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Nakanishi replaces Murakami on 9/9 by Stuart - 15 Aug 2007
Kazunari Murakami will miss New Japan's 9/9 show due to a neck injury, forcing a change to Nagata's special 15th anniversary match. Nakanishi will replace Murakami, meaning all six in the match will be New Japan trueborns. NJPW "YUJI NAGATA 15TH ANNIVERSARY", 9/9/07 (Samurai! TV) Togane Arena 1. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Shinjiro Otani  vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & Toru Yano
Jado & Gedo @ Kasuichi result by Stuart - 14 Aug 2007 Soul Connection "KASUICHI 6", 8/14/07 Shinjuku FACE 400 Fans - No Vacancy - Jado  & Gedo beat Brahman Shu  & Brahman Kei (13:04) when Jado pinned Kei after a super powerbomb.
8/25~9/2 cards by Stuart - 14 Aug 2007   Four very different lineups have been announced by New Japan today. Firstly, the upcoming 8/25 show, which will mourn the passing of an important karate-related person, features many openweight matches. It also features a karate fighter by the name of Goto, who teams with Yamamoto in the second match against Tenzan & Honma (Update: This will in fact be Muga World's TATSUTOSHI Goto, making his return to New Japan for the first time since leaving! They had printed another name, which may have been the name he used when he graduated from the karate institute he's representing in this match, but it seems to be Tatsutoshi.). Secondly, the CTU final show card has been changed after Jado & Gedo's betrayal of Liger. Liger vs. Minoru is off and now becomes the dream match of Minoru vs. Milano, while Liger will take a mystery partner with him to face Jado & Gedo in the main event. The big news is that Hirooki Goto finally returns to New Japan on this show, the CTU man there to bid the group that brought him up the ladder farewell, as he and Devitt face Tanahashi & Yamamoto. Full cards for Chono's shows have also been announced, the first seeing offers from LOCK UP and Muga World, the first time many of these wrestlers have been on the same shows since the undercard exodus at the beginning of 2006. The 9/2 show is all New Japan and features a follow-up to the CTU show with Goto battling Yamamoto in a singles match. It also sees the return of Super Strong Machine as part of the new legends faction, Mr. Hirata apparently having returned to the persona that made him famous from the Black Strong Machine one. Both shows also feature many events and talk shows. NJPW, 8/25/07 Matsusaka City Gymnasium 1. Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask vs. Taichi Ishikari & Tetsuya Naito 2. Tatsutoshi Goto & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tomoaki Honma 3. Shiro Koshinaka vs. Tomohiro Ishii 4. Riki Choshu & Takashi Uwano vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano 5. Yuji Nagata & Yujiro vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa 6. Masahiro Chono & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Takashi Iizuka & Ryusuke Taguchi 7. Hiroshi Tanahashi & El Samurai vs. Minoru & Milano Collection AT NJPW/CTU "LAST OF CTU ~ CTU FAREWELL IN KORAKUEN HALL", 8/26/07 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. CTU Ranger Red, CTU Ranger Blue, CTU Ranger Yellow, CTU Ranger Green & CTU Ranger Pink vs. Daigoro Kashiwa  , Teppei Ishizaka , Taku Anzawa , Hiro Tonai & Apple Miyuki 2. Minoru vs. Milano Collection AT 3. Hirooki Goto Return Match: Hirooki Goto & Prince Devitt vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto 4. Jushin Thunder Liger & X vs. Jado & Gedo ARISTRIST/NJPW/LOCK UP/Muga World, 9/1/07 (Samurai! TV) Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #11 LOCK UP 1. Takashi Uwano vs. Yujiro 2. Taichi Ishikari & KAGETORA vs. GENTARO & Yusaku Obata 3. Manabu Nakanishi & X vs. Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto 4. Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Jado & Gedo vs. Kintaro Kanemura, Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mammoth Sasaki & Hi69 5. Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma Muga World 1. Nobuyuki Kurashima vs. Manabu Soya 2. Tatsutoshi Goto vs. Isao Takagi 3. Hiro Saito vs. Gran Hamada 4. Katsushi Takemura vs. Hi69 5. Tatsumi Fujinami & Osamu Nishimura vs. Yutaka Yoshie & Mitsuya Nagai ARISTRIST/NJPW, 9/2/07 (Samurai! TV) Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #11 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Takashi Uwano 2. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Jado & Gedo 3. Ryusuke Taguchi & Koji Kanemoto vs. Minoru & Milano Collection AT 4. Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Hirooki Goto 5. Riki Choshu, Shiro Koshinaka & Super Strong Machine vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma 6. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Takashi Iizuka 7. Chono Kingdom G1 Special Tag: Masahiro Chono & Akebono vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano Nagata vs. Tanahashi set for 10/8, Nakamura out long-term, more by Stuart - 13 Aug 2007  It is set! Yuji Nagata will make his V3 defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Champion against the man he lifted the belt off in April and the man who denied him the G1 Climax yesterday, Hiroshi Tanahashi, when New Japan returns to Sumo Hall on 10/8! The same building will host the same main event as the two leading men of New Japan's regular army, 1-1 this year, will have their decisive battle for 2007. NJPW "EXPLOSION '07", 10/8/07 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi President Sugehayashi posted his summary of the G1 on the official site and called it another "turning point" for New Japan. He said attendances were up from last year, the average per show about 200 fans better than the 2006 G1. He also pointed out the growth of wrestlers like Tanahashi, Nakamura, Makabe, and Yano, leading to Chono, Tenzan, and Nakanishi missing out on the final four, as proof that the young wrestlers of New Japan are growing up. Sugehayashi is worried about Choshu and Chono's new unit and thinks they could give New Japan a headache, but Choshu has said the group will not necessarily oppose the regular army. Finally, the president was impressed again by Akebono's high popularity and wants him to wrestle more often again for the company. Shinsuke Nakamura will miss as much as half a year after separating his shoulder in yesterday's G1 semi final match with Nagata (Update: Three months). Nakamura was in intense pain and New Japan is hoping to get the "reawakened supernova", who may well have gone on to win the tournament if not for that injured, back in the ring for the 1/4 Tokyo Dome show, which seems certain to happen again. Hiroyoshi Tenzan's awful G1 was the culmination of a terrible year for him so far. He's also lost two singles matches to a somewhat idle Nakamura this year, as well as one to Giant Bernard. The new Mr. G1 has been lacking all of the vigor that made him a New Japan main event star, and the main reasons are a lack of health and lack of motivation. Tenzan's physical deterioration has been showing. After yesterday's show, where he was pinned by Koshinaka, Tenzan suggested finally taking time off to heal up and regain his spirit. [Results] New Japan, 8/12/07 by Stuart - 12 Aug 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ G1 CLIMAX 2007 ~WINNER TAKE ALL~" <-- A little more than a year after capturing the IWGP Heavyweight Title for the first time, Hiroshi Tanahashi today earned New Japan's other greatest prize, the G1 Climax, after a wild night of fighting. It was the first semi final round since 2000 to feature no "foreign enemy" in the semis, and New Japan showed it has become a promotion again that doesn't have to rely too heavily on outsiders to push forward, drawing its biggest crowd to Sumo Hall for two years. Tanahashi pinned Makabe in the first semi final, which some said was better than the final itself. Makabe showed just how far he has come, unleashing a great set of offense, including a Spider German suplex, on Tanahashi, who had to come from behind and resort to using a cradle for the win. Nagata and Tanahashi then had their first match since the 2004 G1, an intense and very stiff war. The finish was very unfortunate though, as Nakamura had Nagata in an arm submission, but the referee noticed something was wrong and in came the doctor. The doctor stopped the match quickly, as it was determined that Nakamura had dislocated his shoulder and had to be stretchered out. This set up a rematch from one of the wrestling world's best matches in 2007, Nagata vs. Tanahashi. Current IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. the previous IWGP Heavyweight Champion. It was another great match where the two threw everything out. At one point Tanahashi used five dragon screws in a row, a cross-arm German, and a Dragon suplex, but Nagata kicked out of each. But Tanahashi then hit his second High Fly Flow and Nagata stayed down, 30-year-old Tanahashi completing a New Japan Heavyweight Grand Slam of having held both the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Tag belts and having won both the G1 Climax and New Japan Cup, his place near the top of the industry now confirmed. Tanahashi thanked the fans for supporting a guy like him (he used some less-than-complimentary words to describe himself) and promised that his generation would show explosive fighting. Shiro Koshinaka has betrayed GBH and it became clear today that he has left the group that really gave him his return to the spotlight in New Japan. Choshu & Koshinaka defeated Tenzan & Yano in an undercard tag, Koshinaka pinning GBH boss Tenzan after a powerbomb. The new unit of Chono, Choshu, Koshinaka, Machine, and Liger has a theme of having "five leaders". Tenzan said his condition has reached rock bottom, which may explain this dreadful year full of big singles losses. It is possible that Tenzan could take a lengthy absence to heal up soon, although Nakamura's impending long-term absence could delay that. CTU has fallen apart right before its farewell show. Jado & Gedo, having announced they will join GBH, were seconded by Ishii and Honma today. Liger, on the other hand, has joined the new legends unit, and the sides visibly kept their distance today. And before the end it all became clear, as Liger was betrayed and beaten up badly after the match. What happens from now on and how Minoru, Milano, and Devitt factor into this is anyone's guess. NJPW, 8/12/07 (WPW/PPV) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 11,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy 1. Tetsuya Naito beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (7:26) with a Japanese leg roll clutch hold. 2. CTU Final Countdown Special Tag: Ryusuke Taguchi, El Samurai & Yujiro beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo (9:31) when Taguchi used a la magistral on Gedo. 3. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Togi Makabe (15:24) with a front cradle. 4. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Yuji Nagata beat Shinsuke Nakamura (18:22) by doctor stop. 5. Minoru & Milano Collection AT beat Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask (13:24) when Milano used the Victoria Milanese on Kanemoto. 6. Riki Choshu & Shiro Koshinaka beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Toru Yano (7:22) when Koshinaka used a powerbomb on Tenzan. 7. Masahiro Chono, Giant Bernard & Akebono beat Manabu Nakanishi, Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto (16:37) when Chono used a Shining Yakuza kick on Iizuka. 8. G1 Climax - Final: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Yuji Nagata (19:02) with the High Fly Flow. [Results] New Japan, 8/11/07 by Stuart - 11 Aug 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ G1 CLIMAX 2007 ~WINNER TAKE ALL~" <-- The 2007 G1 Climax has explored new territory, and the fact that after today's show at Sumo Hall, the two men who have shared the last five trophies between them ended up at the bottom of their block, proves that. New Japan now appears to be primarily in the hands of Yuji Nagata and the new generation's "big three" of Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Togi Makabe. Those two will make up the final stage later on in the first semi final round without a "foreign enemy" in a long time. Tanahashi, wearing black and becoming an overnight heel as he promised before the tournament for this match, put away a spirited Koshinaka in the main event, before 7,800 fans in Tokyo today. Tanahashi was booed for using Koshinaka's hip attacks and the like, but scored his third successive win over the revived veteran. Right before that, Nagata repeated his New Japan Cup semi final feat by beating Bernard in a close match, using his Nagata Lock IV to seal passage and continuing a great year. Nakamura won Block B with a surprise win over surprise package, Yano, who despite this loss finished above Nakanishi, Koshinaka, and Milano. Nakamura had to fight off GBH intrusion, before "going beserk" and winning with a juji. Chono followed Nagata in going down to the breakout boy of 2007, Togi Makabe, falling to a King Kong kneedrop and missing out on the semis. Makabe thus won the block, since he is tied on points with Nagata, but won their direct confrontations. A fairly miserable G1 for Tenzan too, the so-called new Mr. G1 showing what a dire year he is having in singles by falling to Akebono. Tenzan did avoid bottom spot by tying on points with Chono, who he defeated directly. Nakanishi, after suffering the disgrace of three losses to start the tournament, ended well. He won an entertaining match over Milano to finish with two wins. After losing to Makabe, Chono mysteriously began clapping, then suddenly called out Choshu, Koshinaka, Machine, and Liger to the ring. Chono appealed for a new army made up of the four, and they all shook hands! The idea of this faction seems to be a group of ageing legends who helped carry New Japan in its golden age. This leaves BLACK in some doubt, as Chono is the boss of that group, while Koshinaka has been a key player in GBH, but tomorrow teams with Choshu against Tenzan & Yano. NJPW, 8/11/07 (SXW) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 7,800 Fans 1. Prince Devitt beat Yujiro (7:47) with the Prince's Throne. 2. CTU Final Special: Masked CTU-L, Masked CTU-M, Masked CTU-J & Masked CTU-G beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask & El Samurai (10:48) when CTU-J used a horizontal cradle on Tiger. 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [4] beat Milano Collection AT [4] (5:29) with a German suplex hold. 4. G1 Climax - Block A: Akebono [5] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] (9:18) with an avalanche-style Japanese drop. 5. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe [6] beat Masahiro Chono [4] (11:17) with a King Kong kneedrop. 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [7] beat Toru Yano [5] (12:13) with a cross armbreaker. 7. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [6] beat Giant Bernard [5] (13:58) with the Nagata Lock IV. 8. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] beat Shiro Koshinaka [4] (17:04) with the High Fly Flow. - Block A: 1. Togi Makabe [6] 2. Yuji Nagata [6] 3. Giant Bernard [5] 4. Akebono [5] 5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] 6. Masahiro Chono [4] Block B: 1. Shinsuke Nakamura [7] 2. Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] 3. Toru Yano [5] 4. Manabu Nakanishi [4] 5. Shiro Koshinaka [4] 6. Milano Collection AT [4] - NJPW, 8/12/07 (WPW/PPV) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. CTU Final Countdown Special Tag: Ryusuke Taguchi, El Samurai & Yujiro vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo 3. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe 4. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura 5. Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask vs. Minoru & Milano Collection AT 6. Riki Choshu & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Toru Yano 7. Manabu Nakanishi, Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Masahiro Chono, Giant Bernard & Akebono 8. G1 Climax - Final: [Results] New Japan, 8/10/07 by Stuart - 10 Aug 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ G1 CLIMAX 2007 ~WINNER TAKE ALL~" <-- The two men who have shared the last five G1 trophies came back strong today in Nagoya, as ChoTen showed their G1 spirit. Chono scored what must have been his fifth or sixth successive win over IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Nagata, pinning him in a close main event following a Shining Yakuza kick. In one of two all-GBH battles, Tenzan came from behind to defeat the man many say is the "real" boss of GBH, Apache, showing that he is still there by forcing the Unchained Gorilla to tap out to the G1-winning Anaconda Vice. This sent Block A into a state of confusion, with four men on four points. Giant Bernard leads the block though after he splashed Akebono through a table on the outside, getting them both counted out. That leaves him one point above the four on four and Akebono one point behind them, so basically anyone can still reach the semis from that block. Block B is also close, but the man who can't qualify, Nakanishi, came good with a win over Tanahashi to get off the mark and stall Tana's progress. Nakamura also stalled Milano's surprising G1, pinning him after the Landslide, but the upset of the day saw Yano take down his second senior in a row, pinning Koshinaka following his Oni Koroshi in the other all-GBH battle. This put Yano joint top of Block B with Nakamura, meaning the winner of their Sumo Hall match will head to the semis. NJPW, 8/10/07 (Samurai! TV) Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 8,000 Fans - No Vacancy 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Tetsuya Naito (7:52) with a crab hold. 2. Tiger Mask, El Samurai & Yujiro beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Prince Devitt (11:47) when Tiger used a Tiger suplex hold on Devitt. 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [5] beat Shiro Koshinaka [4] (9:52) with the Oni Koroshi. 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [5] beat Milano Collection AT [4] (12:30) with the Landslide. 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [2] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] (12:13) with the Mana Bauer. 6. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard [5] vs. Akebono [3] went to a double countout (9:57). 7. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] beat Togi Makabe [4] (15:45) with the Anaconda Vice. 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [4] beat Yuji Nagata [4] (16:15) with a Shining Yakuza kick. - Block A: 1. Giant Bernard [5] 2. Yuji Nagata [4] 3. Masahiro Chono [4] 4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] 5. Togi Makabe [4] 6. Akebono [3] Block B: 1. Shinsuke Nakamura [5] 2. Toru Yano [5] 3. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] 4. Milano Collection AT [4] 5. Shiro Koshinaka [4] 6. Manabu Nakanishi [2] - Tomorrow's full card and match order... NJPW, 8/11/07 (SXW) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1. Yujiro vs. Prince Devitt 2. CTU Final Special: Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask & El Samurai vs. Masked CTU-L, Masked CTU-M, Masked CTU-J & Masked CTU-G 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Milano Collection AT 4. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Akebono 5. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Togi Makabe 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Toru Yano 7. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Giant Bernard 8. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shiro Koshinaka Liger vs. Minoru tops CTU finale by Stuart - 08 Aug 2007 Although New Japan has yet to post anything, Weekly Pro's mobile site reports that the main event of CTU's final show will be Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Minoru. This is probably an appropriate main event to end the group, as Liger is the boss and Minoru the ace of the group, and both have contributed to its success. Update: New Japan has now confirmed the main event, as well as two other matches. NJPW/CTU "LAST OF CTU ~ CTU FAREWELL IN KORAKUEN HALL", 8/26/07 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. CTU Rangers vs. K-DOJO 2. Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt vs. Jado & Gedo 3. LAST OF CTU Special Match: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Minoru [Results] New Japan, 8/8/07 by Stuart - 08 Aug 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ G1 CLIMAX 2007 ~WINNER TAKE ALL~" <-- The IWGP Heavyweight Champion suffered his first setback today, falling to the man he defeated in both the New Japan Cup final and his most recent IWGP Heavyweight Title defense. Makabe finally got a win over Nagata in an intense main event, landing a chain lariat on Mr. Saikyo, then hitting his King Kong kneedrop from the top rope for the win. This moved Makabe top of Block A, ahead of the two men on four points with him, as he beat both. Koshinaka's excellent G1 so far - blemished only by a surprise loss to Milano - continued with a big win over Nakamura. It has been Koshinaka's revival year and he countered Nakamura's revived El Nino by putting his knees up, unloaded with a flurry of hip attacks, then used his dangerous finisher, the Samurai Driver '84, for the win. Chono's chances of an unexplored V6 victory in the G1 still exist after he sent Akebono 1-2 in the G1 today. Chono landed a Shining Yakuza kick to the back of Akebono's head, then tied him up in an STF for the submission, the second time now that Akebono has tapped out in this tournament. In a rematch from last year's semi final round, Giant Bernard defeated reigning champion Tenzan, pinning him in a close match. After such a start, beating Chono, Tenzan has now fallen to Nagata and Bernard successively, showing why it has been such a poor year for him in singles. One of New Japan's most entertaining rivalries continued, as Tanahashi scored his second singles victory over the on-fire Milano, who came into this match 2-0. Tanahashi survived all of Milano's tricks and kept his eyes on a first G1 championship by sinking the Italian with his High Fly Flow. The biggest upset of the day saw Nakanishi's woeful run of G1s continue and the 2007 installment basically end for him, as he lost to Yano for the first time in his career. Nakanishi has always had a weakness to cradles, and Yano had a new one called the Kuro Kirishima for him today, which got the job done. All Nakanishi can hope for now is consolation wins over Tanahashi and Milano. Today's show marked the end of a long-running rift between New Japan and Sportsnavi. New Japan news flashes/detailed coverage now return to the popular website, and match reports and large photos of each match can be found at this link. NJPW, 8/8/07 (SXW) Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium 3,600 Fans 1. Yujiro beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (6:05) with a crab hold. 2. Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto & Tetsuya Naito beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Taichi Ishikari & Prince Devitt (13:23) when Kanemoto used a moonsault press on Ishikari. 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [3] beat Manabu Nakanishi [0] (10:41) with the Kuro Kirishima. 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] beat Milano Collection AT [4] (9:59) with the High Fly Flow. 5. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard [4] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (13:24) with a sit-down Last Ride. 6. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [2] beat Akebono [2] (7:45) with an STF. 7. G1 Climax - Block B: Shiro Koshinaka [4] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [3] (10:34) with the Samurai Driver '84. 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe [4] beat Yuji Nagata [4] (15:44) with a top rope King Kong kneedrop. - Block A: 1. Togi Makabe [4] 2. Yuji Nagata [4] 3. Giant Bernard [4] 4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] 5. Masahiro Chono [2] 6. Akebono [2] Block B: 1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] 2. Milano Collection AT [4] 3. Shiro Koshinaka [4] 4. Shinsuke Nakamura [3] 5. Toru Yano [3] 6. Manabu Nakanishi [0] LOCK UP 8/19 partial card by Stuart - 07 Aug 2007 LOCK UP, 8/19/07 (Samurai! TV) Shin-Kiba 1st RING 1. Yujiro & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Kintaro Kanemura & GENTARO 2. Tomohiro Ishii, Jado & Gedo vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Hi69 & Yusaku Obata 3. Toru Yano vs. Mammoth Sasaki 4. Riki Choshu, Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka [Results] New Japan, 8/6/07 by Stuart - 06 Aug 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ G1 CLIMAX 2007 ~WINNER TAKE ALL~" <-- Day two of the G1 was the traditional distinctly smallest event of the tour, but saw more surprises. Nagata is still going strong and today became the first man to defeat Tenzan in a G1 Climax since... himself in the 2005 version when they met at Sumo Hall. Perhaps Chono's prediction of Tenzan "breaking down" was right, as it took Nagata just 10 minutes to take down the GBH boss. In the semi, a battle of BLACK, Giant Bernard handed Chono his second loss on the trot in a short sprint, pinning him after a two-step kick. Nakamura has started very well, having bypassed his - on paper - two toughest opponents without loss, as he submitted Nakanishi today. With just Koshinaka, Yano, and Milano left to face, you have to rate Shinsuke's chances of a semi final spot as being high. Old rivals Tanahashi and Yano fought to a double countout today, another draw like in the 2005 G1, only not a time limit draw this time. Still, a setback for Tana, who would have been expected to win this. After losing a one-sided battle to Nagata yesterday, Akebono hit back in style today, pinning the on-form Makabe following a Banzai drop to tie them up on two points. But the big story of the early stages has been Milano, who became the only man besides Nagata to clock up two victories in a row, scoring a momentary pinfall on Koshinaka! This puts Milano top of Block B, but with Nakamura, Tanahashi, and Nakanishi left to face, the hardest part is yet to come. NJPW, 8/6/07 (Samurai! TV) Twin Messe Shizuoka 1,400 Fans 1. El Samurai beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (8:28) with a chickenwing armlock. 2. Minoru, Jado & Gedo beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (10:46) when Jado used the Crossface of JADO on Naito. 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Milano Collection AT [4] beat Shiro Koshinaka [2] (10:29) by pinfall. 4. G1 Climax - Block A: Akebono [2] beat Togi Makabe [2] (7:48) with a Banzai drop. 