  
|
Latest News
[Results] LOCK UP, 11/18/06 & Korakuen double header in January by Stuart - 18 Nov 2006 - [Comments (5)]  Chapter four of Riki Choshu's LOCK UP was a big success, but with this card, that was to be expected. Shin-Kiba 1st RING was packed and overfilled, and after the show, Choshu announced plans for the brand to advance on Korakuen Hall in 2007 like WRESTLE LAND. With a larger scale, it should allow Choshu to book these interesting shows with some bigger matches and maybe more surprise appearances, like the DRAGON GATE wrestlers on this event. Togi Makabe continued to dominate Apache boss, Kintaro Kanemura, making a successful V1 defense of his WEW World Title against the man he won to capture the vacant title. Kanemura looked to avenge a humiliating pair of losses on 9/24, where Makabe pinned him in a singles match to win the title at Korakuen Hall, then later in the day at New Japan's Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium show, Makabe pinned him in a tag match. Both men bled in what was a wild brawl, which included involvement from seconds. It came down to a 3 vs. 1 situation near the end, with Yano and Ishii helping out Makabe, who won the match with a running kneedrop. Makabe insulted Apache's fans after the match and was booed by some females. Tetsuhiro Kuroda announced he would recapture "Fuyuki's title" afterwards. This came after Kuroda scored a big win over Yano earlier in the show, cradling him to secure his right to challenge Makabe some time soon. Members of Apache's heel army, who are aligned with Makabe in that company, Hido & Hi69, met the challenge of New Japan's Choshu & Yamamoto, and were beaten quite soundly, Yamamoto dropping TAKA's former star pupil with his backdrop. Jushin Thunder Liger made his first LOCK UP appearance and it was part of a special tag match, where he teamed up with DRAGON GATE future ace candidate, BxB Hulk, against CTU allies Dick Togo & Masaaki Mochizuki. This was a very exciting match, but Hulk's inexperience was exploited by the wily veterans, Togo pinning him following a diving senton after Mochi had landed his Twister. Liger spoke highly of Hulk, saying he is growing up very well, and experiences like today's will help him grow more. Hulk declared upcoming revenge and will take Liger to DG with him, the two facing CIMA & Matt Sydal tomorrow. After Jado & Gedo scored an upset win over GBH's Makabe & Yano at the Geopolis on fan vote day, members of the same group, Koshinaka & Ishii, picked up a revenge win today. As always though, Jado & Gedo put up a great fight and continued to prove that they can hang with heavyweights, but Ishii pinned Gedo today after his brainbuster. Former All Japan and King's Road youngsters, Kazushi Miyamoto and Taichi Ishikari, made a flying start in LOCK UP, beating young lions. Ishikari pinned Yujiro in what could be considered a relative upset, while the former ace of King's Road, Miyamoto, showed his superior experience to Hirasawa (replacing Uwano, who must be injured), beating him quite easily in 4 minutes. LOCK UP, 11/18/06 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 435 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Kazushi Miyamoto beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (3:50) with a crab hold. 2. Taichi Ishikari beat Yujiro (9:27) with the Black Mephisto. 3. Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii beat Jado & Gedo (11:20) when Ishii used a brainbuster on Gedo. 4. Dick Togo & Masaaki Mochizuki  beat Jushin Thunder Liger & BxB Hulk (13:55) when Togo used a diving senton on Hulk.5. Tetsuhiro Kuroda beat Toru Yano (11:47) with a front cradle. 6. Riki Choshu & Naofumi Yamamoto beat BADBOY Hido & Hi69 (8:46) when Yamamoto used a backdrop suplex on Hi69. 7. WEW Heavyweight Title: Togi Makabe (c) beat Kintaro Kanemura (11:00) with a kneedrop (1st defense). - New Japan has a busy Tokyo schedule in January. Of course, we all know now that they will return to the Tokyo Dome on 1/4 for "WRESTLE KINGDOM IN TOKYO DOME". If you remember a post of mine before the Dome show was announced, I said they had taken out bookings on Korakuen Hall for a double header, and it looks like they're still running those, which is going to be a very, very tough sell coming right after the Dome. On 1/7, they run "CIRCUIT 2007 BATTLE HALL LIVE VOL. 1", then a day later on 1/8 comes "CIRCUIT 2007 BATTLE HALL LIVE EXTRA ~FAN APPRECIATION DAY~", which will be a fan thanksgiving show like in January this year (but with full priced tickets next time). [Results] New Japan, 11/17/06 by Stuart - 17 Nov 2006 - [Comments (8)]  --> "NEW GENERATION LIVE 2 ~AKI NO GEOPOLIS~" <-- "Black Savior" Shinsuke Nakamura continued his storming form since returning from America, winning his second tag league in recent weeks. Nakamura & Kanemoto were a team that could have fallen apart at any point due to their different alignments, and especially with Aniki being so friendly with Tanahashi, but they didn't, and a when they cooperate, a team like this are hard to beat. All four of the teams in the semi finals were from Kansai, so as expected that region dominated. Team Gifu, Tanahashi & Yamamoto, pulled off a big win in the first semi, beating Tenzan & Minoru. Tanahashi pinned Minoru after his High Fly Flow to seal the all-heavyweight teams' passage. Nakamura & Kanemoto bested Nakanishi & Liger in the other semi, the outcome something of a surprise when Shinsuke caught Nakanishi's arm and made him tap to a jujigatame! And so that set up the final of Tanahashi & Yamamoto vs. Nakamura & Kanemoto, and hence the second preliminary skirmish to Tanahashi vs. Nakamura. Once again, Nakamura got one up on his rival, pinning Yamamoto, who he also has to face on the next tour. The Landslide got the job done, Nakamura winning the fifth tournament of his short career. Kanemoto thanked the fans and said he loved them in his husky voice. Nakamura told Tanahashi not to cry about his injuries, because pro wrestlers are strong and fight through injuries. He won't hear any excuses before their IWGP Heavyweight Title match in Nagoya on 12/10. Kanemoto showed backstage that although they got along, he and Nakamura are by no means friends, saying Nakamura's career is shallow, while he has studied the craft for 17 years. Backstage, Nakamura also commented again, showing his disappointment with Yamamoto, who he basically called a slacker. He was also appreciative to Kanemoto, saying he is a true pro wrestler. NJPW, 11/17/06 (Samurai! TV) Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 500 Fans - Super No Vacancy 1. National Area Tag League - Semi Final: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Minoru (10:40) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Minoru. 2. National Area Tag League - Semi Final: Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto beat Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger (12:33) when Nakamura used a cross armbreaker on Nakanishi. 3. Geopolis Final Special ~ New Japan vs. CTU: Tiger Mask, El Samurai, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Jado, Gedo, Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt (15:09) when Samurai used the Samurai clutch on Devitt. 4. Geopolis Final Special ~ New Japan vs. GBH: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka beat Togi Makabe & Toru Yano (10:47) when Makabe was DQ'd. 5. National Area Tag League - Final: Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto (19:57) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Yamamoto. [Results] New Japan, 11/16/06 by Stuart - 16 Nov 2006 - [Comments (6)] --> "NEW GENERATION LIVE 2 ~AKI NO GEOPOLIS~" <-- Tonight's fan vote show at the Geopolis was a big success. 500 fans, many of whom were Team NJPW (fan club) members, packed the Tokyo Dome Geopolis to see matches that several thousand fans voted. The first match voted was Jado & Gedo vs. Makabe & Yano, a battle of heels from two weight classes. As they proved in the G1 Tag League, Jado & Gedo have the wits and experience to match heavyweights and managed to outcheat the GBH team today, Gedo cradling Yano after a low blow and showing the capability of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions. Young Taichi Ishikari was voted as the man to make up the three way with Liger and Wataru. The three would often help each other, then betray each other, so there were no real friends. In the end, Wataru used his Triangle Lancer on Ishikari and turned it into a pinning predicament for the win. Nagta-gun faced Nakanishi-gun in a 5 vs. 5 Elimination Match that allowed "over the top rope" rules. Nakanishi's team was comprised entirely of young generation members besides himself, while Nagata had the helping hands of two veteran craftsmen, Iizuka and Samurai. This would help in the end, although it wasn't an easy win for Mr. Saikyo's team, and in fact he wasn't the survivor. The last fall saw Nagata and Nakanishi topple out of the ring after Nagata had Nakanishi in a Tarantula, and Taguchi was the last man in the ring, making him the winner. Nagata did the Tag Dance post-match, causing much laughter in the crowd. Backstage, Nagata-gun struck the pose, ending a triumphant night. Naofumi Yamamoto was given the big chance of facing G1 champion, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, in the only singles match of the show. Yamamoto put up a fight, but as expected was outgunned by the GBH leader and fell to the TTD. Today's main event was the first preliminary skirmish to Tanahashi vs. Nakamura, with the two leading stylish armies. Kanemoto and Tiger Mask were voted as Tanahashi's partners, while Minoru and Milano were voted as Nakamura's. This exciting match lasted for half an hour, but to show how even these men are, they were beaten by the time limit, and part one of Tanahashi vs. Nakamura was completed (as well as the latest chapter in Kanemoto vs. Minoru, leading into their 12/24 title match). Yamamoto rode the rollercoaster with fans tonight. NJPW "THANKSGIVING MOBILE NIGHT", 11/16/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 500 Fans - Super No Vacancy 1. Jado & Gedo beat Togi Makabe & Toru Yano (13:13) when Gedo used a small package hold on Yano. 2. Three Way Match: Wataru Inoue beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Taichi Ishikari (9:10) with a Triangle Lancer cradle on Ishikari. 3. Elimination Survival Match ~ Over The Top Rope: Yuji Nagata, Takashi Iizuka, El Samurai, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tetsuya Naito beat Manabu Nakanishi, Takashi Uwano, Yujiro, Prince Devitt & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (21:04). Devitt used a horizontal cradle on Samurai (6:55). Nakanishi used the Hercules Cutter on Iizuka (9:47). Nagata-gun threw Uwano over the top rope (11:57). Taguchi used the Dodon on Devitt (13:58). Taguchi used a small package hold on Hirasawa (14:05). Yujiro used a kakaekomi crab hold on Naito (15:29). Nagata used a Shining Wizard on Yujiro (17:12). Nagata & Nakanishi went over the top rope (21:04). 