Keeping the Spirit Alive

Posts tagged "minoru suzuki"

Notes: 7 / 2 weeks ago

[NJPW News] New Japan held the official signing ceremony for their upcoming iPPV that is scheduled for tomorrow, May 3rd.

The event will be offered on USTREAM for $25. That should be 4am eastern and 3am central time respectively for those of you in the USA. Also keep in mind that the event will be available for replay for a few days following the initial live stream of the show.
http://www.ustream.tv/njpw

The event has 9 matches scheduled, with 1 dark show pre-match also scheduled. Four out of the nine matches will also be with the IWGP titles on the line.

The show will be showcased by a double main event that will pit CHAOS vs. Suzuki-gun (Suzuki Army).
“Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada will be looking to kick off his second IWGP Heavyweight reign by claiming his first successful defense against “The Ultimate Invader” Minoru Suzuki. Suzuki has had issues against Okada for the last several months, specifically, and he aims to continue showing he has the edge over the younger Okada.

Shinsuke Nakamura will be defending the IWGP IC belt, in the semi-final match of the night, against Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin appeared last month as the new mystery member of Suzuki-gun.
Benjamin is a former multi-time IC champion in the WWE and could be Nakamura’s toughest challenge yet for the belt. Nakamura’s main goal has been to make the IC meaningful and a potentially successful defense against a world class wrestler could indeed boost his reign.

Masato Tanaka will be defending the NEVER Openweight Championship against the returning Tomoaki Honma, in what is posed to be a rematch from the December 23, 2011 for the IWGP IC belt. Honma has came back to NJPW with a new sense of purpose and looks to reclaim his past lose.

KES will be defending the IWGP Tag belts in a 4 way match against several top teams. KES recently added the NWA World Tag belts to around their waist at the April 20th NWA show in Houston and are looking to continue their winning streak.

Prince Devitt recently debuted his new demeanor at last months iPPV show and formed the beginnings of his new team with Bad Luck Fale, formerly King Fale. With the formation of this new group came the dissolution of Apollo55. There has been plenty emphasized of a new “unit/group” and it seems there could potentially be more people to join and make it a real group.

The opening bout will see the IWGP Jr. Tag belts on the line as KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley will once again be putting the belts on the line against Rocky Romero and Alex Shelley. These two teams have faced off numerous times in the past and this should definitely be an exciting match to kick off what is sure to be a solid event.

Below is the scheduled matches for the iPPV.

NJPW “WRESTLING DONTAKU 2013”, 5/3/2013 [Fri] 17:00 @ Fukuoka Kokusai Center

(0) Yuji Nagata, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Maximo [CMLL] vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, Jado & Gedo

(1) IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: [34th Champions] “TIME SPLITTERS” KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. [Challengers] “Forever Hooligans” Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov

(2) Fale’s Return Match: Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan vs. Prince Devitt & Bad Luck Fale

(3) IWGP Tag Championship 4WAY Match: [Champions] “KES” Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. [Challengers] “TenCozy” Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. “Muscle Orchestra” Manabu Nakanishi & Strongman vs. “CHAOS” Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka

(4) NEVER Openweight Championship Match: [1st Champion] Masato Tanaka vs. [Challenger] Tomoaki Honma
~ 3rd defense

(5) Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(6) Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata
(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson

(8) Double Main Event I ~ IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: [4th Champion] Shinsuke Nakamura vs. [Challenger] Shelton Benjamin
~ 8th defense.

(9) Double Main Event II ~ IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: [59th Champion] Kazuchika Okada vs. [Challenger] Minoru Suzuki
~ 1st title defense.

http://www.puroresuspirit.com/2013/05/02/new-japan-event-cards-for-may-june-2013/
1 month ago

[Kobashi’s Retirement Show News] The full event card has been announced for Kenta Kobashi’s retirement show on May 11th.

Among the newly announced matches is the semi-final match which will see the re-formation of two former tag team champion teams. As Naomichi Marufuji will once again be teaming with Minoru Suzuki, 10th GHC Tag Champions, to take on Yoshihiro Takayama and Takao Omori in which many of you may better remember them as “NO FEAR”.

The fifth match of the show will see a 6 man tag between NOAH vs. NJPW which could be something special to see a potential Sugiura vs. Tanahashi showdown.
Genichiro Tenryu will also be involved in the show, as he teams with Yoshinari Ogawa to take on Takeshi Morishima and Masao Inoue.

The full event is listed below.

FINAL BURNING in Budokan ~ Kenta Kobashi’s Retirement Commemorative Event, 5/11/2013 [Sat] 17:00 @ Nippon Budokan in Tokyo

(1) Feel the Dangerzone: Masanobu Fuchi [AJP] vs. Hitoshi Kumano [NOAH]
(2) This is the NOAH Junior Tag Match: (NO MERCY) SUWA [Free] & Genba Hirayanagi vs. (BRAVE) Taiji Ishimori & Atsushi Kotoge

~ Kenta Kobashi retirement ceremony

(3) Burning vs Burning Tag Match: Tamon Honda [Free] & Kentaro Shiga [Free] vs. Kotaro Suzuki [Burning] & Atsushi Aoki [Burning]
(4) J’s Spirits vs Revolution Special Tag Match: Takeshi Morishima [BRAVE/NOAH] & Masao Inoue [Free] vs. Genichiro Tenryu [Tenryu Project] & Yoshinari Ogawa [NOAH]

(5) NOAH vs NJPW Special 6 Man Tag Match: Takashi Sugiura, Mohammed Yone & Akitoshi Saito [Free] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Satoshi Kojima
(6) Four Men GET Together ~ Special Tag Match: Naomichi Marufuji [NOAH] & Minoru Suzuki [Pancrase MISSION] vs. Yoshihiro Takayama [Takayama Hall] & Takao Omori [AJP]

(7) “FINAL BURNING in Budokan” Kenta Kobashi’s Retirement Commemorative 8 Man Tag Match: Kenta Kobashi, Jun Akiyama [Burning], Keiji Mutoh [AJP] & Kensuke Sasaki [DIAMOND RING] vs. KENTA [NMC/NOAH], Go Shiozaki [Burning], Yoshinobu Kanemaru [Burning] & Maybach Taniguchi [NOAH]
Notes: 4 / 1 month ago

[NJPW News] Following the iPPV on April 7th, New Japan is moving forward into the next iPPV on May 3rd with WRESTLING DONTAKU.
A new champion was crowned in “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada and a challenger has already been set in stone with “The Ultimate Invader” Minoru Suzuki.
Okada aims to change the history of New Japan with his now 2nd reign of the IWGP Heavyweight belt, but first he must manage to beat Suzuki whom he already suffered defeat against back on February 10th. Will Okada revenge his loss or will Suzuki prove that he has more skill as a veteran over the younger Okada?

Shinsuke Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Intercontinental belt against Davey Boy Smith Jr. over this weekend and will be set to defend the belt against a mystery (X) opponent from Suzuki-gun. TAKA Michinoku is calling this mystery guy an assassin and it will be interesting to see who emerges as this mystery competitor.

Hiroshi Tanahashi is without the IWGP belt once again and will be down the ranks looking to re-build his position as New Japan’s “ace”. Tanahashi’s first singles match without the belt will be against “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson on May 3rd in what is sure to be a solid contest. Will Anderson finally claim a much needed win over Tanahahashi or will the ace begin his climb to the top once more?

Hirooki Goto finally gets his singles match, he has been asking for quite some time, against Katsuyori Shibata on May 3rd. Goto and Shibata have known one another since High School and if their tag match on April 7th was any indication, we might have a physical match on the horizon.

Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma, G.B.H. (Great Bash Heel) have reformed with the return of Honma and they will be in singles action against the “Complete Players” in Masato Tanaka and Yujiro Takahashi. Makabe and Yujiro will once again face off in singles action at the Dontaku show in what seems to be a never-ending feud between the two this year. Tomoaki Honma will be getting a shot against Masato Tanaka and the NEVER Championship. These two last faced off in the NJPW ring last year when Tanaka was the IWGP IC champion. Will Honma get revenge from their last meeting and claim a belt for his own, or will Tanaka take him out with another Sliding D.

The IWGP Tag belts will be defended in the USA this month at a NWA show in Houston, Texas. “KES” Archer and Smith will be defending the belts against the current reigning NWA World Tag Champions in the “Kings Of The Underground” Scot Summers & Ryan Genesis. It seems that both belts will be on the line in the match with the winner coming back to defend the IWGP Tag belts on May 3rd in a special 4WAY tag title match.

Prince Devitt finally showed his true colors and turned on his long time friend and partner in Ryusuke Taguchi at the April 7th show. With that also came the NJPW return of “King” Fale now known as Bad Luck Fale. Apollo55 is officially no more and Devitt looks to be on the verge of forming a new group with Fale as his “bouncer”, as he so fittingly puts it.

The opening match of the next iPPV will see the IWGP Junior Tag belts being defended as “TIME SPLITTERS” will be challenged once again by the “Forever Hooligans” in Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov.

The full tour before the upcoming PPV “Road to WRESTLING DONTAKU” has been updated in full with all the lead in matches.
http://www.puroresuspirit.com/2013/03/03/new-japan-event-cards-for-march-april-2013/

Below is the announced card for the PPV show.

NJPW “WRESTLING DONTAKU 2013”, 5/3/2013 [Fri] 17:00 @ Fukuoka Kokusai Center

(0) Yuji Nagata, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Maximo [CMLL] vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, Jado & Gedo

(1) IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: [34th Champions] “TIME SPLITTERS” KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. [Challengers] “Forever Hooligans” Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov

(2) