearted and entertaining enough for an opener. Sapp did hardly anything except take offense, he was a far cry from the invincible beast who held the IWGP Heavyweight Title many years ago and almost a self-parody. Nakanishi racked Iizuka with his Argentine backbreaker for the win.

The only major disappointment of the show was Masato Tanaka vs. Shelton Benjamin for the recently established NEVER Openweight Title. With the IWGP Intercontinental Title having an unexpected rise in status that would be accelerated further on this show, the NEVER title from New Japan’s sub-brand could be seen as a replacement for that. But what promised to be something of an ECW throwback was a basic sprint with no real excitement. A couple of nice moments but it was short and didn’t really feel like a title match. Tanaka won with his Sliding D to successfully defend the new title for the first time.

Thing started to pick up when the Killer Elite Squad defended their IWGP Tag Team Title against Goto & Anderson in a rematch of the 2012 World Tag League final. The Killer Elite Squad, comprised of Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr., appeared out of nowhere as a team late last year and won the belts off the famous Tenzan & Kojima duo before beating them again to really establish themselves. Today was their first post-TenKoji challenge against two more prolific singles wrestlers. Archer entered on a motorbike and along with his partner wore a cool mask to the ring. Goto & Anderson had a gimmicked entrance of their own as Anderson shot what looked to be t-shirts or something out of several bazookas along the Tokyo Dome rampway. The match turned out to be a good display of traditional tag wrestling with the KES coming out on top after two Killer bombs on Goto. So the Killer Elite Squad seem to have replaced Bad Intentions as the dominant foreign tag team of New Japan.

Yuji Nagata and Minoru Suzuki had their third New Japan Tokyo Dome match. It could be seen as overkill but some rivalries in pro wrestling never get old. We saw TAJIRI vs. Super Crazy what felt like 100 times on ECW TV and PPVs back in the day and never got bored of them. These two wrestle as such a high level that you’re always guaranteed something good and this was very, very good. Once again we were treated to spectacle as Ayumi Nakamura performed Suzuki’s famous “Kaze ni Nare” entrance music live on stage. The match will be remembered mostly for some entertaining slapfest where they just delivered slap after slap, Nagata occasionally interupting them to throw some stiff kicks. They were 1-1 on Dome shows before this and I’d hazard a guess that this was the decider as it probably won’t happen again at the Dome. And it was Nagata who picked up the win with his backdrop hold and continued to be relevant long after the younger generation have taken over leadership in New Japan.

New Japan has rarely ever done a good 3WAY match in my memory. The Chono vs. Fujita vs. Lesnar one from the Dome in 2005 stands out as particularly bad. So I was a little worried that today’s IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title 3WAY match between three of the world’s most exciting juniors Prince Devitt, Low Ki, and Kota Ibushi would disappoint. My worries were unfounded as they put on one of the smoothest, slickest, and high quality junior matches I’ve seen in a long time. It was under 15 minutes long but wrestled at a great pace with many exciting moments including a couple of great dives, Ibushi’s the pick of them. Low Ki entered dressed as Agent 47 from Hitman and carrying two pistols… a cool look but jaws dropped when people realized he was going to wrestle in this suit which he did without any problems somehow. Towards the end you just couldn’t guess who was winning but Devitt hit a Bloody Sunday off the top rope on Ibushi to successfully defend his title for the first time. The junior title has lacked stability since Devitt’s previous reign having gone from him to Ki to Ibushi and back to Devitt within 6 months but I get the feeling this Devitt reign may last a while again.

New Japan’s most famous tag team of the last 15 years, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima, squared off against the legendary Keiji Muto & Shinjiro Otani in a special tag match. All four are New Japan dojo trained wrestlers with Tenzan, Kojima, and Otani from the same era, but only Tenzan and Kojima belong to New Japan now so it was a reunion. Initially designed to showcase the son of the late, great Shinya Hashimoto, Daichi, it had to be altered when Daichi broke his arm and Otani stepped in. In a match full of nostalgia and goosebump-inducing moments, Otani entered to Hashimoto’s old theme, now used by his son Daichi who seconded him. Then Muto entered to one of his famous New Japan themes and the crowd was really excited and emotional. TenKoji then entered to their remixed theme and the match began. It wasn’t one of the better matches on the show but the quality of the event was so high that it was still good with Otani showing he still has much to offer. Years pass but like Liger, Keiji Muto somehow keeps going strong despite his knees having been shot since the 90s. Despite the individual brilliance of Muto & Otani, the teamwork of Tenzan & Kojima was the difference maker as Otani succumbed to Kojima’s lariat followed by Tenzan’s moonsault. Daichi Hashimoto was irate after the match and got into a little scuffle with the winning team but it was brief and didn’t lead to anything. Hashimoto’s New Japan debut will have to wait but will definitely happen when he is healthy again.

Laughter7′s invasion of New Japan has been a great highlight of recent months. Laughter7 is comprised of Kazushi Sakuraba the pro wrestler who became a legend in MMA with his “Gracie Hunter” persona and his protégé Katsuyori Shibata, a New Japan trueborn who walked out on the company years ago just as they were pushing him to superstardom with Tanahashi and Nakamura. He embarked on a thoroughly mediocre MMA career and was largely forgotten by pro wrestling fans before his sudden return last year. The two had dominated every match for months leading to this show with Shibata the man in focus but today would be Sakuraba’s turn in the main spotlight as Shibata was placed just outside of the main event against one of New Japan’s “enforcers” Togi Makabe. This was a fight from the start and entertaining but not quite as intense as I expected. They traded offense in a good brawl but the finish was quite surprising as Makabe beat Shibata in rather dominating fashion with his King Kong kneedrop. I had expected Shibata to beat Makabe and Nakamura to beat Sakuraba to set up the big Nakamura vs. Shibata reunion match, but was wrong. My feeling that may or may not be right was that this was belated punishment for Shibata’s betrayal of a company that put so much faith in him. I really hope he sticks around as there is so much he could offer, feuds with Tanahashi, Nakamura, and Goto – all of whom he has history with – haven’t even been explored yet.

The first of the “double main event” saw Shinsuke Nakamura defend the IWGP Intercontinental Title against Kazushi Sakuraba. Nakamura is such a character who oozes charisma, style, and likeability. Even as the co-leader of New Japan’s top heel group he is just impossible to hate. After their recent awkwardness in a tag match together, there was a legitimate fear this could be a disaster though. Sakuraba has very little recent pro wrestling experience and Shibata had been doing much of the work in tags. What a surprise then this was. In the USTREAM chat people were going nuts over this match and for good reason, it is one I will remember for years and already a frontrunner for my 2013 match of the year. There was a tense and special atmosphere as they faced off just like the old New Japan vs. shoot-style outsider matches during the New Japan vs. UWF, New Japan vs. UWFi, and New Japan vs. UFO feuds. In the 2000s we had the shoot-style outsiders but it was ugly and awkward most of the time with the exception of some good matches (mostly featuring Kazuyuki Fujita), this was the opposite of that and was “shoot-style pro wrestling” rather than “a messy clusterf*ck of pro wrestling and MMA”. I was disappointed when they shook hands at the start because I thought it could lead to a boring “polite” match. After a feeling out process, Nakamura slapped Sakuraba in the face and BOOM we had lift-off. It turned into a pro wrestling masterclass with Sakuraba finally stepping out of Shibata’s shadow in this New Japan stint and coming across as a lethal, dangerous fighter who Nakamura struggled to compete with. The match had one of the most brutal knees to the face I’ve ever seen which replays showed caught Nakamura full force. I could feel my heart racing as I watched this, willing Nakamura to win but sensing it was Sakuraba’s for several reasons – Shibata having already lost, Nakamura missing the Boma Ye, and how dangerous Saku’s arm submissions came across as. The drama was immense. Nakamura escaped the chickenwing armlock but a while later was back in it, which convinced me it was game over. But somehow he escaped it and also survived a cross armbreaker and won with his Boma Ye to an enormous Tokyo Dome pop. They shook hands and hugged afterwards, showing great respect to each other. I felt this match elevated Nakamura even more than he already has been. There are almost no “New Japan vs. outsider” matches that could do this anymore but this did, while at the same time his IWGP Intercontinental Title also moved much further away from the midcard belt it originally seemed to be. An absolutely amazing match, a throwback to old times and a style Bushiroad boss Kidani seems to love and will hopefully ask to see more of in New Japan. 30 minute classics are great as we’d find out right after this but the true feel of Strong Style is in matches like Nakamura vs. Sakuraba.

New Japan went back a year to show Okada’s abysmal return from TNA Wrestling on the 1/4/12 show where he and YOSHI-HASHI (in a dark match today that highlighted their contrasting fortunes) had a real dud of a match. Okada later challenged Tanahashi to a title match and was largely laughed at or booed as no one took him seriously. What would follow would stun the Japanese wrestling scene as within a year Okada became one of the industry’s biggest stars and won the Tokyo Sports MVP award. His title reign so soon after returning could have bombed hard but he turned himself into a star with the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Since losing the title back to Tanahashi in June the build to the big rematch has been great with the two clocking up important wins as the time drew near for their clash of destiny. J-Pop band BREAKERZ performed live on the stage just before the main event as New Japan continued to crank up the spectacle value and implement pop culture into the product, which is one way of trying to get pro wrestling back into the mainstream consciousness. The band would accompany Tanahashi to the ring shortly after but Okada’s entrance was the best of the lot as he slowly descended on an elevator looking like the perfect bad boy, a new Tokyo Dome remix of his theme playing. As he hit the ring money rained down on the crowd, signalling the arrival of the new superstar, the “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada. The match began slowly as you could tell it was going to be long but was never anything less than great. With a double main event you expect both matches to offer something different and these were complete opposites. This was modern pro wrestling at its best and a match worthy of its hype. The last 15 or so minutes were out of this world and the Tokyo Dome crowd was red hot as you just couldn’t guess who was winning. Okada kicked out of the first High Fly Flow and survived Tana’s Texas Cloverleaf hold despite his hand flapping and coming so close to tapping out. Okada fought back but could never hit the Rainmaker, not even once, and always seemed one step behind Tanahashi to me. Tanahashi eventually won with a perfectly executed High Fly Flow and proved yet again he is the king of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The match was almost 35 minutes long but was not boring at all. I was really disappointed Okada didn’t win, I was expecting it to catapult him to new levels, but you just can’t deny what a great champion Tanahashi is. Time and time again he delivers in these matches and wins over the crowd. And while I wanted Okada to win, I do think Tanahashi was the better performer on the day and showed his greatness. He is about 11 years older than Okada and this match established that he still has the edge but unless the rumours of Okada going to WWE are true (which I hope they are not, New Japan will cultivate his potential far better than WWE possibly could), he will be the star of New Japan in years to come.