4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Naofumi Yamamoto (10:54) with the TTD. 5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Minoru & Milano Collection AT went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired. - The full card for tomorrow's tag league finals shows has been announced. NJPW, 11/17/06 (Samurai! TV) Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 1. National Area Tag League - Semi Final: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Minoru 2. National Area Tag League - Semi Final: Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger 3. Geopolis Final Special ~ New Japan vs. CTU: Tiger Mask, El Samurai, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jado, Gedo, Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt 4. Geopolis Final Special ~ New Japan vs. GBH: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano 5. National Area Tag League - Final: All Japan pledges its full support to 1/4! by Stuart - 15 Nov 2006 - [Comments (45)]   Presidents stood in the center of the Tokyo Dome earlier today and announced a big plan for 1/4/07 at the Tokyo Dome. President Taniguchi of Yuke's, President Simon of New Japan, and President Keiji Muto of All Japan announced that All Japan will offer its full cooperation to New Japan for 1/4 and that it will work closer than ever with New Japan and Yuke's from now on. Both the IWGP Heavyweight Title (currently held by Hiroshi Tanahashi) and Triple Crown Title (currently held by Minoru Suzuki) will be defended at the Tokyo Dome in separate matches. Yuke's has worked closely with All Japan for a while now, so has acted as the go-between here in getting Muto to support New Japan's biggest show of the calendar. Simon said that the wrestlers and employees of New Japan are united and have determined a theme for 1/4: "This show will succeed without fail". Simon said a fair wind has blown on New Japan since the G1, with many good months from August and beyond, and some improving business. Simon promised that all wrestlers involved will show beautiful pro wrestling at the Tokyo Dome, and this plan is all part of making New Japan's 35th anniversary year a big one. Taniguchi, with a smile on his face and showing no signs of a man who is ready to sell New Japan, contrary to rumours, said everyone will work hard on 1/4 so that the fans can be pleased. With President Muto offering his support, which means that both Muto and Kojima, and probably other wrestlers from All Japan (can they get Kensuke Sasaki, another man who has ties to Yuke's, to compete?), will cooperate and a dream card will be constructed. Muto said that 2007 will be a turning point for both New Japan and All Japan, with their 35th anniversary years taking place, and that he is happy to offer full cooperation to his old haunt on 1/4. Muto said that All Japan has a business tie-up with Yuke's for its games, and this has helped bring New Japan and All Japan close together as allies. Muto brushed off the idea of "New Japan vs. All Japan" up and down the card, saying the idea is old and outdated. He wants to cooperate in building a card that shows "New Japan and All Japan - the complete package", one that will please all fans of pro wrestling. He also wants the young wrestlers of both promotions to be able to experience the Tokyo Dome, because that is where he grew so much as a wrestler. This may not be the end of the big 1/4 announcements if another expected plan goes ahead, but I won't say anything more about it until its confirmed (in case it isn't)... [Results] New Japan, 11/15/06 by Stuart - 15 Nov 2006 - [Comments (0)] --> "NEW GENERATION LIVE 2 ~AKI NO GEOPOLIS~" <-- The group stage of the tag league has ended and the four semi finalists are decided. Who will face who isn't decided yet, but Nakanishi & Liger (Block A winners), Nakamura & Kanemoto (Block B winners), Tenzan & Minoru (Block C winners), and Tanahashi & Yamamoto (Block D winners) are the four teams who will comprise the semis, so it looks quite interesting, one might argue more interesting than the G1 Tag League. Sorry for the shortage of details in these reports, I am on holiday after all! NJPW, 11/15/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 465 Fans 1. National Area Tag League - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger [4] beat Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano [2] (12:52) when Nakanishi used a one leg hammer on Uwano. 2. National Area Tag League - Block D: Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt [2] beat Togi Makabe & Gedo [0] (13:08) when Gedo was DQ'd. 3. National Area Tag League - Block C: Yuji Nagata & Jado [2] beat Ryusuke Taguchi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa [0] (11:25) when Jado used the Crossface of JADO on Hirasawa. 4. National Area Tag League - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto [4] beat Toru Yano & Wataru Inoue [2] (14:05) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Inoue. [Results] New Japan, 11/14/06 by Stuart - 14 Nov 2006 - [Comments (5)] --> "NEW GENERATION LIVE 2 ~AKI NO GEOPOLIS~" <-- Once again, no real surprises at the Geopolis today, as the area-based tag league remains free of big upsets (the G1 Tag League started similar though). One of the highlights for fans was being able to ride the rollercoaster with Nagata. Wataru (who wore one of Yano's red coats today when teaming with him) will ride the rollercoaster with fans tomorrow. NJPW, 11/14/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 450 Fans 1. National Area Tag League - Block B: Toru Yano & Wataru Inoue [2] beat El Samurai & Yujiro [0] (13:30) when Yano pinned Samurai after Yujiro accidentally used a lariat. 2. National Area Tag League - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger [2] beat Tiger Mask & Tetsuya Naito [0] (11:15) when Nakanishi used a one leg hammer on Naito. 3. National Area Tag League - Block D: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto [4] beat Togi Makabe & Gedo [0] (15:32) when Tanahashi used the Sling Blade on Gedo. 4. National Area Tag League - Block C: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Minoru [4] beat Yuji Nagata & Jado [0] (18:55) when Minoru used the Minoru Special on Jado. - New Japan's last show of 2006 will feature a special match as Minoru re-challenges for Kanemoto's IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title after failing to win it in their big match at Sumo Hall last month. This is likely to be the main event of the show, unless Tanahashi decides to defend his heavyweight title or something. NJPW "BATTLE XMAS! CATCH THE VICTORY", 12/24/06 (SXW) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Koji Kanemoto (c) vs. Minoru [Results] New Japan, 11/13/06 by Stuart - 13 Nov 2006 - [Comments (3)] --> "NEW GENERATION LIVE 2 ~AKI NO GEOPOLIS~" I'm back and will be updating whenever I can now during my trip - should be regularly. The new tour has started and each show, besides the fan vote one, just seems to be a four match event. The area-based tag league began today and despite only four matches, they were pretty long and for the young men in each match today, it should have been a good experience. No surprises at all on day one. During my absence for a few days, nothing else of note seems to have happened in the New Japan world, but I'll keep you updated on whatever does happen even during my trip. NJPW, 11/13/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 450 Fans 1. National Area Tag League - Block A: Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano [2] beat Tiger Mask & Tetsuya Naito [0] (14:13) when Iizuka used a sleeper hold on Naito. 2. National Area Tag League - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto [2] beat El Samurai & Yujiro [0] (16:31) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Yujiro. 3. National Area Tag League - Block C: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Minoru [2] beat Ryusuke Taguchi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa [0] (16:01) when Tenzan used a diving headbutt on Hirasawa. 4. National Area Tag League - Block D: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto [2] beat Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt [0] (18:12) when Yamamoto used a backdrop suplex on Devitt. [Now Open] 2006 Strong Style Spirit Awards! by Stuart - 10 Nov 2006 - [Comments (11)] It's time for the fifth annual Strong Style Spirit site awards! Each year, visitors of the site get to vote on several categories relating to the year's events in New Japan. The 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 awards all helped determine who was hot and who was not in New Japan in those years among English-speaking fans, and I'm hoping for the same this year. Unlike previous years though, I'm not offering "incentives" for voting this time. I considered this a lot, but whenever I do this, a lot of people seem to send "template" ballots in without any thought, which kind of waters down the awards. By not offering free DVDs or the like, I feel that while the turnout may be much smaller, people who really follow the product will be the ones who vote. Depending on the popularity of the awards without incentives offered, I will consider whether to keep the awards going next year. Instead of a "Young Lion Prize" this year, I've decided to instead introduce a "New Wave Award" as there are only a few wrestlers who are truly young lions at the moment. This award covers newcomers, but not strictly young lions. Additionally, I've scrapped the "Foreign MVP" category and will include any relevant foreigners in other awards. Please send at least a top five (in order of preference) for each category, as that makes it easier for me to tally the votes then (I use a points system). If there is any award you don't feel you can compile a top five for, just skip them, as I need five (not four or three) to properly count the votes. All submissions should be sent to me by email, with the deadline being 1/2/07. The results will be announced shortly after. If you still have footage to watch, there is no hurry, just remember the deadline. Unlike recent years, there is a change to the voting calendar. The timeframe for voting this year is December, 2005 to November, 2006. Below are the categories. - Heavyweight MVP (the best heavyweight of the year, in terms of talent, success, and contributions to New Japan) - Junior Heavyweight MVP (the best junior heavyweight of the year, in terms of talent, success, and contributions to New Japan) - Tag Team MVP (the best tag team of the year, in terms of talent, success, and contributions to New Japan) - Singles Best Bout (the singles match you enjoyed the most) - Tag Team Best Bout (the tag match you enjoyed the most) - New Wave Award (the newcomer who made the biggest impression on you) - Technique Award (the best technician of the year; consider their mat wrestling and ability to piece a match together) - Fighting Spirit Award (the wrestler who showed the most energy and spirit in matches) - Image Award (the wrestler with the best character or look) You can find a comprehensive list of candidates for each award at the "2006 SSS Awards" page, which you will also be able to find at the top on the left for quick viewing. Note: I need them by email. You can post them in comment threads if you want, but I also need them by email, so I can store them all in one folder for tallying. WRESTLE LAND 12/8 card & Liger in WMF by Stuart - 10 Nov 2006 - [Comments (4)] Note: I leave for my trip in about 12 hours time, so thats when the less frequent updates will start. I will still update the site whenever I can, but make no promises on how often. If people want to beat each other (and me) in posting news and results, they can do it somewhere else, but I'd rather comments on the front page stay on-topic with what has been posted. ~Professional Wrestling Happy Land~ aka WRESTLE LAND returns next month as part of a two brand double header that New Japan will be running at Osaka Central Public Hall. This is the second show there on 12/8, and the full card was announced today (match order will be announced on the day). The two biggest matches reflect what was announced locally at the last WL event, except that the (probable) main event is a trios match instead of four man tag. It has Tanahashi, Tanaka & Pegasus Kid against TARU, Milano & Makai #2. Makai #2 broke Super Strong Machine's ribs on the last show, so Hirata has put him in the main event in hopes that the WL army will punish him. Jado & Gedo vs. Kondo & YASSHI thankfully remains unchanged and should be a good one. Daigoro Kashiwa returns for the first time since he and Teppei Ishizaka were betrayed by Yano. Ishizaka is on the shelf with an injury, so Kashiwa will bring in a new partner to reform Happy-gun against Yano's Makai Happy-gun. After failing to get along on recent shows, El Purpose and Taichi Ishikari will have a singles match, and after not happening on the last two shows, WL's opening match special, Tsubo vs. Naniwa, kicks off the event. And of course, there will be a "Bonus Track" after the main event as usual. WRESTLE LAND "HAPPY TOWN OSAKA FIRST LANDING", 12/8/06 (Samurai! TV) Osaka Central Public Hall 1. Tsubo Genjin vs. Gran Naniwa 2. El Purpose vs. Taichi Ishikari 3. Happy-gun vs. Makai Happy-gun: Daigoro Kashiwa  & X vs. Toru Yano & Makai #214. Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Makai Masked Canadian & Makai #14 5. Jado & Gedo vs. Shuji Kondo & "brother" YASSHI 6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tanaka & Pegasus Kid vs. TARU, Milano Collection AT & Makai #2 - In addition to his DRAGON GATE and Bikkuri Pro dates, Liger will appear for WMF on 12/17. Pilgrimages between tours are not uncommon for Liger, who always has industry activation in mind and has helped many promotions, big and small. WMF, 12/17/06 Toyohashi City Gymnasium 1. Soldier Local Return Match: Soldier vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 
11/25~12/10 cards; three major title matches in Aichi! by Stuart - 09 Nov 2006 - [Comments (37)]  Just days after the last tour ended and A day after lineups for the small tour coming up were announced, main cards for every show on the 2006 touring year finale, "CIRCUIT 2006 FINAL ~NEXT PROGRESS~", have been announced. This is a feature-filled tour to the extent that every single match has a subtitle of some kind to kind of emphasize how many themes comprise each show. Much of it is army-based; New Japan vs. BLACK, New Japan vs. GBH, BLACK vs. GBH, New Japan vs. CTU, and a pseudo-faction called MEXICAN SPIRIT (Samurai, Casas, Texano & Taguchi). Since a lot is happening, its best I do it dot point style... - Bernard, Tomko, Negro Casas (CMLL), and El Texano Jr. (CMLL) are the foreigners. The Mexicans play a key role in the tour, and this will be Negro's second return tour this year and Texano's second tour, period, after appearing with Lizmark Jr. last year. - Korakuen will have a series of "G1 Tag Revenge" matches. One was nominated by Simon, presumably to try and make Chono & Nakamura lose their momentum right after the league as they're facing a team who upset them in the tag league, Makabe & Koshinaka. Those two barely team on the tour, as the emphasis is on something much bigger. - Akebono is booked for the 11/26 Fujisawa taping, and so far this appears to be his only booking. That same show has Yamamoto vs. Nakamura, the match Yamamoto wanted and may regret. - Tiger Mask vs. Milano III will take place on 12/2 Kyoto in Tiger's V5 defense of the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title after he beat Milano in V4. Tiger Mask asked Simon to make this a match where he risks his mask against Milano's New Japan career. Simon rejected, saying both men are too important to New Japan, even though he understands Tiger's feelings. Tiger then pounded the table and refused to accept Simon's comment, and suggested he may risk his mask anyway. - Alexander Otsuka will make a special appearance on 12/3, teaming with Iizuka. Otsuka made three appearances for New Japan last year, losing to Minoru Suzuki and Kakihara, and beating Yujiro. - The new face of New Japan, Tanahashi and Nakamura, will both have special singles matches against GBH members on 12/7 in Osaka. Nakamura faces Yano while Tanahashi has his first match with Koshinaka since the 2002 G1. - With Tenzan missing for many dates due to his TenKoji reunion in All Japan's RWTL, Makabe acts as de facto leader of GBH on many shows. On 12/9, he has a big singles match with Chono. - 12/10 Aichi has three major title matches and is New Japan's strongest show in the area for a while. Tanahashi vs. Nakamura, the match they were going to run at the Dome, will headline for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Aichi will follow Tokyo, Osaka, and Hokkaido in having this "gold card", continuing the trend of each new match between them being held in a different prefecture. Simon said New Japan wanted to strike while the iron was hot, so booked it in Nagoya instead of Tokyo. Tanahashi currently has a fairly serious knee injury that won't heal in time for the tour, but plans to fight through it. Wild Child make their V1 defense of the IWGP Tag Team Title against an undetermined team. Since Nakamura is in the main title match, he and Chono can't challenge, so New Japan is looking for an able substitute team (perhaps the winners of Nagata & Iizuka vs. Bernard & Tomko at Korakuen?). Casas & Texano Jr. get a big title shot when they challenge Jado & Gedo for the IWGP Jr. Tag Title in Jado & Gedo's V1 defense. The main special feature match besides those is Kanemoto & Wataru vs. Minoru & Milano, but you'll notice a lot of the heavyweights aren't booked yet. NJPW, 11/25/06 (SXW) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. NEW JAPAN SPIRIT Challenge Singles: Takashi Uwano vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. FUSION Tag: Naofumi Yamamoto & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yujiro & Mitsuhide Hirasawa 3. New Japan vs. CTU: El Samurai & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru & Prince Devitt 4. Tiger & CMLL Union vs. CTU & BROTHER: Tiger Mask, Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. vs. Jado, Gedo & Milano Collection AT 5. New Japan vs. GBH: Riki Choshu & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii 6. G1 Tag Revenge Match ~ Simon Inoki Nomination: Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka 7. G1 Tag Revenge Match ~ 1st Place Battle: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka vs. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko 8. G1 Tag Revenge Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger NJPW, 11/26/06 (WPW) Fujisawa City Akiba Bunka Gymnasium 1. NEW JAPAN SPIRIT Challenge Singles: Tetsuya Naito vs. Milano Collection AT 2. New Japan vs. CTU: Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jado & Gedo 3. ANIKI & CMLL Union vs. CTU: Koji Kanemoto, Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Prince Devitt 4. New Japan & Yokozuna Union vs. BLACK: Riki Choshu, Yuji Nagata & Akebono vs. Masahiro Chono, Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko 5. New Japan vs. GBH FUSION Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi, Takashi Iizuka & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii 6. Special Singles Match: Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura NJPW, 11/29/06 Hachinohe City Gymnasium 1. New Japan vs. CTU: El Samurai vs. Prince Devitt 2. NEW GENERATION Challenge Match: Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Tetsuya Naito 3. New Japan vs. CTU & BROTHER: Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yujiro vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru, Jado, Gedo & Milano Collection AT 4. New Japan vs. GBH: Riki Choshu, Takashi Uwano & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano 5. New Japan vs. BLACK: Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Iizuka vs. Masahiro Chono & Giant Bernard 6. New Japan vs. BLACK: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Travis Tomko NJPW, 12/2/06 (Samurai! TV) Kyoto City Gymnasium 1. MEXICAN SPIRIT vs. CTU Special Tag: Negro Casas, El Texano Jr. & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo 2. New Japan vs. CTU: Koji Kanemoto & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru & Prince Devitt 3. New Japan vs. GBH: Yuji Nagata & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii 4. BLACK vs. GBH: Masahiro Chono & Travis Tomko vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano 5. NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask (c) vs. Milano Collection AT 6. New Japan vs. BLACK: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Giant Bernard NJPW, 12/3/06 Naruto Citizen Hall 1. New Japan vs. CTU: Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Prince Devitt 2. New Japan vs. CTU: Yujiro vs. Minoru 3. VIVA MEXICO Special Tag: El Samurai & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. 4. New Japan vs. CTU & BROTHER: Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue & Tetsuya Naito vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado, Gedo & Milano Collection AT 5. Alexander Otsuka Special Participation: Takashi Iizuka & Alexander Otsuka vs. Takashi Uwano & Naofumi Yamamoto 6. New Japan vs. GBH: Riki Choshu & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano 7. BLACK vs. GBH: Masahiro Chono & Giant Bernard vs. Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii 8. New Japan vs. BLACK: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Travis Tomko NJPW, 12/5/06 Tex Port Imabari 1. NEW JAPAN DOJO SPIRIT: Yujiro vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa 2. Super Challenge Singles: Takashi Iizuka vs. Takashi Uwano 3. NEW JAPAN SPIRIT Challenge Singles: Tiger Mask vs. Tetsuya Naito 4. MEXICAN SPIRIT vs. CTU Special Tag: El Samurai, Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. vs. Jado, Gedo & Prince Devitt 5. New Japan vs. CTU & BROTHER: Koji Kanemoto, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Milano Collection AT 6. New Japan vs. GBH Special Singles: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii 7. NEW JAPAN Spirit Tag: Yuji Nagata & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Riki Choshu & Manabu Nakanishi 8. BLACK vs. GBH: Masahiro Chono, Shinsuke Nakamura, Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii NJPW, 12/7/06 (SXW) Osaka Central Public Hall 1. NEW JAPAN SPIRIT Challenge Series #1: El Samurai vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. ANIKI & CMLL Union vs. CTU: Koji Kanemoto, Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. vs. Minoru, Jado & Gedo 3. New Japan vs. CTU & BROTHER: Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt 4. New Japan vs. GBH: Riki Choshu, Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & Tomohiro Ishii 5. NEW JAPAN SPIRIT Tag: Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Masahiro Chono, Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko 6. BLACK vs. GBH Special Singles: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Toru Yano 7. New Japan vs. GBH Special Singles: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shiro Koshinaka NJPW, 12/9/06 Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall #3 1. NEW JAPAN SPIRIT Challenge Series #2: El Samurai vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. New Japan vs. GBH: Yujiro vs. Tomohiro Ishii 3. Tiger & CMLL Union vs. CTU & BROTHER: Tiger Mask, Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. vs. Jado, Gedo & Milano Collection AT 4. New Japan vs. CTU: Koji Kanemoto, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Prince Devitt 5. New Japan vs. GBH: Riki Choshu, Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Iizuka vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano 6. New Japan vs. BLACK: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko 7. BLACK vs. GBH Special Singles: Masahiro Chono vs. Togi Makabe NJPW, 12/10/06 (WPW) Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 1. New Japan vs. CTU: Tiger Mask & El Samurai vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Prince Devitt 2. New Japan vs. CTU & BROTHER: Koji Kanemoto & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru & Milano Collection AT 3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Jado & Gedo (c) vs. Negro Casas & El Texano Jr. 4. IWGP Tag Team Title: Manabu Nakanishi & Takao Omori  (c) vs. X & X5. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Liger in DRAGON GATE, Hulk in LOCK UP! by Stuart - 08 Nov 2006 - [Comments (17)] The light New Japan/DRAGON GATE working relationship, centering mostly around Mochizuki previously, has taken another step with the announcement that living legend, Jushin Thunder Liger, will appear on two upcoming DG shows and that DG's young super-ikemen BxB Hulk will appear on New Japan's LOCK UP show on 11/18. "LOCK UP is dyed Liger x Hulk color!!" said New Japan, after revealing that this CTU/DRAGON GATE vs. CTU/DRAGON GATE match for LOCK UP, with Hulk as Liger's mystery partner. That completes an impressive LOCK UP card, and a day later in Fukuoka, Liger advances on the DG ring with Hulk, the two facing CIMA & Matt Sydal. CIMA and Liger have history, as CIMA, when he was a young upstart, gave Liger a good fight in the 2000 Super J Cup and raised his stock. Liger will then work DG's 11/23 super-show at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, teaming with Hulk and Dragon Kid against Doi, Yoshino & Kishiwada. Liger appeared at DRAGON GATE's Korakuen show today in his red and white mask to set this up, getting a big pop, and so will enter DG in babyface mode, no surprise given who he is teaming with. Could this possibly lead to DRAGON GATE participation on New Japan's 1/4 Tokyo Dome show? Then in December, both Liger and Minoru will appear on the Bikkuri Pro-Wrestling show, which has close ties to DRAGON GATE and DDT (it is promoted by ex-Osaka Pro, now DDT referee, Matsui). Minoru will face one of the hottest young juniors in the independent scene, DDT's Kota Iibushi, who is turning heads in the same way a young Minoru Tanaka did some years back, and has caught the eye of many promotions. This may not be an easy match for Minoru, as Kota recently scored a big upset win over the original Tiger Mask and is in a growth stage. This is also interesting as New Japan and DDT haven't been on great terms since some comments Makabe made during a "LION'S ROAD" show, but maybe that is changing too (American Balloon, who has been a hit in DDT, is from New Japan's L.A. Dojo). After clashing in a trios match on the DRAGON GATE show, Liger and Kishiwada battle in a big singles match. These two have history going back to when Kishiwada was Big Boss MA-G-MA in Osaka Pro. They feuded, MA-G-MA actually winning a singles match over Liger in 2004 when Liger was the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion. Liger avenged that loss on a stand-alone New Japan show in May, then MA-G-MA entered the Best of the Super Jr. that year and although Liger defeated him on the last day of group stage matches, it was by DQ after MA-G-MA injured Liger so badly that Liger had to forfeit his spot in the final stages. After that, Liger took Jado and Gedo with him to Osaka Pro, which led to Liger's "black" turn right after and the formation of CTU. And so these two have an old grudge that could be ignited again soon. LOCK UP, 11/18/06 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 1. Yujiro vs. Taichi Ishikari 2. Takashi Uwano vs. Kazushi Miyamoto 3. Shiro Koshinaka & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jado & Gedo 4. Jushin Thunder Liger & BxB Hulk vs. Dick Togo & Masaaki Mochizuki 5. Toru Yano vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda 6. Riki Choshu & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. BADBOY Hido & Hi69 7. WEW Heavyweight Title: Togi Makabe (c) vs. Kintaro Kanemura DRAGON GATE, 11/19/06 Hakata Star Lane - Jushin Thunder Liger & BxB Hulk vs. CIMA & Matt SydalDRAGON GATE, 11/23/06 (PPV) Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium - Jushin Thunder Liger , Dragon Kid & BxB Hulk vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Magnitude KishiwadaBikkuri Pro-Wrestling, 12/14/06 Tokyo Korakuen Hall - Minoru vs. Kota Iibushi  - Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Magnitude Kishiwada
National Area Tag League blocks and matches by Stuart - 08 Nov 2006 - [Comments (8)]  After the large success of the original "NEW GENERATION LIVE" tour last year, the sequel begins in five days time. The two features are the fan voting event I've been updating you on and an area-based tag tournament (Zengoku Chiku Taiko Ikusa Yosen League, but I've simply listed it as a "National Area Tag League", which means basically the same thing). The blocks and match schedule for it were announced today, and they are: Block A: Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger (Kansai), Tiger Mask & Tetsuya Naito (Kanto), Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano (Hokkaido) Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto (Kansai), Toru Yano & Wataru Inoue (Kanto), El Samurai & Yujiro (Hokkaido) Block C: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Minoru (Kansai), Yuji Nagata & Jado (Kanto), Ryusuke Taguchi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (Hokkaido) Block D: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto (Kansai), Togi Makabe & Gedo (Kanto), Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt (Hokkaido) NJPW, 11/13/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 1. National Area Tag League - Block A: Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano vs. Tiger Mask & Tetsuya Naito 2. National Area Tag League - Block B: El Samurai & Yujiro vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto 3. National Area Tag League - Block C: Ryusuke Taguchi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Minoru 4. National Area Tag League - Block D: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt NJPW, 11/14/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 1. National Area Tag League - Block A: Tiger Mask & Tetsuya Naito vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger 2. National Area Tag League - Block B: El Samurai & Yujiro vs. Toru Yano & Wataru Inoue 3. National Area Tag League - Block C: Yuji Nagata & Jado vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Minoru 4. National Area Tag League - Block D: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Togi Makabe & Gedo NJPW, 11/15/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 1. National Area Tag League - Block A: Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger 2. National Area Tag League - Block B: Toru Yano & Wataru Inoue vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto 3. National Area Tag League - Block C: Ryusuke Taguchi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Yuji Nagata & Jado 4. National Area Tag League - Block D: Togi Makabe & Gedo vs. Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt NJPW, 11/17/06 (Samurai! TV) Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 1. National Area Tag League - Semi Final: Block winner vs. Block winner 2. National Area Tag League - Semi Final: Block winner vs. Block winner 3. National Area Tag League - Final: Block winner vs. Block winner Pro wrestling on 12/31!?, some other notes by Stuart - 06 Nov 2006 - [Comments (11)] K-1 announced a big plan to the newspapers today, an apparent effort to give Akebono his first ever New Year's Eve win. K-1 is proposing running the first ever "pro wrestling rules" match on its 12/31 super-show, "DYNAMITE!!", which will be one half of the customary fighting bonanza that has become a 12/31 tradition. Persons concerned said they are trying to set up Riki Choshu & Akebono vs. Keiji Muto & Yuji Nagata as a special feature tag match for their show at the Kyocera Dome Osaka (the new name, as of 7/1/06, for the Osaka Dome). This would be unprecedented for K-1 and since Muto was Akebono's pro wrestling master in All Japan and Choshu is his master in New Japan, this would be a meaningful match for the 64th generation yokozuna. Here are the known dates for New Japan in 2007 so far. The full January/February schedule should be announced before the end of November. 1/4 Tokyo Dome 2/12 Gifu Industrial Hall 3/11 Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 3/18 Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium Latest update in the 11/16 fan voting, as of noon yesterday... NJPW "THANKSGIVING MOBILE NIGHT", 11/16/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 1. Elimination Survival Match ~ Over The Top Rope: Yuji Nagata, X, X & X vs. Manabu Nakanishi, X, X & X Top five votes (Nagata-gun): Takashi Iizuka (290), Tetsuya Naito (261), Taichi Ishikari (213), El Samurai (212), Mitsuhide Hirasawa (206) Top five votes (Nakanishi-gun): Black Strong Machine (266), Mitsuhide Hirasawa (240), Toru Yano (230), Prince Devitt (200), Togi Makabe (193) 2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. X Top five votes: Togi Makabe (112), Takashi Iizuka (98), Black Strong Machine (62), Naofumi Yamamoto (62), Koji Kanemoto (60) 3. Three Way Match: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Wataru Inoue vs. X Top five votes: Yujiro (116), Taichi Ishikari (85), Prince Devitt (73), Tiger Mask (55), El Samurai (54) 4. Jado & Gedo vs. X & X Top five votes: Togi Makabe (150), Toru Yano (146), Minoru (127), El Samurai (102), Koji Kanemoto (98) 5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, X & X vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, X & X Top five votes (Tanahashi-gun): Koji Kanemoto (331), Naofumi Yamamoto (272), Tiger Mask (209), Ryusuke Taguchi (115), Takashi Iizuka (63) Top five votes (Nakamura-gun): Milano Collection AT (351), Minoru (257), Black Strong Machine (144), Prince Devitt (125), Ryusuke Taguchi (84) [Results] New Japan, 11/6/06 by Stuart - 06 Nov 2006 - [Comments (51)]  --> "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION ~G1 TAG LEAGUE~" <-- One of New Japan's most successful tours in a while ended today at a packed Korakuen Hall, with all pamphlets also sold out. The first G1 Tag League in three years may have convinced the company to keep it going, as fan interest was pretty high and there were many good attendances. Today's show was very heated from the opening match to the end, and fans left Korakuen satisfied once again. For the "golden team" of Tanahashi & Kanemoto, they were faced with a grueling uphill battle if they were to win the tournament, and by the end of the show had wrestled for 50 minutes. It began with a decision match to determine who would finish second in Block A. Tanahashi & Kanemoto vs. Tenzan & Liger went to a 30 minute draw in Hakata, so when they were deadlocked in second place, the only way to determine a semi finalist was to either toss a coin or have them wrestle. The latter option was taken and wanting to waste no time, the GBH/CTU alliance of Tenzan & Liger jumped Tanahashi & Kanemoto during their entrance, starting the match. The heels dominated much of the match, attacking Tanahashi's leg. But the golden team wasn't about to leave the tournament this early in the show, and Tanahashi finished off Liger with the Sling Blade -> High Fly Flow. Chono's unnamed anti-Simon army collided in the first semi final, Chono & Nakamura battling Bernard & Tomko. Chono tried to get the gaijin to lie down for them, but they refused and went on an offensive rampage. Suffering from a midsection injury, Nakamura was taped up and this gave the Americans something to focus on, as they assaulted Nakamura. Nakamura was able to fight back and using their smarts, the natives scraped through, Nakamura sending Tomko into Chono's ground Cobra Twist with a Shining Wizard. Despite Simon's apparent attempt to draw Bernard & Tomko out of Chono's army at the Inoki Bar recently and today's pre-match tension, the teams shook hands and showed no sign of dissension after today's fierce fight. Tana & Kanemoto had 2000 champions, Nagata & Iizuka, to battle in the second semi final, all of this before intermission. There was no energy saving for them today, as this was another long match in which the already tired 2-crown team were dominated quite a lot. Iizuka put forth one of his best performances in years, impressing the fans and continuing a good tournament for him. He almost choked Tanahashi out with his sleeper hold too, but Tanahashi managed to wriggle out of it and use the same move as Chono in the previous match, a ground Cobra Twist, for the three count! So a semi final exit for Nagata & Iizuka, but after celebrating his 20th anniversary as a wrestler, Iizuka has much to be proud of and if he can maintain this vigor on the next tour, could become more of a key player again. Nagata said that although the champion (Tanahashi) was strong today, Iizuka was stronger, and was very happy with their results in the tournament. Having already wrestled for about half an hour, Tanahashi & Kanemoto had to face a slightly beaten down, but relatively fresh CN-gun in the tag league final. A miraculous happy ending for Sekigun was just one step away, but could they defeat a Chono & Nakamura team that started poorly together, but has gotten its act together now? Tanahashi and Nakamura traded elbows early on, showing no love lost for each other. A bruised and battered Tanahashi was again neutralized, taking three piledrivers in a row at one