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] vs. Toru Yano [1] went to a double countout (12:27). 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [3] beat Manabu Nakanishi [0] (12:38) with a cross armbreaker. 7. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard [2] beat Masahiro Chono [0] (3:40) with a two-step kick. 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [4] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (10:41) with the Nagata Lock IV. - Block A: 1. Yuji Nagata [4] 2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] 3. Togi Makabe [2] 4. Giant Bernard [2] 5. Akebono [2] 6. Masahiro Chono [0] Block B: 1. Milano Collection AT [4] 2. Shinsuke Nakamura [3] 3. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] 4. Shiro Koshinaka [2] 5. Toru Yano [1] 6. Manabu Nakanishi [0] [Results] New Japan, 8/5/07 by Stuart - 05 Aug 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ G1 CLIMAX 2007 ~WINNER TAKE ALL~" <-- The biggest tournament in professional wrestling began its 2007 installment today before New Japan's biggest crowd in Osaka for quite some time - 6,000 fans. It was an interesting show highlighted by an excellent match between the new generation aces, and also saw some upsets. However, the main event was a continuation of last year, as 2003, 2004, and 2006 G1 winner, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, the new "Summer Man" and leader of GBH, defeated his former teacher, the old "Summer Man", and leader of BLACK, Masahiro Chono. Tenzan, who won last year's tournament without a single loss, but who has had dodgy singles form at best since then, may again be ready for a summer revival, after resurrecting his old Buffalo sleeper to down Chono. Tenzan called it an "easy victory" and questioned whether the Chono of old was a different person than the Chono of today. Chono, on the other hand, reckons Tenzan will completely break down from his third match, as his physical condition isn't at its greatest. The two young aces of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura, stole the show with yet another terrific match, which turned out to be their first draw. This was full of great action, the fans never getting bored, and becoming very loud particularly towards the end. The draw meant that their record is now 2-2-1, but this result showed there is next to nothing between them nowadays, unlike in the past when it seemed that Nakamura was always one step ahead. 64th generation Yokozuna, Akebono, was welcomed back to New Japan by IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Yuji Nagata, who emphatically defeated the monster today. Nagata won in fairly spectacular fashion by dropping Akebono with an Exploder, then trapping him in an ankle hold for the tap out. The key for Akebono will be, like today, keeping his matches as short as possible and going for the quick win, or else his stamina is likely to run out. Togi Makabe's rise to fame continued with a victory over gaijin ace, Giant Bernard. The referee went down late on and couldn't register a Bernard cover that seemed to have Makabe beat. Makabe subsequently was able to recover, grab his chain, and assault Bernard with it. After a chain lariat, Makabe landed a top rope King Kong kneedrop to the back of Bernard's head and covered for another huge career win. This meant that GBH dominated BLACK in today's big matches, with Tenzan submitting Chono and Makabe pinning Bernard. Bernard went on a wild rampage after the match, destroying young lions Hirasawa and Naito. The "variety show feud" between Nakanishi and Koshinaka continued today with another entertaining match. After Nakanishi won their last match, eliminating Koshinaka from the New Japan Cup, Samurai Shiro hit back in style today, slipping out of an Argentine backbreaker and surprising both Nakanishi and the fans with a beautiful German suplex hold for the win! A bad start for Nakanishi, who has failed to make the final four every year since finishing second in 2000, but a bright start for the much revived Koshinaka. WEW Heavyweight Champion, Toru Yano, suffered an immediate setback after recently winning that belt from Kintaro Kanemura, losing to Best of the Super Jr. winner, Milano Collection AT, on day one. Milano has been saying that his brain power will be his greatest weapon in the G1 and it was today, as he tied Yano up with the Paradise Lock, then sliding dropkicked him out of the ring. Although Yano made it to his feet, he couldn't beat the 20 count and thus lost. Yano promised he'd destroy the "Fake Italian" after the G1. After the second match, Jado again confirmed what we basically know, saying he and Gedo's new motto is "F*ck the world!" and that their future plan is joining GBH. NJPW, 8/5/07 (WPW) Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium 6,000 Fans - No Vacancy 1. Yujiro beat Tetsuya Naito (7:44) with a crab hold. 2. Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto & El Samurai beat Minoru, Jado & Gedo (13:45) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Jado. 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Milano Collection AT [2] beat Toru Yano [0] (6:00) by countout. 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Shiro Koshinaka [2] beat Manabu Nakanishi [0] (10:30) with a German suplex hold. 5. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe [2] beat Giant Bernard [0] (8:34) with a top rope King Kong kneedrop. 6. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [2] beat Akebono [0] (6:32) with an ankle hold. 7. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [1] vs. Shinsuke Nakamura [1] went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired. 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] beat Masahiro Chono [0] (17:20) with a Buffalo sleeper. - Block A: 1. Yuji Nagata [2] 2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] 3. Togi Makabe [2] 4. Masahiro Chono [0] 5. Giant Bernard [0] 6. Akebono [0] Block B: 1. Shiro Koshinaka [2] 2. Milano Collection AT [2] 3. Hiroshi Tanahashi [1] 4. Shinsuke Nakamura [1] 5. Manabu Nakanishi [0] 6. Toru Yano [0] 9/9 main event set! by Stuart - 03 Aug 2007  Yuji Nagata will team with sworn friends Shinjiro Otani (ZERO1-MAX) and Kazunari Murakami (BIG MOUTH LOUD) on his special anniversary show next month. It was announced today that the three will unite against GBH trio Tenzan, Makabe & Yano in the main event on 9/9 in Chiba. Nagata debuted against Tenzan 15 years ago, while Otani also debuted against Tenzan and Makabe debuted against Otani, so there are many links here. Murakami said he wants to teach GBH how to be "real heels" and promised to dye the ring mat crimson with their blood. NJPW "YUJI NAGATA 15TH ANNIVERSARY", 9/9/07 (Samurai! TV) Togane Arena 1. Yuji Nagata, Shinjiro Otani & Kazunari Murakami  vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & Toru Yano
Nakamura's plans and Nakanishi vs. Sekimoto again? by Stuart - 31 Jul 2007  Shinsuke Nakamura is aiming at a full upgrade and in two separate stories has outlined his plans. First of all, Nakamura has formed an idea to merge his two styles perfectly - the submission-based style he used before going to America and the power-based style he has favoured since returning from America. He believes if he can complete a hybrid style, he will become stronger than ever. Today in Tokyo Sports, Nakamura announced his plans to hunt IWGP 3rd Belt Champion, Kurt Angle. Nakamura said that as a New Japan wrestler, he can't watch this disgrace continue anymore, as Angle continues to flaunt an unauthorized IWGP title that TNA has shamefully recognized as the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Nakamura's objective is to win that belt and have a unification match to merge the two IWGP titles, as he believes only one is necessary. On 1/4/04, Nakamura defeated Yoshihiro Takayama and absorbed the NWF Heavyweight Title into the IWGP Heavyweight Title, so has a similar plan here. His first target is to win the G1 and is willing to give his ¥10,000,000 (US$85,000) prize money back to New Japan to pay for Kurt Angle or whoever the IWGP 3rd Belt holder is by then coming into New Japan to fight him.  Daisuke Sekimoto has challenged Nakanishi to a second singles match after leading a BJW/Apache joint force to defeat Nakanishi and his young lion squadron at yesterday's Big Japan show. BJW manager Tosaka is trying to set it up for the company's 8/20 Korakuen show. Yujiro claimed that Sekimoto is wasting himself in an indie promotion like BJW and should make New Japan his main battleground. Hirasawa was a little less graceful in defeat, kicking a door off its hinges backstage and being told off by Nakanishi. BJW, 7/30/07 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,600 Fans - Daisuke Sekimoto, Mammoth Sasaki & Katsumasa Inoue beat Manabu Nakanishi , Yujiro & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (15:42) when Sekimoto used a German suplex hold on Hirasawa.