The big surprise after the main event is that no new challenger showed his face and Tanahashi did his routine air guitar performance to send everyone home happy. No titles changed hands on the entire show and it felt much like closure for 2012. Perhaps “THE NEW BEGINNING”, New Japan’s next big show in February, is where new things may happen. Despite the lack of shake-ups this was a January 4th show for the ages and certainly one of the best I have ever seen. New Japan had a fantastic 2012 and 2013 has started even better as this year’s 1/4 show was much better than its equivalent last year. The event is available on VOD (video on demand) until 1/11 5pm JST if you want to watch it on New Japan’s USTREAM channel.

NJPW “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ WRESTLE KINGDOM VI IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/12 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Dome
43,000 Fans

0. Captain New Japan & Tama Tonga beat Tomoaki Honma & Kyosuke Mikami (8:47) when Tonga used the Headshrinker on Mikami.
1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Davey Richards & Rocky Romero (c) (12:44) when Taguchi used a front cradle on Richards to become the 30th champions.
2. AERIAL KINGDOM feat. CMLL SUPER ESTRELLAS: Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA & Mascara Dorada beat Atlantis, Valiente, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (10:18) when Liger used a brainbuster on Valiente.
3. NEW JAPAN RESPIRATION – Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI Return Match: Kazuchika Okada beat YOSHI-HASHI (Nobuo Yoshihashi) (4:37) with the Rainmaker.
4. BLUE JUSTICE NEVER DIE: Masakatsu Funaki & Masayuki Kono beat Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue (6:34) when Funaki used a left kick on Inoue.
5. TOKYO MONSTER WAR: MVP & Shelton Benjamin beat Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi (9:41) when MVP used the Irreversible Crisis on Takahashi.
6. IWGP Tag Team Title: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (c) (12:40) when Tenzan used a moonsault press on Bernard to become the 58th champions.
7. NJPW vs. NOAH BATTLE CONCENTRATION I: Hirooki Goto beat Takashi Sugiura (12:35) with the Shouten Kai.
8. FIGHTING WITHOUT HONOR OR HUMANITY: Togi Makabe beat Yoshihiro Takayama (9:15) with a King Kong kneedrop.
9. NJPW vs. NOAH BATTLE CONCENTRATION II: Go Shiozaki & Naomichi Marufuji beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano (15:10) when Shiozaki used the Go Flasher on Yano.
10. GENIUS FACES GENIUS: Keiji Muto beat Tetsuya Naito (22:35) with a moonsault press.
11. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) beat Minoru Suzuki (25:59) with the High Fly Flow (11th defense).

* New Japan’s biggest announced Tokyo Dome attendance since 2006 (also 43,000) witnessed a spectacular show as the leader of the Japanese professional wrestling industry began its 40th anniversary year in style with the biggest event of the Japanese calendar. This was also the tenth 1/4 Tokyo Dome show that I’ve covered since launching this site in 2001 (but I did cover others on the old RSPW newsgroup before then!).

* Hiroshi Tanahashi, the iconic figure of the modern era in Japan, smashed Yuji Nagata’s IWGP Heavyweight Title defense record and became the most successful IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all time with the joint-most reigns and of course this defense record. Minoru Suzuki presented a difficult challenge in a 26 minute main event that could have gone either way before Tana landed his High Fly Flow to ensure a year to the day after winning back the belt, he begins 2012 with a firm grip on it. Tanahashi now has 11 successful defenses but there are still wrestlers lining up to face him. And one of them, Kazuchika Okada, stormed into the ring after the match and challenged Tanahashi to a title shot next (more below on Okada).

* Professional wrestling’s ultimate genius Keiji Muto returned home to New Japan to take on one of the emerging young stars of the company Tetsuya Naito. Naito has won comparisons to Muto with his excellent athletic ability and charisma and for a wrestler such as this (and Tanahashi in the past) facing the Wrestling Master has become something of a tradition. Naito starred in this Tokyo Dome semi main event opposite Muto (who entered to his memorable old New Japan theme TRIUMPH) in a 22 1/2 minute battle that saw him ultimately succumb to a moonsault press but only after a great battle and as any long-term New Japan fan knows a competitive loss to Muto (or the late, great Hashimoto) is as good as a win for a young wrestler. Naito refused to shake hands with Muto after the match but 2012 promises to be a big year for him.