stage from Chono. Kanemoto intruded and helped turned the flow of the match around for a while, but a reverse powerslam by Nakamura on both opponents led to the end, Shinsuke then dropping Kanemoto with his Landslide to win the tournament on his first tour back! Chono took the microphone after the match, provoking President Simon, and they poured cola over a Simon t-shirt. There were some "Simon" chants here, and Chono joined in, wanting the boss to appear (but he didn't). Chono said these four men (his group... I wonder where Black Strong Machine is?) would divide and conquer New Japan, and this tournament victory was step one. Tiger Mask made a successful V4 defense of his NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title, defeating his new nemesis, Milano Collection AT, in a rematch from Sumo Hall. Milano was again in full heel mode, going for the mask and infuriating Tiger. Later on, Tiger cut back the IR II, and after some speedy back and forth it was, yes what else, a cradle that ended the match, Tiger's crucifix hold ensuring that the two are now 1-1 in singles matches, both of which ended with cradles. During the trophy presentation, Tiger was again jumped by Milano, who stole his mask. And so this grudge appears far from over still, and Milano requested another match soon. After backdropping Ishii in a tag match yesterday, Yamamoto looked to go one better with a singles victory over his senior in a Sekigun vs. GBH young generation battle. Yamamoto drove Ishii out of the ring early on, but made a mistake in following him, falling victim to chair attacks and bleeding. The match became very hot towards the end, Ishii winning after a jumping powerbomb, lariat, and brainbuster. After pinning CTU boss Liger in a recent Elimination Match, "heavyweight" junior Yujiro scored another big pin today, over CTU ace Minoru. It was a Jr. Sekigun young generation vs. CTU opening match and Yujiro pinned Minoru cleanly with a spear! Although CTU has been dominating Jr. Sekigun of late, Yujiro's quick growth may help the regular army move towards evening the odds a little. The tour is over, but very shortly a less formal tag tournament begins, with duos aligned by area. This all takes place on the shows that make up "NEW GENERATION LIVE 2 ~AKI NO GEOPOLIS~" from 11/13 to 11/17. NJPW, 11/6/06 (SXW) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,800 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Wataru Inoue, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yujiro beat Minoru, Jado & Gedo (11:47) when Yujiro used a spear on Minoru. 2. Tomohiro Ishii beat Naofumi Yamamoto (10:48) with a brainbuster. 3. G1 Tag League - Semi Finalist Decision Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger (14:24) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Liger. 4. Riki Choshu, Manabu Nakanishi & Akebono beat Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano (8:30) when Choshu used a lariat on Yano. 5. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko (8:16) when Chono used a ground Cobra Twist on Tomko. 6. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto beat Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka (16:49) when Tanahashi used a ground Cobra Twist on Iizuka. 7. NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask (c) beat Milano Collection AT (13:06) with a crucifix hold (4th defense). 8. G1 Tag League - Final: Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto (18:32) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Kanemoto. -  During intermission today, New Japan announced that the 1/4 tradition will continue when the company returns to the Tokyo Dome for "WRESTLE KINGDOM IN TOKYO DOME". Although I'm stating the obvious, this is a very risky move when the current situation is taken into consideration, and hopefully it isn't just an attempt to keep sponsors and that they have something up their sleeve. Ticket prices are slightly lower than before, which might encourage some casual fans to check it out, but its going to be a tough sell. There are also no second floor/bleacher tickets on sale, which suggests they are not even going to open the second floor and just try to fill the first floor, like many baseball teams do (like this, but with people on the floor too; it is possible to make a profit like this and rental might be cheaper, but it depends on the real ticket %). Royal Seat: ¥20,000 (US$170) Arena A: ¥10,000 (US$85) 1F Stand A: ¥5,000 (US$42) 1F Stand B: ¥3,000 (US$26) Elementary school, junior high school, and high school students: ¥1,000 (US$8.50) President Simon said he is planning a full scale press conference one of these days, where he hopes to announce the first one or two matches for 1/4. Simon basically confirmed that they have privately secured a big name or possibly more, and I can tell you that there is some excitement within about what they are going to announce. Vice-president Sugehayashi, who has been quiet lately, said he wants this to be a turning point, because 2007 is New Japan's 35th anniversary year. Sugehayashi said that while things are not easy, the teamwork between employees and wrestlers is near perfect now, and although there were some dissenting opinions about running the Dome, all of the wrestlers are now happy about it. The cheaper tickets are related to it being the 35th anniversary supposedly. [Results] New Japan, 11/5/06 by Stuart - 05 Nov 2006 - [Comments (14)]  --> "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION ~G1 TAG LEAGUE~" <-- G1 Tag League 2000 winners, Nagata & Iizuka, are closing in on a second championship. The reunited duo today sealed Block B with a big victory over one of the tournament favourites, Choshu & Akebono, who as a result missed out on the semis. They are now locked on points with Chono & Nakamura and Jado & Gedo, and while they finish above the junior tag kings due to a direct win, the same rule is what puts Chono & Nakamura (who also beat Jado & Gedo) above them and into the finals. Iizuka must be nostalgic for six years ago, as the dangerous Iizuka of old has resurfaced in this tournament, and he today choked out Choshu with a sleeper hold as Nagata applied his Nagata Lock II on the huge frame of Akebono (he also hit Akebono with an Exploder today)! And so as block winners, this team finds itself with a great advantage, the two having to face the winners of Tanahashi & Kanemoto vs. Tenzan & Liger on the same show. Today's main event was a special tag that saw the leading natives of both Chono's group and GBH collide. Chono & Nakamura, whose somewhat lucky trip to the semis was finalized in the match before their's, defeated Tenzan & Makabe in a close contest. There was large booing plus chants of "Coward!" and "Stop!" from fans for GBH as they coldheartedly isolated ikemen Nakamura and used all sorts of rulebreaking tactics to keep him under control. But Chono & Nakamura skillfully counterattacked with individual techniques and some improved cooperation. The finish saw a miscommunication from GBH, then Nakamura dropped Makabe with the Landslide for the three count. Tenzan said that tomorrow there would be a happy ending when he and Liger win the tournament, and he plans to invite Liger into GBH when they do. The Gifu team of Tanahashi & Yamamoto picked up a solid win, beating Yano & Ishii. Yamamoto, who has shown a few signs of growth on this tour, scored the big win over his senior, Ishii, backdropping him. However, a singles match has been booked between the two at Korakuen, and this will be a tough test for Yamamoto. CTU showed today that while they have lost a match or two to Jr. Sekigun on this tour, such as the 10/28 Elimination Match, they are in firm control of this feud. All they need are the singles belts now, and one of them could enter Black custody tomorrow (see below). Today, they won both trios matches over the regular army. Liger, Minoru & Devitt bested Kanemoto, Samurai & Yujiro, Devitt spiking his rival Yujiro with a brainbuster for the win. And the rulebreaking trio of Jado, Gedo & Milano overcame Tiger Mask, Wataru & Taguchi, Gedo pinning Taguchi. And yes, Milano added yet another Tiger mask to his collection. He must be making a fortune on eBay! Tiger Mask is absolutely furious though, and promised to bring out his "yellow demon" side tomorrow and crush Milano once and for all. NJPW "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION SPECIAL", 11/5/06 Koshigaya Katsura Studio 1,200 Fans - Super No Vacancy 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Tetsuya Naito (7:31) with a crab hold. 2. Jado, Gedo & Milano Collection AT beat Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi (11:12) when Gedo used a thrust kick on Taguchi. 3. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Prince Devitt beat Koji Kanemoto, El Samurai & Yujiro (12:39) when Devitt used a brainbuster on Samurai. 4. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko beat Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Uwano (8:36) when Tomko used a full nelson buster on Uwano. 5. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto beat Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii (11:32) when Yamamoto used a backdrop suplex on Ishii. 6. G1 Tag League - Block B: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka [6] beat Riki Choshu & Akebono [4] (7:08) when Iizuka used a sleeper hold on Choshu. 7. Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Togi Makabe (16:07) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Makabe. - Here are the (almost) final standings. The Tana & Kanemoto vs. Tenzan & Liger decision match will determine who finishes second in Block A, but other than that, this is how it looks. It has been a very hard fought tournament and basically every team will leave the tournament with a big win. Block A: 1. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko [6] 2a. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto [4] 2b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger [4] 4. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii [3] 5. Manabu Nakanishi & Naofumi Yamamoto [3] Block B: 1. Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka [6] 2. Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura [4] 3. Riki Choshu & Akebono [4] 4. Jado & Gedo [4] 5. Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka [2] - Tiger Mask will risk his NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title at Korakuen Hall when he faces Milano, after basically being provoked into upping the ante. This will be Tiger's V4 defense of the belt after successfully bypassing his previous challenger, Taguchi, on 9/24 in Osaka. NJPW, 11/6/06 (SXW) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Wataru Inoue, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yujiro vs. Minoru, Jado & Gedo 2. Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Tomohiro Ishii 3. G1 Tag League - Semi Finalist Decision Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger 4. Riki Choshu, Manabu Nakanishi & Akebono vs. Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano 5. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko 6. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka vs. Winners of #3 7. NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask (c) vs. Milano Collection AT 8. G1 Tag League - Final: [Results] New Japan, 11/3/06 by Stuart - 03 Nov 2006 - [Comments (22)]  --> "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION ~G1 TAG LEAGUE~" <-- The tour resumed today before a packed house in Tatebayashi. The main event concluded Block A and wasn't exactly the result Tanahashi & Kanemoto wanted. They faced a team that started so well, then suffered two losses in a row, Nakanishi & Yamamoto. The "golden team" was unable to win though, being held to a 30 minute draw. The closing moments saw lots of great action, Yamamoto backdropping Tanahashi just before the bell gonged. The fans gave the four a massive ovation with cheers, as they went all-out on this house show. This result ties Tanahashi & Kanemoto with Tenzan & Liger on four points in second place, and because those teams drew their match in Hakata, there is no way to separate them. And so comes the bad news for both teams, as a Semi Finalist Decision Match has been determined for Korakuen, meaning that if either openweight team is to win the tournament, they will have to win three matches on the same show! Block B is still wide open, today's results telling us nothing except that Makabe & Koshinaka are the only team who can't advance, finishing with a 1-3 record. Chono & Nakamura got the win they badly needed, beating IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions and the tournament's surprise package, Jado & Gedo. This was not an easy match at all for Chono & Nakamura, who are struggling to get their teamwork down and have not yet become the invincible team many expected them to be. In fact, the juniors controlled much of this match with their superior teamwork, with Chono having to floor the referee at one point to keep his team in the match. In the end, they managed to outcheat Jado & Gedo, Shinsuke dropping Jado with the Landslide for the win. Choshu & Akebono finally resumed their campaign, which was of course held up due to the death of Akebono's mother. They won their first of two remaining matches over Makabe & Koshinaka today. The GBH combination has been annoying Akebono for a while now, and the 64th generation yokozuna finally got his revenge today, dropping a body press on Koshinaka for the win. Akebono kissed one of his tattoos after the match, which depicts the smiling faces of his parents, who have both passed away now. He promised to win the tag league as a final tribute to them. Takashi Iizuka celebrated his 20th anniversary as a pro wrestler today, receiving a bouquet of flowers for his services to New Japan. Iizuka debuted on 11/2/86 against future tag partner, Akira Nogami (AKIRA), and has stayed loyal to New Japan through many eras, even when a man he has always been very close to, Choshu, left to form World Japan a few years ago. Iizuka wasn't able to celebrate his achievement with a win today, as he and fellow Hokkaido native, Uwano, lost to Nagata & Yujiro, Nagata pinning "good fight man" Uwano. Tatebayashi native, Masayoshi Motegi, made his first New Japan appearance in many years today. 43-year-old Motegi appeared in the first two Super J Cups, New Japan's 1994 Best of the Super Jr. and 1996 J-Crown tournaments, and challenged Liger for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title in 1997. In more recent years, he hasn't been seen much in on-the-radar promotions, and today he had what may have been his final appearance for a major promotion against young junior, Prince Devitt. Motegi brought his small tea table to the ring with him, and was very popular (New Japan even sold special "support" tickets for him). Motegi's experience and veteran's dignity weren't enough to guide him to a win today though, Devitt spiking him with a brainbuster for the win. Milano continued to humiliate Tiger Mask, ahead of their second singles match at Korakuen in a few days. Today's main junior match saw Milano again steal Tiger's mask, getting himself DQ'd. This grudge may conclude at Korakuen, but is more likely to keep going after it. Tiger is seemingly ready to risk his NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title in their match if the company wants to set that up. NJPW, 11/3/06 Tatebayashi Citizen Gymnasium 1,350 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Tetsuya Naito (7:11) with a cross armbreaker. 2. Prince Devitt beat Masayoshi Motegi (11:24) with a brainbuster. 3. Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Milano Collection AT (9:50) when Milano was DQ'd. 4. Yuji Nagata & Yujiro beat Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano (11:43) when Nagata used a backdrop hold on Uwano. 5. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Toru Yano (11:32) when Bernard pinned Yano after the Magic Killer. 6. G1 Tag League - Block B: Riki Choshu & Akebono [4] beat Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka [2] (8:20) when Akebono used a running body press on Koshinaka. 7. G1 Tag League - Block B: Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura [4] beat Jado & Gedo [4] (10:17) when Nakamura used the Landslide on Jado. 8. G1 Tag League - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto [4] vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Naofumi Yamamoto [3] went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired. - Block B is a big schmozz, but Nagata & Iizuka vs. Choshu & Akebono on Sunday in Saitama will tell us everything. We know one of those teams will go through, but we don't know whether the other will join the winning team, or whether Chono & Nakamura or Jado & Gedo will. Block A belongs to Bernard & Tomko, as we knew before today, with one of the two big openweight teams set to join them. Block A: 1. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko [6] 2a. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto [4] 2b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger [4] 4. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii [3] 5. Manabu Nakanishi & Naofumi Yamamoto [3] Block B: 1a. Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka [4] 1b. Riki Choshu & Akebono [4] 1c. Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura [4] 1d. Jado & Gedo [4] 5. Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka [2] - This is how the Korakuen card is looking right now... NJPW, 11/6/06 (SXW) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. G1 Tag League - Semi Finalist Decision Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger 2. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Block B 1st place vs. Winners of #1 3. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko vs. Block B 2nd place 4. Special Singles Match: Tiger Mask vs. Milano Collection AT 5. G1 Tag League - Final: GBH defeat Apache at Korakuen by Stuart - 02 Nov 2006 - [Comments (7)]  GBH arrived as a unit in Apache last night, Tenzan, Makabe & Koshinaka defeating the Apache Sekigun trio of Kanemura, Kuroda & Mammoth Sasaki. Despite a spirited fight from the home team in what was a wild brawl, they were simply outgunned by the end, and after wrapping a chain around his arm, Makabe lariated Mammoth for the three count as Tenzan had Kanemura trapped in the Anaconda Vice. Makabe displayed his WEW World Title to the fans after the match, taunting them and saying it belongs to New Japan management. Tenzan spoke (and threw a chair at a fan), saying he had "stained" himself by working for such a filthy promotion in front of such filthy fans. In a word, he called Apache wrestlers "weak". He said he doesn't plan to tarnish himself by entering the Apache ring for a second time, and told the Apache fans that if they want to see the real thing, to watch GBH in New Japan. GBH were finally run out of the ring by Apache, and Kanemura told Makabe, who he will face again for the title on the 11/18 LOCK UP show, that he shouldn't think he can escape with the belt. Kanemura said even if they lose 100 times to New Japan wrestlers, if they can win 10 times, that will be enough for them to "run away with the winnings". Kanemura also spoke about CTU, who haven't really mingled much with Apache since the 7/30 CTU show, where Jado & Gedo beat Kanemura & Kuroda, and Liger defeated Hido. If CTU decide they want to continue the war though, Kanemura seems up for it. Apache Army, 11/2/06 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,050 Fans - Hiroyoshi Tenzan , Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka beat Kintaro Kanemura, Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Mammoth Sasaki (17:19) when Makabe used a chain lariat on Sasaki.
Fan vote card, Inoki Dojo on the internet by Stuart - 02 Nov 2006 - [Comments (7)] Not much news, but the tour resumes tomorrow... Voting for the fan vote card on 11/16 opened yesterday, and below is the progress from the first day (well, up to 6:30pm on 11/1 at least). Wrestlers whose names are bolded are currently in a position that will put them in that match. If a wrestler is voted for two or more matches, chances are he will enter the one where he got most votes. The "S" seats (¥3,000) for all of these Geopolis shows have nearly sold out, but there are plenty of "A" seats (¥2,000) available still. NJPW "THANKSGIVING MOBILE NIGHT", 11/16/06 Tokyo Dome City Geopolis 1. Elimination Survival Match ~ Over The Top Rope: Yuji Nagata, X, X & X vs. Manabu Nakanishi, X, X & X Top five votes (Nagata-gun): Takashi Iizuka (129), Tetsuya Naito (101), Mitsuhide Hirasawa (87), Taichi Ishikari (85), Yujiro (79) Top five votes (Nakanishi-gun): Black Strong Machine (113), Toru Yano (89), Mitsuhide Hirasawa (89), Prince Devitt (85), Taichi Ishikari (79) 2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. X Top five votes: Togi Makabe (44), Takashi Iizuka (37), Koji Kanemoto (31), Black Strong Machine (22), Naofumi Yamamoto (21) 3. Three Way Match: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Wataru Inoue vs. X Top five votes: Yujiro (56), Taichi Ishikari (34), Tiger Mask (26), Prince Devitt (25), El Samurai (23) 4. Jado & Gedo vs. X & X Top five votes: Togi Makabe (63), Toru Yano (63), Minoru (58), Koji Kanemoto (40), El Samurai (40) 5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, X & X vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, X & X Top five votes (Tanahashi-gun): Koji Kanemoto (127), Naofumi Yamamoto (124), Tiger Mask (92), Ryusuke Taguchi (54), Minoru (26) Top five votes (Nakamura-gun): Milano Collection AT (144), Minoru (94), Black Strong Machine (67), Prince Devitt (63), Ryusuke Taguchi (40) The Inoki Dojo's big event from Las Vegas is going to be airing live on the internet at MAV TV from 8pm EST (11/2). Black Tiger, among others, are scheduled to be on the show, and it will run for about two hours, so be sure to check it out. Note: A reminder that I will be going overseas from 11/11 to 1/2. I will be taking my laptop and updating the site whenever I can, but updates most likely won't be as prompt as usual, and results may on occasion be bunched together in posts. Before I leave, I'm hoping to get a page up for the annual site awards. Bernard & Tomko at the Inoki Bar, TenKoji's schedule, New Japan starts on Eurosport! by Stuart - 01 Nov 2006 - [Comments (8)]  The first team through to the G1 Tag League semis, Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko, enjoyed some cuisine at the new Inoki Bar (which is getting rave reviews for its food, drinks, and service) yesterday along with Tiger Hattori and believe it or not, President Simon. Many people eating there were very surprised to see the two big men arrive, causing a big stir in the place. And by chance, two of the famous Antonio Inoki impersonators happened to be there that day, making things even more interesting. Perhaps if you visit the Inoki Bar some time, you might run into some New Japan wrestlers too. Anyway, Simon entertained both Bernard and Tomko warmly, and New Japan hinted that the president is trying to draw them out of Chono's army to weaken it. With three shows left on the tour, New Japan is telling us to keep an eye out for anything strange involving the two. TenKoji's schedule for the Real World Tag League has been decided. The big news is that they will face Muto & Kawada at Korakuen Hall on 11/23. They begin their campaign in the same building on 11/19 with a tough match against a team who could challenge the belief in many that this is a two horse race, Suwama & RO'Z. You can follow the entire tag league over at our All Japan network site, Shining Road. New Japan debuted on Eurosport 2 across many countries in Europe yesterday, packaged as "New Japan League". The show perhaps couldn't possibly be more ideal, with no lame English language commentary like the old NJ on Eurosport show, just original footage without any announcers whatsoever. The footage is also quite recent, with the first episode airing matches from the 1/23/05 Korakuen Hall event (first tour show of 2005). Some stuff was cut out, perhaps to air next week, but the following matches did air over 90 minutes... - El Samurai & Akiya Anzawa vs. Masahito Kakihara & Hiroshi Nagao - Tiger Mask, Katsushi Takemura & Taiji Ishimori vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo - Hiro Saito vs. Harry Smith - Yuji Nagata, Takashi Iizuka & Osamu Nishimura vs. Togi Makabe, Yutaka Yoshie & Hiroshi Tanahashi - Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Koji Kanemoto vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Minoru Tanaka Chono's retaliation attempt, 11/3 & 11/5 full cards by Stuart - 01 Nov 2006 - [Comments (6)] In response to Simon's warning that he will make Chono suffer, Chono is calling for a "midterm election" in New Japan to prevent Simon from abusing his power. Chono claims that Simon injured him so badly in Kobe that he may have to miss three months of action, and doesn't seem to feel this is how a president should act, injuring one of his top talents. Chono is demanding several things of New Japan, including a vote to gauge the trust in Simon, a meeting of executives, a formal apology from Simon for the slap in Kobe, nullification of the three team tournament result in Kobe, and the announcement of a new project at Korakuen on the 6th. Full cards for the last two shows before Korakuen... NJPW, 11/3/06 Tatebayashi Citizen Gymnasium 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. Prince Devitt vs. Masayoshi Motegi 3. Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Milano Collection AT 4. Yuji Nagata & Yujiro vs. Takashi Iizuka & Takashi Uwano 5. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko 6. G1 Tag League - Block B: Riki Choshu & Akebono vs. Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka 7. G1 Tag League - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Naofumi Yamamoto 8. G1 Tag League - Block B: Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jado & Gedo NJPW "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION SPECIAL", 11/5/06 Koshigaya Katsura Studio 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Tetsuya Naito 2. Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jado, Gedo & Milano Collection AT 3. Koji Kanemoto, El Samurai & Yujiro vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru & Prince Devitt 4. Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Uwano vs. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko 5. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii 6. G1 Tag League - Block B: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka vs. Riki Choshu & Akebono 7. Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Togi Makabe Simon's plot, 1/4 rumours, Tiger vs. Milano II set, Wild Child are back! by Stuart - 31 Oct 2006 - [Comments (22)]  President Simon is ready to punish Chono for his actions at Kobe, but hasn't quite decided on his method of torture yet. Simon plans to use his full powers to put more pressure on the axis of evil that is emerging in New Japan. Simon said that firing Chono would be the easy way out, and doesn't want to do that, knowing that Chono is still a big superstar. Instead, he plans to impose sanctions on the next tour and remind everyone, especially Chono, who is boss. His first idea is to perhaps personally book Chono's matches, and suggested a Chono vs. Tenzan, Makabe, Koshinaka, Yano & Ishii Handicap Match as an example of what he could do. His second idea is to also punish Bernard & Tomko by prohibiting them from working the next tour, isolating Chono & Nakamura against Sekigun and GBH. "The strain on the Toukon mat is increasing steadily" says Daily Sports, and President Simon can't wait to begin exercising his plans for Chono. What are New Japan's plans for 1/4/07? This continues to be a big mystery in Japan, considering the idea of running the Tokyo Dome seems unreasonable and one could say even borderline insane. I can't say for sure what will happen, but have heard things. There is a possibility that New Japan may not even run Sumo Hall on 1/4, but instead run two Korakuen shows over two days. The idea would be to start the year like that (the sad thing is, it would make more profit than recent Dome shows... because recent Dome shows have lost unimaginable amounts of money), then pour full energy into February's Sumo Hall show, with a possible Tanahashi vs. Nakamura main event. New Japan and All Japan are said to have booked Sumo Hall back to back (one day after another) next February, and there could be a full talent exchange over those two big events. New Japan may also book Sumo Hall for March next year, and after the Kobe World show, NJ Kikaku revealed that the company will return to Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium (host of Nagata vs. Bernard this year) on 3/18/07. The grudge continues on the Korakuen tour climax, with the announcement today that Tiger Mask and Milano will have their second singles match! This feud began at Sumo Hall, with Milano using a full drawer of heel tactics, going for Tiger's mask and eventually using a cradle to pin him. It has continued on the current tour, with Milano stripping Tiger of his mask day after day. Tiger got some revenge in the recent Elimination Match, pinning Milano in the final fall with a cradle, but he will want to complete it at Korakuen. NJPW, 11/6/06 (SXW) Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Block A 1st place vs. Block B 2nd place 2. G1 Tag League - Semi Final: Block B 1st place vs. Block A 2nd place 3. Special Singles Match: Tiger Mask vs. Milano Collection AT 4. G1 Tag League - Final: Relations between New Japan and ZERO1-MAX are now at least civil enough to allow Wild Child to continue. ZERO1-MAX boss, Yoshiyuki Nakamura, announced that Nakanishi & Omori will face Kohei Sato & Tadao Yasuda at 01's 11/24 Korakuen Hall show. This will be the first time Nakanishi has interacted with his old rival Yasuda since the former sumo was fired from New Japan at the beginning of 2005. Wild Child should also be defending their IWGP Tag Team Title soon, possibly against the winners of the G1 Tag League on 12/10 in Aichi. If they get past that challenge, rumours are surfacing of super-important opposition for them on the next major show after that, perhaps even the Real World Tag League winners, who are likely to be one of two all-star teams. ZERO1-MAX, 11/24/06 Tokyo Korakuen Hall - Manabu Nakanishi & Takao Omori vs. Kohei Sato & Tadao Yasuda
[Results] New Japan, 10/29/06 by Stuart - 29 Oct 2006 - [Comments (21)]  --> "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION ~G1 TAG LEAGUE~" <-- Tempers exploded today at Kobe World Hall, as New Japan's new army strife accelerated. 7,000 fans watched today's show, New Japan's best (claimed) attendance at the building since the 2003 G1, and excluding the G1, since October, 2000. Three factions are now at war over control of New Japan. The regular army, New Japan Sekigun, which looks to defend the lion mark. GBH (Great Bash Heel), led by Tenzan with the aim of becoming the cruelest heel army ever and reviving the "beautiful New Japan". And the unnamed army headed by Chono, Nakamura, and Bernard, which looks to overthrow President Simon and reform New Japan its way, with Chono as the boss and Nakamura as the ace. Both matches today were fought under Captain's Fall Elimination Match format, where wrestlers could be eliminated, but the instant the captain was, it was game over. It began in the fourth match with Sekigun against GBH, Nagata and Tenzan leading their teams. Before anything could happen though, Chono's army (who were seconded by Mr. Hoshino today as ChoTen were in Kobe last year when they took the tag belts from Nakamura & Tanahashi) arrived with their "NO Simon" t-shirts on, and Chono occupied the commentary booth. The match began with a very bloodthirsty atmosphere, lots of intense and heated fighting. After ten minutes, Tenzan sent Nakanishi over the top rope to eliminate him. Makabe scored his second pinfall victory of the year over Choshu a few minutes later, after the on-fire Tenzan landed a diving headbutt. Sekigun was down to two men against four, but Nagata and Yamamoto fought on bravely. Nagata was able to oust Makabe from the ring, evening the odds a little, but both Sekigun men were worn down. Makabe smashed a chair over Nagata's head, then Yano capitalized by dropping Captain Nagata with the Oni Koroshi to score the biggest pinfall of his career to date and win the match for GBH, three men left standing! GBH went on to face their fellow heel army in the main event, at a disadvantage, but ready for a fight. President Simon took a seat in the broadcast booth, watching the match closely. Although they were able to defeat Sekigun with cruel tactics, Tenzan's army met their "wall" in the form of Chono's army. However, they managed to isolate Nakamura for a while, until he tagged Bernard, then things turned nasty for GBH. Bernard sent Koshinaka flying over the top with a two-step kick to eliminate him, and just 92 seconds later, Tomko launched Yano over the top. GBH found themselves in the same situation as Sekigun earlier, down 4-2. It somehow got worse when Nakamura drove Makabe into the mat with the Landslide, pinning him, and Captain Tenzan was all alone against four hungry beasts. Chono's army devised a merciless attack against Tenzan, who the crowd wrote off as finished. But Tenzan is known for his miracles, and there was a miracle in Kobe today. One miscommunication sent Chono's army into disarray, all over the ring. Tenzan struck Chono with a kneel kick, lariat, and Mountain bomb, moving in quickly for the kill, knowing this would be his only chance. With the troops still scattered, Tenzan dropped his former teacher with a TTD and covered for the three count! One man against four, Tenzan gave GBH a most incredible win! It didn't end there though. Chono provoked President Simon, who was still at ringside, watching. Bernard and Tomko literally lifted Simon out of the broadcast position and dragged him into the ring for more public humiliation. Chono and Simon glared at each other, before Simon tore off Chono's "NO SIMON" shirt and slapped him in the face! This led to a beating for Simon, as well as water bottles being emptied over his head. GBH then returned to the ring, clearing out Chono's army and rescuing Simon! Before any clarification could be given on Simon's link to GBH, site foreman Choshu raced into the ring and pulled Simon away from Tenzan's army, raising the question of whose side is President Simon on. Backstage, a furious Simon had no comment on GBH, but said he would call a meeting tomorrow and use all of his power to make Chono suffer for what he's done. The war for New Japan has now truly started. Today's semi final was more straightforward, as the "golden team" of Tanahashi & Kanemoto faced the CTU ikemen threat of Minoru & Milano. Local boy Kanemoto was as popular as ever, the fans supporting the Sekigun team in an exciting match. Tanahashi showed the dignity of an IWGP Heavyweight Champion, ending a 20 minute battle by pinning Minoru with his Dragon suplex hold. Tanahashi & Kanemoto will hope to use this momentum and beat Nakanishi & Yamamoto on 11/3, ensuring passage to the G1 Tag League semis. After returning home to Hawaii due to the death of his mother, Akebono returned to New Japan today, becoming the heaviest junior ever and charming the fans of Kobe. Akebono became Bono Tiger once more, teaming with Tiger Mask and El Samurai, who wore his own special edition Tiger mask. They faced the CTU trio of Liger, Jado & Gedo, the heels using all of their tricks to control. Bono Tiger went up to the top turnbuckle for a move, but was ordered down by the referee, who feared the ring would cave in. Eventually, all three CTU members were laid out side by side and Akebono splashed them all for the three count (Jado the legal man)! It wasn't all glory for GBH today though, as they had a member fall to Sekigun in a singles match. Iizuka defeated Ishii in their third match this year, and first since February. Iizuka went 3-0 over the cocky young rebel, choking him out with a sleeper hold and continuing his improved form of late. Four young men took part in two special "Super Jr." singles matches today, perhaps an effort to show the new generation of juniors in a division still dominated by veterans. Despite his great form of late and a singles victory over Samurai on 10/26, Prince Devitt couldn't get past Taguchi, the Funky Weapon winning with his Dodon. Yujiro is another who has been growing rapidly of late, as his pinfall over Liger yesterday proved. But like Devitt, he discovered that a tag and a singles match are two different things, submitting to Wataru's Triangle Lancer. Tetsuya Naito, the only young man chosen out of ten elite athletes shortlisted for tryouts late last year, won his first singles match today. He faced a man with months more experience, Hirasawa, and showed his own growth that has spawned from his trial series on the last tour. Naito won with his flying elbow attack, which sees him run the ropes and take off, leaping half way across the ring with an elbow to the face. These two are becoming opening match rivals in the same way so many others have been, like Muto and Chono, Makabe and Yoshie, Shibata and Wataru, and Taguchi and Goto. New Japan held a ten count for the late Kintaro Oki before the show, to commemorate his recent passing. Mr. Hoshino, a younger generation wrestler who loved Oki like so many of his generation (including Inoki) did, held up Oki's photo as the New Japan roster stood around the ring in silence for the ten count. NJPW "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION SPECIAL", 10/29/06 (WPW) Kobe World Hall 7,000 Fans - No Vacancy 1. Tetsuya Naito beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa (7:43) with a jumping elbow attack. 2. Super Jr. Singles Match I: Wataru Inoue beat Yujiro (11:05) with the Triangle Lancer. 3. Super Jr. Singles Match II: Ryusuke Taguchi beat Prince Devitt (8:20) with the Dodon. 4. Kobe Explosion Wars - Round 1: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (c), Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano beat Riki Choshu, Yuji Nagata (c), Manabu Nakanishi & Naofumi Yamamoto (21:20). Tenzan threw Nakanishi over the top rope (10:26). Makabe pinned Choshu after Tenzan used a diving headbutt (13:40). Nagata threw Makabe over the top rope (17:58). Yano used the Oni Koroshi on Nagata (21:20). 5. New Japan vs. GBH Singles Match: Takashi Iizuka beat Tomohiro Ishii (10:32) by referee stop. 6. Explosion Dream Tag ~ Bono, Welcome Back!: Bono Tiger (Akebono), Tiger Mask & El Samurai beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo (8:05) when Bono used a running body press on Jado. 7. Explosion Special Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto beat Minoru & Milano Collection AT (20:46) when Tanahashi used a Dragon suplex hold on Minoru. 8. Kobe Explosion Wars - Final: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (c), Togi Makabe, Shiro Koshinaka & Toru Yano beat Masahiro Chono (c), Shinsuke Nakamura. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko (19:51). Bernard used a two-step kick to send Koshinaka over the top rope (6:58). Tomko threw Yano over the top rope (8:30). Nakamura used the Landslide on Makabe (11:34). Tenzan used the TTD on Chono (19:51). [Results] New Japan, 10/28/06 & New Japan returns to Eurosport! by Stuart - 28 Oct 2006 - [Comments (17)]  --> "CIRCUIT 2006 EXPLOSION ~G1 TAG LEAGUE~" <-- Even the smallest shows in New Japan often create a twist in the tale, as today's house show in Kochi did. Today's main event seemed predictable enough, with the GBH team of Tenzan & Makabe facing the openweight team of Nakamura & Gedo in an all-heel match. Tenzan & Makabe controlled Gedo for much of the match, Gedo enduring the onslaught desperately as Nakamura watched on. But after a counterattack, Nakamura found himself one against two, and after Makabe lariated a chair into his face, Tenzan hit the TTD and handed Nakamura his first direct loss since returning in triumph! Gedo was nowhere to be found at the end, and the two had some problems getting along, hinting that perhaps Jado & Gedo are leaning towards aligning with GBH. Out on the mat, Nakamura had to endure more humilation when Makabe kept attacking with mounted punches, Koshinaka (no match today) also getting involved, until Bernard and Tomko (no Chono either today) ran in and cleared the ring. Shinsuke wasn't happy, grabbing the microphone and addressing GBH by saying they would be taught a lesson tomorrow in Kobe. He then turned his attention solely to Tenzan, who he said is still below Chono no matter what he does. "How many chances have you had? You have none left, and its already too late for you, Tenzan!" he added, before leaving the ring. Bernard & Tomko somewhat unexpectedly won Block A of the G1 Tag League today with a victory over Yano & Ishii, whose chances of reaching the final stages were subsequently ended. They put up a good fight however, Ishii even managing to suplex Tomko after hitting a vital part attack. But like at Korakuen on 7/2, the Americans eventually overcame the wily natives, using a side buster/elbow drop combination on Ishii for the win. These teams also have a non-tournament match on 11/3, so maybe the GBH duo can gain some revenge there. Bernard & Tomko said they would win the tag league, then challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Title, a right the winners of this tournament will presumably have if Nakanishi & Omori ever team again. Bernard completes his achievement of reaching the final stages of all three of New Japan's major heavyweight tournaments this year, and will hope to add the winners trophy to his cabinet like he did the New Japan Cup. The other "G1 Tag League Special Match" also saw a surprise today. Not the result (which continued the trend of tag league duos beating tag league entrants, but who aren't together in the tournament), but the outcome, as Nagata pinned Choshu before Yamamoto by dropping him with a wrist-clutch Exploder. Choshu's wish for a title shot may be out of the question judging by how much he has been losing lately. After being dominated for the entire tour, Jr. Sekigun finally hit back at CTU today, winning a 5 vs. 5 Elimination Match. Most of the eliminations were either out-of-the-ring or cradles, but there were a couple of exceptions. The most notable and shocking one came in the middle of the match when rising young lion Yujiro pinned Liger clean after hitting a spear! No doubt a sign of his growth of late. It came down to Tiger Mask vs. Minoru & Milano in a handicap match situation, things not looking good for the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion, as these are the two men he was cradled by in singles matches this month. Well, it was revenge time, as both of them fell to Tiger's cradles, Minoru first and Milano second, Tiger showing that Jr. Sekigun is alive and well after a lull. New Japan returns to Eurosport (2) next week as "New Japan League". If you recall, Chono mentioned going to Europe last year to negotiate with them about airing stuff, but it seemed to lead nowhere. Perhaps not, as this post on the message board says it is back next Saturday from 5:15pm to 6:30pm. New Japan aired previously on Eurosport in the early 1990s, and was in fact where I first encountered it. I'm not sure yet how recent the footage will be, but it'll give New Japan major exposure whether the footage is old or new, as Eurosport is the largest sports network in Europe, available in 54 countries (examples of how widely seen it will be here). NJPW, 10/28/06 Wel Sunpia Kochi 1,150 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Tetsuya Naito (7:01) with a crab hold. 2. Elimination Match: Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask, El Samurai, Wataru Inoue & Yujiro beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru, Jado, Milano Collection AT & Prince Devitt (33:42). Samurai used a la magistral on Jado (7:44). Devitt threw Inoue out of the ring (11:21). Milano used a cradle on Samurai (17:01). Kanemoto used a flying kneel kick on Devitt (19:17). Yujiro used a spear on Liger (23:44). Milano used a horizontal cradle on Yujiro (24:11). Minoru threw Kanemoto out of the ring (28:07). Tiger used a front cradle on Minoru (31:16). Tiger used a crucifix hold on Milano (33:42). 3. G1 Tag League - Block A: Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko [6] beat Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii [3] (12:03) when Tomko pinned Ishii after a side buster & elbow drop combination. 4. G1 Tag League Special Match: Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka beat Riki Choshu & Naofumi Yamamoto (9:40) when Nagata used a wrist-clutch Exploder on Choshu. 5. FUSION Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Uwano (13:40) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Uwano. 6. G1 Tag League Special Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Togi Makabe beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Gedo (13:24) when Tenzan used the TTD on Nakamura. - There are four matches left in the tournament and three of them are in Block B. As mentioned, Tanahashi & Kanemoto vs. Nakanishi & Yamamoto is the only bout left in Block A. Block B will pick up again with the return of Akebono, meaning Choshu & Akebono have their postponed matches against Makabe & Koshinaka and Nagata & Iizuka coming up after Kobe. The other remaining match in that block is Chono & Nakamura vs. Jado & Gedo, so all teams can still reach the semis. Block A: 1. Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko [6] 2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger [4] 3. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto [3] 4. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii [3] 5. Manabu Nakanishi & Naofumi Yamamoto [2] Block B: 1. Jado & Gedo [4] 2. Yuji Nagata & Takashi Iizuka [4] 3. Togi Makabe & Shiro Koshinaka [2] 4. Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura [2] 5. Riki Choshu & Akebono [2] Three armies ready by Stuart - 28 Oct 2006 - [Comments (3)]  Big names will fall tomorrow at Kobe World Hall... that, or the matches will last forever. The three captains have been nominated for the Kobe Explosion Wars and there is no copping out by selecting underlings as captains. Each side has a strong captain, and they are... New Japan Sekigun Yuji Nagata ~ Captain Riki Choshu Manabu Nakanishi Naofumi Yamamoto Nagata said he was selected as captain, and it meant more for his team, as there is more thickness to it than any of the other armies. Nagata said that no one has an opinion of Great Bash Heel yet, because they've achieved nothing, and said if they achieve nothing in Kobe, they truly will be Great Big Head. Nagata wants the winning prize to be cola, even if its a lousy award. Does he have a coke and pepsi addiction? Chono, Nakamura & Gaikokujin Team Masahiro Chono ~ Captain Shinsuke Nakamura Giant Bernard Travis Tomko The army with no name will surely dispute Nagata's comment that it lacks the same depth as Sekigun, when they compare each wrestler and his equivalent. Although Chono declined to comment, Nakamura, Bernard, and Tomko held a strategy meeting in the ring before today's convention began. Chono's army has an advantage, as they only have to fight once and face the winners of Sekigun vs. GBH. President Simon has also announced his attendance tomorrow, and these four may devise something nasty for the boss. GBH Hiroyoshi Tenzan ~ Captain Togi Makabe Shiro Koshinaka Toru Yano And so Tenzan will captain his army and much like the others, won't pass the armband to someone like his #2, Makabe, or even the highly capable veteran hand, Koshinaka. Tenzan will risk his own scalp for his faction, which on paper seems underequipped compared to the other groups, but a fully functional unit can defeat star power (just see Jado & Gedo's performance in the G1 Tag League). Tenzan said it has been about a month since he started GBH, and believes Kobe is their first big opportunity to appear as a true unit, since the tag league has kind of separated them on this series. Tenzan said GBH's five men (Ishii has a singles match and will look to upset Iizuka) will repaint the company, and anyone who wants to change New Japan their way, even President Simon, may follow them. |