G1 Tag League 2007 schedule by Stuart - 30 Jul 2007 For the second year running, New Japan's revived tag festival returns, with the announcement that "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 TRUTH ~G1 TAG LEAGUE~" will run from 10/18 to 11/2 this year. Last year's tournament was of course won by Chono & Nakamura, but had little follow-up as Nakamura immediately focused on challenging Tanahashi for the singles gold. This year's tournament will span ten dates, ending at Korakuen Hall after a big show at Kobe World Hall. NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 TRUTH ~G1 TAG LEAGUE~ - 10/18 @ Iida Sports Center - 10/20 @ Yanai City Gymnasium - 10/21 @ ACROS Fukuoka - 10/22 @ Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium - 10/23 @ Miyakonojo City Gymnasium - 10/24 @ Kokura Northern Gymnasium - 10/26 @ Matsuyama City Community Center - 10/27 @ Tottori Industrial Gymnasium - 10/28 @ Kobe World Hall - 11/2 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall [Results] LOCK UP, 7/29/07 by Stuart - 29 Jul 2007  LOCK UP's ninth show in its 14 month existence drew its best crowd to date, a respectable 1,233 fans at Korakuen Hall. It was a day of New Japan domination, as four of the seven matches saw New Japan wrestlers pin those from other promotions. After breaking into the New Japan dojo earlier this year and starting a feud, BJW's Daisuke Sekimoto finally felt the wrath of Nakanishi in today's main event. At times, Nakanishi treated the young power fighter like a child, but Sekimoto put up a spirited fight and troubled Nakanishi a little. In the end though, Nakanishi's Hercules Cutter sunk Sekimoto, and Nakanishi said in his backstage interview that this was "The End", that Sekimoto has to study more before challenging him seriously. Despite that, Nakanishi leads a contingent of young lions into BJW at the same building tomorrow for a trios match. Sekimoto said that he learnt today why Nakanishi is a "real pro wrestler", and wants to fight him over and over again. In what could be considered a big surprise, Toru Yano brought the WEW Heavyweight Title back to GBH a month after Makabe relinquished it in another upset, pinning Apache boss Kintaro Kanemura. This was Kanemura's V1 defense and it was a bloody, brutal brawl that ended cleanly when a Kanemura chairshot was punched back in his face, and Yano dropped him with the Oni Koroshi for the three count. Yano took the microphone and taunted Apache, saying they had gotten the belt back for a mere month, that their wrestlers are weak, and that their fans are garbage. Mammoth Sasaki, who failed twice to win the title from Makabe, but will perhaps have a better chance against the lower ranked Yano, appealed for a shot at the belt. Right before his second G1, Yano lifts his first singles title and gains some much needed momentum. Choshu mused after the show whether this experience would give Yano the chance to develop and break out like Makabe did when he won the belt. Riki Choshu defeated his pupil Ishii in another special singles match that showed Power Hall isn't quite finished yet. He pinned Ishii after a Riki lariat, but admitted his student has grown stronger since joining GBH and is doing well. GBH also defeated Apache+Togo in a 2/3 Falls eight man tag by two falls to one. Jado took the first fall over GENTARO, then Kuroda cradled Gedo for the second. The third saw Makabe, who's presence again overwhelmed everyone else's today, once more pin Mammoth Sasaki following his top rope King Kong kneedrop. After the match, Jado & Gedo announced that they are joining GBH, bolstering the atrocious heel unit with their experience. It is something Makabe has been working on for a while, and now looks to have completed. LOCK UP, 7/29/07 (Samurai! TV) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,233 Fans 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Tetsuya Naito beat Takashi Uwano & Kuniyoshi Wada (11:34) when Naito used a jumping elbow attack on Wada. 2. Yujiro, KAGETORA & Hercules Oosenga beat Hi69, Yusaku Obata & Naoki Tanisaki (11:45) when Yujiro used a crab hold on Obata.3. Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto beat Shiro Koshinaka & Tomoaki Honma (9:36) when Iizuka used a sleeper hold on Honma. 4. 2/3 Falls: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Jado & Gedo beat Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mammoth Sasaki, Dick Togo & GENTARO (22:13). Jado used the Crossface of JADO on GENTARO (5:00). Kuroda used a Samson clutch on Gedo (8:18). Makabe used a top tope King Kong kneedrop on Sasaki (8:55). 5. Riki Choshu beat Tomohiro Ishii (7:37) with a lariat. 6. WEW Heavyweight Title: Toru Yano beat Kintaro Kanemura (c) (13:02) with the Oni Koroshi to become the 14th champion. 7. Manabu Nakanishi beat Daisuke Sekimoto  (11:29) with the Hercules Cutter.
Sumo Hall show in October by Stuart - 27 Jul 2007 New Japan will run Sumo Hall again shortly after the G1 double header with the announcement of "EXPLOSION '07" today, set for 10/8 at New Japan's holy palace. Most likely this will be topped by Nagata vs. the G1 winner, assuming that isn't him, for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. G1 Climax cards and match order by Stuart - 24 Jul 2007 New Japan today released full cards for the group stage shows of the 2007 G1 Climax. This includes match order (except for the group stage matches of the first Sumo Hall show), and you'll notice in something of a surprise that Chono vs. Tenzan and not Tanahashi vs. Nakamura will headline day one in Osaka. NJPW, 8/5/07 (WPW) Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium 1. Yujiro vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto & El Samurai vs. Minoru, Jado & Gedo 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano vs. Milano Collection AT 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Shiro Koshinaka 5. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe vs. Giant Bernard 6. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Akebono 7. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan NJPW, 8/6/07 (Samurai! TV) Twin Messe Shizuoka 1. El Samurai vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa 2. Ryusuke Taguchi, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Minoru, Jado & Gedo 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Shiro Koshinaka vs. Milano Collection AT 4. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe vs. Akebono 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura 7. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Giant Bernard 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan NJPW, 8/8/07 (SXW) Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium 1. Yujiro vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa 2. Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto & Tetsuya Naito vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Taichi Ishikari & Prince Devitt 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Milano Collection AT 5. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Giant Bernard 6. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Akebono 7. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Shiro Koshinaka 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Togi Makabe NJPW, 8/10/07 (Samurai! TV) Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 1. Yujiro vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa 2. Tiger Mask, El Samurai & Tetsuya Naito vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Prince Devitt 3. G1 Climax - Block B: Shiro Koshinaka vs. Toru Yano 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Milano Collection AT 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi 6. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard vs. Akebono 7. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Togi Makabe 8. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Masahiro Chono NJPW, 8/11/07 (SXW) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1. Yujiro vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. CTU Final Special: Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask & El Samurai vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru, Jado & Gedo 3. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Akebono 4. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Togi Makabe 5. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Giant Bernard 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Milano Collection AT 7. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Toru Yano 8. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shiro Koshinaka NJPW, 8/12/07 (WPW/PPV) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Block A 1st Place vs. Block B 2nd Place 2. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Block B 1st Place vs. Block A 2nd Place 3. G1 Climax - Final: Kanemura vs. Yano now for WEW belt by Stuart - 23 Jul 2007 Toru Yano will look to win his first singles title this Sunday when he challenges Kintaro Kanemura for the WEW Heavyweight Title. After Yano pinned Kanemura on the 7/1 LOCK UP show, the WEW Heavyweight Champion has been manuevered into defending his title when LOCK UP hits Korakuen for the first time since February. LOCK UP, 7/29/07 (Samurai! TV) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Takashi Uwano & Kuniyoshi Wada vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Tetsuya Naito 2. Yujiro, KAGETORA & Hercules Oosenga vs. Hi69, Yusaku Obata & Naoki Tanisaki 3. Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Shiro Koshinaka & Tomoaki Honma 4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Jado & Gedo vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mammoth Sasaki, Dick Togo & GENTARO 5. Riki Choshu vs. Tomohiro Ishii 6. WEW Heavyweight Title: Kintaro Kanemura (c) vs. Toru Yano 7. Manabu Nakanishi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto
Okada joins New Japan, heel Tana, Choshu picks Nagata by Stuart - 22 Jul 2007  Ultimo Dragon pupil, Kazuchika Okada, announced his graduation from Toryumon at today's Ultimo Dragon 20th Anniversary Show at Korakuen Hall, and that he is joining New Japan. Ultimo Dragon handed Okada a diploma after the match, giving him blessings and handing him into New Japan custody, much like Great Sasuke did with Tiger Mask some years back. Okada, one of Ultimo's top stars, is just 19 years old and debuted in August, 2004. Although he is only 192lbs at present, his towering 6'3" frame means that he will be able to aim at the heavyweight division in New Japan, and he said his target is to become "number one" there. Okada enters New Japan with some credentials, having won the 2005 Young Dragon Cup, and should start up shortly. "Black Tana" will descend on Sumo Hall on August 11th. Tanahashi, holding a talk show for a book he is releasing, announced that he is conscious of Koshinaka's popularity and as such is going to turn heel for one night on the 8/11 Sumo Hall show, when he and Koshinaka do battle. Tanahashi said he would wear a black costume and heel it up, believing that a good wrestler has to be able to play any role. With the likes of Nagata and Koshinaka having been in the spotlight in recent months, Tanahashi said it is essential that his generation makes a comeback in the G1. Site foreman Riki Choshu has named IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Yuji Nagata, as the favourite to win this year's G1 Climax. He named Chono as Nagata's closest rival for the tournament, being Mr. G1 and all, but isn't sure if Chono will be in peak condition with his physical condition in question. Choshu named Nakamura as the dark horse, a man who could easily creep up after a quiet year of study. He also mentioned Bernard as a possibility, and believes Block A with Nagata, Chono, Tenzan, Bernard, Makabe, and Akebono, will be one of many hard fights. [Results] LOCK UP, 7/20/07 by Stuart - 20 Jul 2007  LOCK UP, 7/20/07 Tochigi Bunka Center Sub Hall 450 Fans 1. Tomoaki Honma beat Kuniyoshi Wada (10:21) with a running elbow. 2. Dick Togo & Naoki Tanisaki beat KAGETORA & Hercules Oosenga (12:35) when Togo used a diving senton on Oosenga.3. Daisuke Sekimoto & Katsumasa Inoue beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Tetsuya Naito (9:04) when Sekimoto used a German suplex hold on Hirasawa.4. Masaaki Mochizuki  & Yasushi Kanda beat Shingo Takagi & Jack Evans (12:34) when Kanda used the Ryu's on Evans.5. Togi Makabe, Jado & Gedo beat Naofumi Yamamoto, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yujiro (15:32) when Makabe used a top rope King Kong kneedrop on Yujiro. 6. Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii beat Riki Choshu, Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano (11:35) when Koshinaka used a powerbomb on Uwano. Puroresu DVD Source update! by Stuart - 18 Jul 2007 Puroresu DVD Source has a brand new update, full of great pro wrestling from Japan. The big title of the month is IGF's debut show, headlined by none other than Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar for the IWGP 3rd Belt. Two of America's toughest pro wrestlers headlined Sumo Hall in a controversial match for an unauthorized title. Also in this update is plenty of New Japan, including footage from the recently concluded Best of the Super Jr. tournament. Plus NOAH shows featuring the Nippon Cup Tag League, All Japan's Champion Carnival, DRAGON GATE's Kobe World Hall super-show topped by Liger vs. CIMA, and much more. So go and check out Puroresu DVD Source for great puro at great prices. Akebono is X, Chono running big shows in Chiba, much more by Stuart - 18 Jul 2007 Apologies for the lack of updates. I've been very sick and still am, but here is some catch-up, starting with the latest news.  To the surprise of no one after all the recent hints, 64th generation Yokozuna, Akebono, is the mystery participant in this year's G1 Climax. Akebono enters what is almost an all-star Block A and will face Nagata, Makabe, Chono, Bernard, and Tenzan in that order. This will be Akebono's return to pro wrestling, his first appearance since he went "Black" for one night at the Chono promoted show in March. He's undergoing special training to prepare for the strenuous G1 by training with the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama, and they are working on improving his stamina by having him run up and down slopes. Also, the size of his clothing has dropped from 5XL to 4XL, the former sumo star determined to make an impression in the 2007 G1. To counter Makabe's chain, Akebono is considering carrying a sword to the ring with him.  "Black Promoter" Masahiro Chono will run a double header to sequel his massively successful show in Makuhari from March, as he presents "CHONO KINGDOM IN MAKUHARI" on 9/1 and 9/2. Both shows will be at Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #11, and they are talking of setting up seating for 6,000 to 7,000 fans each show, with a target of around 15,000 fans over two days. As Chono promised after his sold out show in March, he is trying to bring "large scale" shows back to Chiba near Tokyo. He has formed a tie-up with Mita Security, which is looking to invest serious money into pro wrestling to help revive the fallen industry. Mita has been involved in moviemaking, musical performances, artist training, and other things in recent years, and this tie-up with Chono is the first step of what could be a close association with them and New Japan to try and bring new fans to pro wrestling. Chono (pictured above with New Japan president Sugehayashi and Mita boss Kunihiro Mita) is promoting two shows and here is the big surprise. The first show on 9/1 will focus on two concepts: Choshu's LOCK UP and... Fujinami's Muga World Pro-Wrestling! Could this be the first step towards a reconciliation between New Japan and Muga World? This show will feature a "Chono vs. Fujinami" talk show, too. Day two on 9/2 will be entirely a New Japan main brand performance. There is also a possibility of title matches being set up for these events, and they will air on New Japan's Samurai! TV slot.  Michinoku Pro is set to run one of the biggest junior events of the year, with the return of its Fukumen (Mask) World League. New Japan is offering its full cooperation for this three show tournament, sending top stars, and the big story is that the "BIG 5" of masked men in Japan of the last decade or so will be part of it: Jushin Thunder Liger, Ultimo Dragon, Great Sasuke, Super Delfin, and Tiger Mask. New Japan will also send El Samurai for the tournament, and he will face the fearsome Mecha Mummy in round one, a man Liger is strangely conscious of. Tiger Mask is keeping a close eye on the Olimpico vs. Shisa match, as he may be facing the winner. The tournament begins at Korakuen, then moves on to Zepp Sendai, before finishing at Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium on 9/2. Michinoku Pro, "WORLD MASK LEAGUE OPENING", 8/30/07 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Billy Ken Kid  vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 2. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Shibaten vs. Yoshitsune 3. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Mecha Mummy vs. El Samurai 4. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Atlantis vs. Super Delfin 5. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Kikutaro vs. Tiger Mask 6. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Olimpico vs. Super Shisa 7. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Rasse vs. Tigers Mask 8. Fukumen World League � Round 1: Great Sasuke vs. Ultimo Dragon  Katsuhiko Nagata failed in his latest MMA fight, a tough one against Caol Uno. It was always going to be difficult, as Uno has far more experience than Nagata, but Katsuhiko was hoping for another big win to boost his young career in the MMA world. Uno's striking gave him an edge, as he busted open Katsuhiko's left eye during the fight, causing a doctor check. Neither man was able to finish the other, but Uno won a unanimous decision (3-0). Katsuhiko said backstage after the fight that he wants to "creep up" to Uno's level by gaining more experience through fights. In other NEW JAPAN FACTORY news, the other fighter under affiliation, Masayuki Kono, will make his K-1 debut at the "TRYOUT 2007" show at Differ Ariake in a month's time against a Chinese fighter. K-1 HERO'S "2007 MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT OPENING ROUND", 7/16/07 Yokohama Arena 11,310 Fans - 2007 Middleweight Tournament - Round 1: Caol Uno beat Katsuhiko Nagata (R3 5:00) by unanimous decision.Even after they collide in a singles match on LOCK UP's 7/29 Korakuen show, the Nakanishi vs. Sekimoto grudge will continue. One day later, in the same building, Nakanishi will lead young lions Yujiro and Hirasawa into Big Japan for a six man tag match against a BJW/Apache alliance. BJW, 7/30/07 Tokyo Korakuen Hall - Daisuke Sekimoto, Mammoth Sasaki & Katsumasa Inoue vs. Manabu Nakanishi , Yujiro & Mitsuhide Hirasawa New Japan's Jado and Gedo will enter the sixth Soul Connection sponsored "Kasuichi Pro-Wrestling" show on 8/14 at Shinjuku FACE. Also on the show are Voodoo Murders' TARU, Shuji Kondo, and "brother" YASSHI, so its possible that a match involving CTU and VM could take place before CTU splits. Ring Soul "KASUICHI PRO-WRESTLING #6", 8/14/07 Shinjuku FACE - Jado & Gedo vs. X & X
[Results] New Japan, 7/15/07 by Stuart - 15 Jul 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN SOUL ~CTU FAREWELL TOUR~" <-- NJPW, 7/15/07 Niigata City Gymnasium 2,658 Fans 1. Taichi Ishikari beat Tetsuya Naito (9:21) with the Black Mephisto. 2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo beat Ryusuke Taguchi, El Samurai & Yujiro (12:11) when Jado used a lariat on Yujiro. 3. Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask beat Minoru & Prince Devitt (13:30) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Minoru. 4. Riki Choshu & Takashi Iizuka beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Toru Yano (7:43) when Choshu used a lariat on Tenzan. 5. Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Uwano beat Yuji Nagata & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (13:21) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Hirasawa. 6. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto beat Masahiro Chono & Milano Collection AT (13:27) when Tanahashi used a ground Cobra Twist on Milano. 7. Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Giant Bernard & Orlando Jordan (12:37) when Makabe used a top rope King Kong kneedrop on Jordan. G1 Climax 2007 blocks and match schedule! by Stuart - 13 Jul 2007 Blocks and matches for the 2007 G1 Climax have been announced on the heels of Yano and Koshinaka's qualifications yesterday. Those results mean that GBH's top four are all in the G1, and are separated two in each block. Block A would appear to be the strongest and hardest to call this year, featuring the leaders of all three heavyweight armies - Nagata, Chono, and Tenzan - along with foreign ace Bernard and 2007 breakout wonder Makabe, and finally the mystery X. Block B, however, has the intrigue of having both Tanahashi and Nakamura, who meet on day one and are joined by veterans Nakanishi and Koshinaka. Yano, in his second G1, and Super Jr. winner Milano round out the cast in that group. Block A: 1. Yuji Nagata 2. Masahiro Chono 3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4. Giant Bernard 5. Togi Makabe 6. X Block B: 1. Manabu Nakanishi 2. Hiroshi Tanahashi 3. Shinsuke Nakamura 4. Shiro Koshinaka 5. Toru Yano 6. Milano Collection AT NJPW, 8/5/07 (WPW) Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium 1. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. X 2. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe vs. Giant Bernard 3. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano vs. Milano Collection AT 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Shiro Koshinaka 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura NJPW, 8/6/07 (Samurai! TV) Twin Messe Shizuoka 1. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe vs. X 2. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Giant Bernard 3. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Shiro Koshinaka vs. Milano Collection AT 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura NJPW, 8/8/07 (SXW) Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium 1. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. X 2. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Giant Bernard 3. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Togi Makabe 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Milano Collection AT 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Shiro Koshinaka NJPW, 8/10/07 (Samurai! TV) Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 1. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard vs. X 2. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Togi Makabe 3. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Masahiro Chono 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Milano Collection AT 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Shiro Koshinaka vs. Toru Yano 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi NJPW, 8/11/07 (SXW) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. X 2. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Togi Makabe 3. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Giant Bernard 4. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Milano Collection AT 5. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Toru Yano 6. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shiro Koshinaka NJPW, 8/12/07 (WPW/PPV) Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Block A 1st Place vs. Block B 2nd Place 2. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Block B 1st Place vs. Block A 2nd Place 3. G1 Climax - Final: [Results] New Japan, 7/13/07 by Stuart - 13 Jul 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN SOUL ~CTU FAREWELL TOUR~" <-- NJPW, 7/13/07 (SXW) Zepp Sendai 515 Fans - No Vacancy 1. Prince Devitt beat Yujiro (11:22) with the Prince's Throne. 2. Minoru, Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado, Gedo & Milano Collection AT beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask, El Samurai & Tetsuya Naito (17:44) when Milano used the IR II on Kanemoto. 3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tomohiro Ishii beat Riki Choshu & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (7:10) when Ishii used a brainbuster on Hirasawa. 4. Masahiro Chono & Travis Tomko beat Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano (10:16) when Chono used a Shining Yakuza kick on Yano. 5. Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Iizuka beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Giant Bernard (12:23) when Iizuka used a sleeper hold on Nakamura. 6. Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Orlando Jordan (11:16) with the High Fly Flow. 7. Yuji Nagata & Naofumi Yamamoto beat Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma (15:16) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on Honma. [Results] New Japan, 7/12/07 by Stuart - 12 Jul 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN SOUL ~CTU FAREWELL TOUR~" <-- NJPW, 7/12/07 (SXW) Zepp Sendai 575 Fans - No Vacancy 1. Ryusuke Taguchi, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito beat Minoru, Jado & Gedo (12:55) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Gedo. 2. Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask & El Samurai beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Taichi Ishikari & Prince Devitt (15:38) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Devitt. 3. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma beat Takashi Uwano & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (8:44) when Honma used a diving body press on Hirasawa. 4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tomohiro Ishii beat Masahiro Chono & Milano Collection AT (11:01) when Tenzan used the TTD on Milano. 5. G1 Climax Participation Match: Toru Yano beat Takashi Iizuka (12:34) with the Oni Koroshi. 6. G1 Climax Participation Match: Shiro Koshinaka beat Riki Choshu (7:13) with a horizontal cradle. 7. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Giant Bernard, Travis Tomko & Orlando Jordan (18:25) when Nakanishi used the Hercules Cutter on Jordan. Taguchi ready to return home by Stuart - 11 Jul 2007  52nd generation IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Ryusuke Taguchi, will return home to Sendai in triumph tomorrow as New Japan begins its double header at Zepp Sendai. It was a timely title win for the new young ace of the junior division, right before New Japan heads to his home, and Taguchi commented a little today. It has been four years and eight months since his debut, and by New Japan's slow upbringing standards, Taguchi has risen to fame very quickly. Taguchi said he wants to become the man who symbolizes New Japan juniors for the new generation, following in the footsteps of the likes of Tiger Mask Sayama, Liger, and Kanemoto. To begin his legacy, he plans to defend his new title as much as possible so that he can be recognized as a true champion. Taguchi thanked the "Chairman", El Samurai, for helping his growth as a wrestler. Taguchi joined Samurai Gym in March and along with Yujiro, has grown up rapidly under the guidance of Samurai. When the group had its signboard stolen by Minoru, Taguchi and Yujiro chased it, and despite both suffering defeats to the ace of the soon to be defunct CTU, Taguchi persisted and clocked up successive victories, the second for the belt hs now holds. The Funky Weapon is likely to receive a warm welcome when he returns home tomorrow. LOCK UP 7/20 & 7/29 full cards by Stuart - 10 Jul 2007 LOCK UP, 7/20/07 Tochigi Bunka Center Sub Hall 1. Kuniyoshi Wada vs. Tomoaki Honma 2. Dick Togo & Naoki Tanisaki vs. KAGETORA & Hercules Oosenga 3. Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Tetsuya Naito vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Katsumasa Inoue 4. Masaaki Mochizuki & Yasushi Kanda vs. Shingo Takagi & Jack Evans 5. Togi Makabe, Jado & Gedo vs. Naofumi Yamamoto, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yujiro 6. Riki Choshu, Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano vs. Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii LOCK UP, 7/29/07 (Samurai! TV) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Takashi Uwano & Kuniyoshi Wada vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Tetsuya Naito 2. Yujiro, KAGETORA & Hercules Oosenga vs. Hi69, Yusaku Obata & Naoki Tanisaki 3. Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Shiro Koshinaka & Tomoaki Honma 4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Jado & Gedo vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mammoth Sasaki, Dick Togo & GENTARO 5. Riki Choshu vs. Tomohiro Ishii 6. Toru Yano vs. Kintaro Kanemura 7. Manabu Nakanishi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto
[Results] New Japan, 7/10/07 by Stuart - 10 Jul 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN SOUL ~CTU FAREWELL TOUR~" <-- NJPW, 7/10/07 Takaoka Techno Dome 1,100 Fans 1. Prince Devitt beat Tetsuya Naito (12:01) with the Devitt End II. 2. Koji Kanemoto & Yujiro beat Minoru & Taichi Ishikari (12:18) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Ishikari. 3. Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & El Samurai beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo (12:18) when Taguchi used the Dodon on Gedo. 4. Riki Choshu & Takashi Uwano beat Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma (7:06) when Choshu used a lariat on Honma. 5. Masahiro Chono & Orlando Jordan beat Manabu Nakanishi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (13:32) when Jordan used the Nightcap on Hirasawa. 6. Shinsuke Nakamura, Giant Bernard, Travis Tomko & Milano Collection AT beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii (14:34) when Bernard used the Baldo bomb on Ishii. 7. Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto (14:01) when Iizuka used a sleeper hold on Yamamoto. [Results] New Japan, 7/9/07 by Stuart - 09 Jul 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN SOUL ~CTU FAREWELL TOUR~" <-- NJPW, 7/9/07 Takayama Mount Ace 820 Fans - No Vacancy 1. Tetsuya Naito beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (7:38) with a cross armbreaker. 2. Ryusuke Taguchi & Yujiro beat Minoru & Prince Devitt (11:25) when Yujiro used a spear on Devitt. 3. Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask & El Samurai beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo (12:55) when Samurai used the Samurai clutch on Liger. 4. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko beat Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto (10:32) when Tomko used a lariat on Yamamoto. 5. Shinsuke Nakamura & Orlando Jordan beat Riki Choshu & Takashi Uwano (10:07) when Nakamura used a flying cross armbreaker on Uwano. 6. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma beat Masahiro Chono & Milano Collection AT (13:11) when Makabe used a top rope King Kong kneedrop on Milano. 7. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano (14:44) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on Yano. [Results] New Japan, 7/8/07 by Stuart - 08 Jul 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN SOUL ~CTU FAREWELL TOUR~" <-- IWGP Tag Team Champions, Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko, made Tanahashi & Yamamoto's return home to Gifu one to forget today. Another packed house, New Japan's biggest crowd in some years at Gifu Industrial Hall, saw the hometown heroes fall short of winning the belts in what was the foreigners' V3 defense. However, it wasn't Yamamoto who stayed down for the count as would have been expected, but Tanahashi in his second match back. He fell to a sit-down Last Ride from Bernard, the champions winning in style. Backstage, Bernard suggested that their V4 defense could either be against an All Japan team or in America, possibly under the TNA banner. Yamamoto said he needs to look at himself closely, having failed to win selection into this year's G1. Yamamoto promised to improve and said if he has to quit New Japan, he will quit professional wrestling. His aim is to win a title and enter next year's G1 as a worthy participant. Wataru Inoue told a young man at the dojo yesterday that he would not be getting on the bus to Gifu. A young man, possibly the same one, then discovered a note addressed to President Sugehayashi at the dojo. Wataru apologized to fans across the country supporting him, but announced that he was cancelling all appearances on the current tour. He said he would overcome "a certain wall" and then return to New Japan. New Japan has refused Wataru's unauthorized absence and intends to punish him for it. A combination of missing out on the Super Jr. tournament by falling to Milano in the final, dropping the fall in Friday's IWGP Jr. Tag match, and possibly seeing younger generation trueborn Taguchi lift the belt that has eluded Wataru, seems to have driven Wataru into hiding and on some sort of expedition. NJPW, 7/8/07 (WPW) Gifu Industrial Hall 3,100 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Prince Devitt beat Tetsuya Naito (7:50) with the Devitt End II. 2. Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask beat Jado & Gedo (11:30) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on Jado. 3. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Milano Collection AT beat Ryusuke Taguchi, El Samurai & Yujiro (11:37) when Milano used the Victoria Milanese on Yujiro. 4. Toru Yano beat Orlando Jordan (10:35) with the Uragasumi. 5. Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Iizuka (14:11) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Iizuka. 6. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii beat Yuji Nagata, Riki Choshu, Takashi Uwano & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (11:41) when Tenzan used the TTD on Hirasawa. 7. IWGP Tag Team Title: Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko (c) beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto (20:46) when Bernard used a sit-down Last Ride on Tanahashi (3rd defense). Nagata and Otani to unite on 9/9? by Stuart - 07 Jul 2007  Shinjiro Otani looks set to return to his old haunt, New Japan, for the first time since 1/4/06, when Yuji Nagata celebrates his 15th anniversary as a pro wrestler on 9/9 in Chiba. Nagata showed up at promised at ZERO1-MAX's Togane Arena show last night, the same building where Nagata's special show will take place. Nagata presented a bouquet of flowers to his sworn friend Otani and asked the ZERO1-MAX ace to be his tag partner on 9/9. Otani hasn't answered yet because he is focusing on the Fire Festival, but will answer the IWGP Heavyweight Champion when the tournament is over, and is most likely to say "Yes". Kazunari Murakami is another of Nagata's friends who could appear on the show, while it seems likely that Tenzan will oppose Nagata in whatever match is booked, as he was Mr. Saikyo's debut opponent. September schedule by Stuart - 07 Jul 2007 Here is the September schedule for New Japan. The main notable is that New Japan will run its first large-ish show in Hiroshima since day one of the 2005 New Japan Cup, returning to Hiroshima Sun Plaza for a national TV taping. Lots of tapings on this tour, which also has Nagata's anniversary show that we may learn more about today if Nagata goes through with his planned ZERO1-MAX invasion. NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN GENERATION - 9/7 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall SXW - 9/9 "YUJI NAGATA 15TH ANNIVERSARY" @ Togane Arena SAMURAI! - 9/13 @ Chichibu Citizen Gymnasium - 9/14 @ Maebashi Green Dome Sub Arena - 9/15 @ Kuki City Gymnasium SAMURAI! - 9/17 @ Sagamihara City Gymnasium SXW - 9/19 @ Chikuma City Togura Gymnasium - 9/22 @ Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall #3 SXW - 9/24 @ Hiroshima Sun Plaza WPW [Results] New Japan, 7/6/07 by Stuart - 06 Jul 2007  --> "NEW JAPAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ CIRCUIT 2007 NEW JAPAN SOUL ~CTU FAREWELL TOUR~" <-- Yuji Nagata will enter the 2007 G1 Climax as IWGP Heavyweight Champion after surviving a blood-soaked war with Togi Makabe today. Nagata bypassed his V2 defense in the same building he defeated Makabe back in May to win the New Japan Cup. Before kickoff, there were big "Togi" calls, which became dueling "Togi" and "Nagata" calls after the bell. Thus began a war which saw Makabe cut up Nagata's face with scissors early on and control much of the first half. Nagata fought back and Makabe bled even worse, his entire hair dyed red and the doctor having to get in the ring briefly. Nagata hit a Shining Wizard for two, then a backdrop for one, Makabe standing stubbornly. After some slapping, Nagata landed a high kick, then one to the face for another near fall. Finally, Nagata dunked the barely conscious Makabe with a backdrop to finish him off and shatter Makabe's dreams for the second time this year. Nagata responded to large "Nagata" chants after the match by grabbing the microphone. He thanked fans and said that it appears the scaffolding of New Japan has been solidified at last. With the IWGP Heavyweight Title, he told fans he would advance on Sumo Hall, then wants them to join him at the Tokyo Dome. Makabe promised next time he challenges for the title, it would become his property. Despite losing, Makabe remains the biggest breakout star of 2007 in Japan so far, and will look to continue getting his name to the world during the G1. After much waiting, New Japan's world famous junior division finally has a young ace. 28-year-old Ryusuke Taguchi ended the drought of young trueborn juniors holding the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title by controlling his third battle with Minoru, making CTU (minus Goto in Mexico) a "no title" group as the countdown to their break-up continues. The two were 1-1 going into this, but despite just missing out on the Super Jr. final this year, wins in that tournament over Minoru, Samurai, and Kanemoto had shown how far Taguchi has come since debuting five years ago. In what was described as one of the best matches of the year, Taguchi fought through an arm injury, surviving Minoru's jujigatames and several of his pinning moves, before hitting a dropkick, German suplex hold, and finally the Dodon to live out his dream. Samurai Gym leader, El Samurai, and member Yujiro got in the ring and embraced Taguchi after the match, while the other chase, to regain the Samurai Gym signboard, ended, as Minoru handed it back to the group. Taguchi told the fans that his time for pulling the junior division had arrived, and that Samurai Gym is here to stay. The "Taguchi" calls wouldn't cease and of course he treated the fans to the Tag Dance. Dick Togo & TAKA Michinoku survived their first challenge as IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions, beating Kanemoto & Wataru in something of a sprint today. Lots of back and forth action ended when TAKA drilled Wataru with the Michinoku Driver II, the belts still in enemy hands. Wataru was borderline violent backstage, criticizing himself for never being able to win the important matches - such as this one, his various IWGP Jr. challenges, and of course this year's Super Jr. final. Kanemoto said he understood Wataru's mental state, but still thinks they will be the team to return the belts to New Japan. Before the fifth match, BJW star Daisuke Sekimoto intruded, introducing himself because he and Nakanishi will battle in the same building on LOCK UP's 7/29 show. Sekimoto said he would catch Nakanishi's head on the 29th and asked New Japan fans for their support. He went to the commentary booth and it was time for Hiroshi Tanahashi's long awaited return, the previous IWGP Heavyweight Champion making his first appearance since May 1st. He and Nakamura started the match, Tanahashi showing little ring rust that made it hard to believe he's been out for over two months and had an operation in that time. However, it was a common story when Yamamoto was caught and pinned, falling to Nakamura's Landslide. Sekimoto got into the ring after the match and started a brawl with Nakanishi, heating up their much delayed singles match. Chono also returned, although return matches for Chono are quite common. His trios match saw Milano step back into the heavyweight division in preparation for this year's G1, and Orlando Jordan also make his New Japan return. With Honma in the ring, the winner - or rather the loser - was never in much doubt, and it was the returning Chono who pinned the very unpopular semi-GBH member, who was booed before he even did anything today. NJPW, 7/6/07 (WPW) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 2,025 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Taichi Ishikari beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (7:23) with a cross kneelock. 2. Jado Return Match: Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado, Gedo & Prince Devitt beat Tiger Mask, El Samurai, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (10:37) when Devitt used the Prince's Lawn on Tiger. 3. Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano beat Riki Choshu & Takashi Iizuka (7:39) when Yano used a horizontal cradle on Iizuka. 4. Masahiro Chono Return Match: Masahiro Chono, Milano Collection AT & Orlando Jordan beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma (10:11) when Chono used a Shining Yakuza kick on Honma. 5. Hiroshi Tanahashi Return Match: Shinsuke Nakamura, Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko beat Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto (14:16) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Yamamoto. 6. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Dick Togo & TAKA Michinoku (c) beat Koji Kanemoto & Wataru Inoue (11:40) when TAKA used the Michinoku Driver II on Inoue (1st defense).7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Ryusuke Taguchi beat Minoru (c) (18:47) with the Dodon to become the 52nd champion. 8. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Yuji Nagata (c) beat Togi Makabe (19:31) with a backdrop suplex (2nd defense). |