* New Japan and NOAH locked horns once more on January 4th with two matches, including a tag match that saw a big confrontation between Nakamura (teaming with Yano) and Shiozaki (teaming with Marufuji). These two have history and with Shiozaki now the GHC Heavyweight Champion many eyes were on this bout. In the end Shiozaki pinned Yano but there were sparks between Nakamura and Marufuji after the match but Nakamura dismissed him backstage saying he hoped Marufuji enjoyed fighting him today as he won’t entertain the thought of fighting this mere junior again in singles or tag matches.

* Togi Makabe took on his former tag partner and now bitter rival Yoshihiro Takayama in a fierce match to settle their grudge. The two wasted very little time, getting straight to the heavy strikes and slams. Makabe won a complete victory over the once dominant force of Japanese pro wrestling to show just how far he has come in recent years, pinning Takayama following a King Kong kneedrop.

* The other New Japan vs. NOAH match saw another old rivalry renewed as the most successful GHC Heavyweight Champion in NOAH history Takashi Sugiura went to war with New Japan’s Hirooki Goto (who made a Kabuki style entrance in costume). Goto had another up-and-down 2011, still lacking the consistency needed to stay at the very top so this was very important as in the past he couldn’t beat Sugiura so had to change that at the Tokyo Dome in order to progress. And that he did, overcoming the powerful Sugiura with his Shouten Kai for the huge win and possibly just what he needs to make 2012 a great year. No doubt his ultimate target is the elusive IWGP Heavyweight Title but Goto suggested backstage that his main priority now are CHAOS’ Masato Tanaka and Yujiro Takahashi, and specifically Tanaka’s IWGP Intercontinental Title as of course Tanaka recently beat Goto in a defense.

* The most successful IWGP Tag Team Title holders of all time finally relinquished their grip on the belts today but it took a very special tag team to end a reign that began in 2010 and ended in 2012 for Bad Intentions. New Japan’s beloved TenKoji – Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima – back together, began their latest adventure with an emotional win over Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson. It took a lot to keep Bernard down but a moonsault from Tenzan finally did and TenKoji began their third reign as champions and first since their memorable run in 2000/2001. The two gave a great microphone performance after the match and in 2012 one of the most popular tag teams in Japanese history are back! Of course Bad Intentions still hold NOAH’s GHC Tag Team Title but have a difficult defense coming up against Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito – history has shown double champions often lose both titles in quick succession, can they avoid that?

* MVP attempted to reverse the bad fortune put on him by CHAOS by bringing Shelton Benjamin to New Japan today as the two battled Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi. Tanaka has had MVP’s number lately, often thanks to outside interference, and after winning the IWGP Intercontinental Title from the former WWE superstar in October, again beat him in a defense last month. But with the help of Shelton today, MVP got one back on Tanaka and made Yujiro tap out to the Irreversible Crisis.

* Masakatsu Funaki made a long overdue return to the place it all started for this fighting icon, New Japan, teaming with former NEW JAPAN FACTORY (New Japan’s MMA branch) member Masayuki Kono against Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue. Fans enjoyed seeing Nagata vs. Funaki but after Funaki downed Wataru in 6 1/2 minutes, there was a definite feeling that a great rivalry between Nagata and Funaki had begun with the hope that they will meet again.

* Two of New Japan’s brightest young stars returned at once as Kazuchika Okada’s long stay in the USA and Nobuo Yoshihashi aka YOSHI-HASHI’s long stay in Mexico came to an end. Both made impressive entrances with elaborate new looks and YOSHI-HASHI made a sneak attack on Okada before the bell to try and seize the chance to beat the much larger man. But after some back and forth Okada won a complete victory over CHAOS’ newest member with his Rainmaker finisher, looking strong and dominant, which led to his challenge issued to Tanahashi later in the show.

* Jushin Thunder Liger made a triumphant return home to New Japan after a very long stay in Mexico’s CMLL and brought with him a colorful cast of CMLL stars in preparation for the upcoming “NJPW PRESENTS CMLL FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″ double header at Korakuen Hall. Liger led Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA & Mascara Dorada to victory over Atlantis, Valiente, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi in this entertaining match, the living legend dropping Valiente with a brainbuster for the win.

* The main show kicked off with an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title match as Davey Richards & Rocky Romero made their V2 defense of the belts against previous champions Devitt & Taguchi (in crazy costume, see the top left picture in the collage above!). A lively opener ended when Taguchi cradled Richards, meaning the belts are once again in the hands of Apollo 55 who now begin their fourth reign having largely dominated this title since 2009 now. Devitt, the ultimate ace of New Japan’s junior division, is again a double champion as he also holds the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. The only problem for New Japan is finding challengers for Devitt & Taguchi as they have beaten just about everyone in their last few reigns.

41,500 fans flocked to the Tokyo Dome today to see “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV”, an exciting show with many memorable moments. “Strong Style” was the theme as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura, met the returning Yoshihiro Takayama in a rematch from the same show six years before. As expected, this was quite physical and a very tight match, with Nakamura proving his strength again to begin the New Year and pinning Takayama after his Boma Ye, a more decisive victory than in 2004. Takayama is supposedly on the next tour poster and while I haven’t seen it, if so it would confirm continuing participation by the big man. To the surprise of some, it was Manabu Nakanishi who confronted Nakamura after the match and declared his candidacy to be Nakamura’s fifth challenger.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH did battle in an exciting four match series that, to the surprise of few, ended in a stalemate. Takashi Sugiura again defeated Hirooki Goto in their closest match yet over the GHC Heavyweight Title. Sublimely close, fans at one point were convinced that Sugiura would tap out but he didn’t, persisting and winning with his ankle hold. The biggest match of the 4 vs. 4 was right underneath, as the ace of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi, battled the ace of NOAH, Go Shiozaki, in a blockbuster match that is earning early “Best Bout” candidacy in Japan. This was an action-packed match with Shiozaki coming close to victory, but Tanahashi’s experience giving him the edge as the MVP marched to a win with his High Fly Flow.

Naomichi Marufuji followed up on his SUPER J-CUP victory by facing the “end game” boss, Tiger Mask, in a dream match over the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. This was said to be an excellent match with many spectacular moves and moments. Marufuji had to unleash his Tiger Frosion finisher to become the champion, achieving a junior title grand slam, and becoming the top junior in Japan. It will be a difficult task for New Japan’s juniors to bring home the title but the chase begins now. The series began with a short sprint as Togi Makabe made short work of GHC Tag Team Champion, Mohammed Yone. Yone jumped Makabe on the ramp, setting the pace in a short but eventful match. Makabe won overwhelmingly in the end with his top rope King Kong kneedrop and will look to get another over Yone when he and Honma enter the Global Tag League shortly, in the same block as Rikio & Yone, NOAH’s tag kings.

Legends assembled in one of the most entertaining matches of the night, as Terry Funk, Choshu, Chono, and Nakanishi beat Abdullah The Butcher, Yano, Iizuka & Ishii. The turning point came when Abby turned against Iizuka, leading to Nakanishi racking the CHAOS man for the submission win. TAJIRI vs. Aogi-gun picked up steam as he and Masato Tanaka defeated the dream tandem of Nagata & Akebono. Some tricks led to TAJIRI pinning Nagata after his Buzzsaw kick, raising the possibility of a singles match in the near future.

NO LIMIT, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito, left Japan about a year ago as young lions in hunt of junior belts. Today, they returned with the big boys, in the form of the world famous Team 3D and G1 Tag League ‘09 winners, Bernard & Anderson. Team 3D fought Bad Intentions to a non-finish late last year setting up this natural rematch but in an attempt to convince NO LIMIT to return home, President Sugabayashi slotted them into this three way hardcore match. And what a return, as the two had people in shock, having bulked up to heavyweights and having completely changed their image. Comparisons to the legendary TenKoji were raised as NO LIMIT outsmarted both American tandems to capture the IWGP Tag Team Title, Yujiro pinning Anderson after the Limitless Evolution. In addition to the young stars that now lead New Japan, a potential “franchise” tag team emerged today.

Apollo 55 made a successful V4 defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title against CMLL assassins, Ultimo Guerrero & Averno, in an exciting match. Taguchi sealed the win, pinning Averno after his and Devitt’s Black Hole Vacation. They nominated Jado & Gedo as their next challengers, wanting to finally exceed the “wrestling masters” and win the delayed decision match to see who New Japan’s top junior team is.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/10 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Dome
41,500 Fans

1. New Japan Pro-Wrestling 2010 Beginning: Super Strong Machine, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuchika Okada (4:59) when Inoue used the Triangle Lancer on Okada.
2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title ~Amistad combativa~: Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt (c) beat Ultimo Guerrero & Averno (9:07) when Taguchi pinned Averno after the Black Hole Vacation (4th defense).
3. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match ~Victim and Greed~: Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito beat “Team 3D” Brother Ray & Brother Devon (c) and Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (13:28) when Yujiro pinned Anderson after the Limitless Emotion to become the 55th champions.
4. Wrestle Kingdom Special Tag Match ~Blood Stream Blue~: TAJIRI & Masato Tanaka beat Yuji Nagata & Akebono (9:37) when TAJIRI used a Buzzsaw kick on Nagata.
5. Wrestle Kingdom Special 8 Man Tag Match ~The legend never rots~: Terry Funk, Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi beat Abdullah The Butcher, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii (8:52) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Iizuka.
6. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Wilderness~: Togi Makabe beat Mohammed Yone (5:39) with a top rope King Kong kneedrop.
7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title ~Highest sky~: Naomichi Marufuji beat Tiger Mask (c) (14:14) with the Tiger Frosion to become the 59th champion.
8. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Radiance~: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Go Shiozaki (19:04) with the High Fly Flow.
9. GHC Heavyweight Title - NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Blast~: Takashi Sugiura (c) beat Hirooki Goto (20:54) with an ankle hold (1st defense).
10. IWGP Heavyweight Title - The newest, The strongest: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) beat Yoshihiro Takayama (15:51) with the Boma Ye (4th defense).

New Japan Pro-Wrestling begans 2009 with the task of pushing a struggling industry forward, and with stars from all over said industry as well as the American industry, put on an acclaimed Tokyo Dome show today that drew the biggest crowd to the building for some time. Superstars from across the globe united for “WRESTLE KINGDOM III IN TOKYO DOME” and put on a show full of colour, variety, and interest. A story many years in the making culminated with the clash of IWGP Heavyweight Champion and teacher, Keiji Muto, battling his talented disciple Hiroshi Tanahashi in his V5 defense of the title. Muto dethroned Tanahashi’s great rival Nakamura for the belt last April and reigned supreme until today when the student finally surpassed the teacher. Half an hour of pure professional wrestling excited the fans, and at times it seemed almost certain Tanahashi was beaten, but he came back and hit two High Fly Flows for the win and title. Tanahashi took the microphone and told the fans he loves them and New Japan. When asked who he wants to be his first challenger, he shouted “Shinsuke!”, saying they have to decide who is the ace of New Japan, as he doesn’t think there is room for two. Nakamura defeated Tanahashi this time last year, then again in March, so Tanahashi clearly wants to undo that with two successive victories of his own. Nakamura confronted Tanahashi backstage and said he’d fight him any time. Muto said backstage that he has passed Tanahashi his sash after doing his best for over half a year to raise the worth of the title, and suggested he will withdraw now and leave New Japan wrestlers to move their company forward.

Shinsuke Nakamura and his cohort Hirooki Goto stood firm and defended the lion mark against NOAH boss Mitsuharu Misawa and his “bodyguard” Takashi Sugiura in a hot match that showed the thrilling nature of interpromotional conflict. This featured many heated moments, including a stage where all four were laid out on the mat after a series of finishers: Goto’s Shouten on Sugiura, Misawa’s Emerald Frosion on Goto, then Nakamura’s Landslide on Misawa. It finished with the two men who lit up the Tokyo Dome most in this match, Nakamura and Sugiura, Nakamura taking Sugiura down with a flying cross armbreaker for the tap out win. Backstage, Nakamura said they had won, plain and simple, and if any NOAH wrestlers have a problem with that, to come and complain - don’t hide. Goto called it a “perfect victory” and said he is looking forward to hearing the excuses of NOAH wrestlers. Misawa said backstage that he hopes New Japan and NOAH can continue working together in both rings this year.

“The World’s Strongest Tag Team” Team 3D, Brother Ray and Brother Devon, grasped the IWGP Tag Team Title out of MVP’s hands today, with Makabe & Yano for the second year running losing a hardcore match to the famous American team. The turning point came when Makabe hit Yano with a chain lariat by accident, leaving him prone to Team 3D, and the Dudley Death Drop finished off Makabe and meant that Team 3D add yet another title to their huge cabinet. The tragic tale of perennial underachiever Manabu Nakanishi continued in the other New Japan vs. NOAH match on the show, when he fell to GHC Heavyweight Title #1 contender, Jun Akiyama, in an entertaining sprint. Nakanishi kicked out of two Exploders at a one count, but then succumbed to the more deadly wrist-clutch variation. Akiyama made it clear that he has no intention of stepping away from New Japan opposition and put his name forward as a candidate for more matches if things are to continue.

ZERO1 ace Masato Tanaka came to the Tokyo Dome with the intention of killing two birds with one stone: avenge his October loss to Yuji Nagata and win back the World Heavyweight Title in the process. He did neither, as again Mr. Saikyo proved too strong in a shorter, but equally exciting fight today. Nagata landed a backdrop, face punch, another backdrop, then a backdrop hold to put away Tanaka for the second time running. Shinjiro Otani, who Nagata did beat in a singles match not too long ago, looked bitterly at Nagata post-match, suggesting that it could be he who challenges next. Nagata said backstage that it would cheapen ZERO1’s title for Otani to face him again so suddenly, and suggested an “out of season” Fire Festival to determine a worthy rival.

Legends of two continents united against GBH, as Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono, Kurt Angle, and Kevin Nash entered one by one to their theme tunes, presenting a great spectacle to fans. Chono stopped and shook hands with Angle, then Nash joined them and they followed Choshu to the ring. As expected, this was a short and fast paced match that quickly showed the characteristics of each wrestler. Angle scored the win with his ankle lock on Anderson, but right after was laid out by Bernard’s Bernard Driver. Angle said backstage that he wants to half-murder Bernard, and a singles match between the two could be on the cards in New Japan or TNA. Three months ago at Kobe World Hall, a very short IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title reign for Tiger Mask ended when he was surprisingly beaten by Low Ki. He swore revenge immediately after and achieved it today with a decisive victory over the GBH junior. Tiger won what was a very straightforward match with a modified Tiger suplex hold to regain the title for Jr. Sekigun. Tiger said he had come up with this new version of his finisher at the dojo.

The other junior tag title spilled into TNA too, as the Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin, ended the dream IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title reign of NO LIMIT. This was an exciting action-packed match that ended when the Americans used their Made in Detroit finisher on Naito to lift the belts. Shelley said backstage that if anyone wants to win the title back, they are going to have to travel to America and do it in TNA. He suggested Jado & Gedo or Minoru & Devitt fly over, but said it’d be a waste of ticket cost, as they won’t win in the “Impact Zone”. Jushin Thunder Liger is no longer a teen! The legend today had his 20th anniversary match by teaming with old rival Takuma “Naoki” Sano against Wataru Inoue & Koji Kanemoto. They pretty much sprinted out of the blocks and went back and forth until Liger busted out his old avalanche-style brainbuster on Kanemoto for the win. All four men raised each others’ arms after the match and Liger suggested taking his team with Sano to the NOAH ring shortly. He is also interested in challenging new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Tiger Mask, and trying to win the belt he hasn’t held since 2000.

Today’s show opened in style with the Japanese landing of Mexican superstar Mistico at the Tokyo Dome, as he teamed up with New Japan youngsters Taguchi and Devitt against the rudo trio of Averno, Jado & Gedo. Mistico wow’d fans with his dazzling moves and used his spectacular La Mística on countryman Averno for the tap out win. Mistico seemed to say backstage that he will be coming back to New Japan in February and wants the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM III IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/09 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Dome
40,000 Fans

0. Milano Collection AT, Minoru & Taichi Ishikari beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa, Kazuchika Okada & Nobuo Yoshihashi (6:24) when Milano used a super scrap kick on Yoshihashi.
1. Wrestle Kingdom Grand Opening VIENTO DORADO: Mistico, Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt beat Averno, Jado & Gedo (9:50) when Mistico used the La Mística on Averno.
2. Jushin Thunder Liger 20th Anniversary Match: Jushin Thunder Liger & Takuma Sano beat Wataru Inoue & Koji Kanemoto (8:47) when Liger used an avalanche-style brainbuster on Kanemoto.
3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title ~Tread on!!~: Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin beat Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (c) (13:21) when Sabin pinned Naito after the Made in Detroit to become the 22nd champions.
4. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title ~Ballistic interception~: Tiger Mask beat Low Ki (c) (8:48) with a modified Tiger suplex hold to become the 56th champion.
5. Fighting Holdings Competition: Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono, Kurt Angle & Kevin Nash beat Giant Bernard, Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii & Karl Anderson (7:09) when Angle used an ankle lock on Anderson.
6. World Heavyweight Title ~Crusade for Justice~: Yuji Nagata (c) beat Masato Tanaka (11:41) with a backdrop hold (3rd defense).
7. New Japan vs. NOAH Battle Tendencies ~the invasion~: Jun Akiyama beat Manabu Nakanishi (10:27) with a wrist-clutch Exploder.
8. IWGP Tag Team Title - Hardcore Rules: “Team 3D” Brother Ray & Brother Devon beat Togi Makabe & Toru Yano (c) (15:34) when Ray pinned Makabe after the 3D to become the 52nd champions.
9. New Japan vs. NOAH Battle Tendencies ~the encounter~: Shinsuke Nakamura & Hirooki Goto beat Mitsuharu Misawa & Takashi Sugiura (15:17) when Nakamura used a flying cross armbreaker on Sugiura.
10. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Keiji Muto (c) (30:22) with the High Fly Flow to become the 50th champion.

A gorgeous cast of foreigners will advance on the highest stage of Japanese pro wrestling on January 4th when New Japan hits the Tokyo Dome for “WRESTLE KINGDOM III IN TOKYO DOME”. From TNA Wrestling we will see the return of former IWGP 3rd Belt holder Kurt Angle, nWo co-founder Kevin Nash, the world famous Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon), and the Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin). From CMLL we will be treated to the first appearance of Mexico’s young icon, “Child of God” Mistico, in his first Japanese appearance.

President Sugabayashi held a press conference in which he held the mask of Mistico up to the media and spoke of these big events. It was Mistico he chose to focus the press conference on, as the luchadore has a lot of hype in Japan and is called a national hero of Mexico. Sugabayashi said he is held in such high esteem in Mexico that he acted as a local reporter in the recent Beijing Olympics. Sugabayashi said nothing but a big match would be suitable for the young revolution fighter.

All of TNA Wrestling’s representatives have experience in Japan. Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash are both members of TNA’s own version of Legend called the Main Event Mafia, and unsurprisingly it looks like they are ready to conspire with Legend in some way, Sugabayashi suggesting that the likes of Chono may be involved with them. Angle defeated Yuji Nagata in a match being considered for Tokyo Sports’ 2008 Best Bout award, before losing the big IWGP unification match to Nakamura in February. He then returned for a couple of tag matches in the G1, pinning Tanahashi in one of them. Nash appeared at the huge Osaka Dome show in 1997 when the nWo was at its peak, but hasn’t been seen in New Japan since, and his return will come over a decade later.

A fax arrived from Team 3D requesting a match at the Tokyo Dome, with particular interest in the IWGP Tag Team Title. On this year’s show they defeated last year’s Japanese Tag MVPs and current IWGP Tag Team Champions, Makabe & Yano, so have already perhaps earned a rematch. Sugabayashi isn’t sure though, because Makabe & Yano still have to defend against Nakanishi & Yoshie on 12/6 in Nagoya. Sugabayashi also noted that TenKoji may be involved in some way, and four teams - Makabe & Yano, Nakanishi & Yoshie, TenKoji, and Team 3D - are on the president’s mind, and it looks like in some way those two teams will be involved in two matches, one for the title and one possibly a contendership match.

The Motor City Machine Guns are one of the top junior tag teams in America, so its only natural they are being linked to an IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title shot. Sugabayashi hinted that it is almost a lock that they will challenge the winners of NO LIMIT vs. Jado & Gedo, set to take place on 12/7 in Osaka.

A very big news day for New Japan, and we’ll start with the full 10/13 Sumo Hall card that was announced, and what a lineup this looks to be. Shinsuke Nakamura’s chance for revenge is set, as he challenges Keiji Muto for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Tenzan and Iizuka’s second Death Match follows their Lumberjack Death Match from July that Tenzan won, and this one will feature a chain. G1 winner Hirooki Goto battles RISE betrayer and gaijin ace Giant Bernard in a special singles match. Hiroshi Tanahashi, quiet since returning from injury and after having a mediocre G1, is set to head to TNA on an indefinite refresher, and his last match looks to be at Sumo Hall as he and Chono battle Nakanishi & Yoshie, the reformed monster team.

NJPW “DESTRUCTION ‘08″, 10/13/08 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Minoru & Prince Devitt (c) vs. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito
2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask vs. Jado, Gedo & Low Ki
3. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Satoshi Kojima , KAI & Hiroshi Yamato
4. Masahiro Chono & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie
5. Hirooki Goto vs. Giant Bernard
6. Chain Death Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka
7. Yuji Nagata vs. Masato Tanaka
8. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Keiji Muto (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

All twelve teams for the G1 Tag League have been announced, and its a unique cast of heavyweights, juniors, home-based stars, and outsiders. Rocky Romero returns after a long time, teaming with another familiar face, Negro Casas, while Taichi Ishikari has finally won Milano’s respect after their long feud, and they team up. There is no Hiroshi Tanahashi in this tournament, as he will be off to America by that time. The top two teams in the group stage will meet in the final at Korakuen Hall on November 5th.

- [MVP] Togi Makabe & Toru Yano (IWGP Tag Team Champions)
- [TenKoji] Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (G1 Tag League 2001 winners)
- [RISE NxG] Shinsuke Nakamura & Hirooki Goto
- [Big Mountains] Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie
- [DETONATORS] Giant Bernard & Rick Fuller
- [Aogi-gun] Yuji Nagata & Mitsuhide Hirasawa
- [WK2] Wataru Inoue & Koji Kanemoto
- [IRON HADES] Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
- [The World Class Tag Team] Jado & Gedo
- [NO LIMIT] Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito
- [Uni-ONE] Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari
- [Caribbean Syndicate] Negro Casas & Rocky Romero

January 4th, 2009 will mark the 20th year that New Japan Professional Wrestling has run the Tokyo Dome, after the first was held on April 24th, 1989. Many trades routes with other promotions have been opened in recent times, as New Japan has worked hard and patiently to rebuild its image after lots of turmoil this decade, and President Sugabayashi wants them to put on a show worthy of the industry leader in January when New Japan runs “WRESTLE KINGDOM III IN TOKYO DOME”. Sugabayashi wants Nakamura to lift the IWGP belt from Muto and greet the Tokyo Dome in January with it to start the year fresh. The president’s plan is to run a “professional wrestling all-star” show featuring talent from all the promotions New Japan is linked to - such as All Japan, ZERO1-MAX, DRADITION, and TNA Wrestling. But magazine reports have suggested that Professional Wrestling NOAH, when while enjoying a boom, cut off ties with New Japan over a disagreement with then-president Simon Inoki, is working hard to reestablish ties with New Japan. NO LIMIT’s invasion of NOAH might be considered baby steps, but Sugabayashi has laid out his conditions: NO LIMIT come back with the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title and we may see NOAH at the Tokyo Dome in January, as he believes a NJ/NOAH fighting environment needs some context and thinks that could be it.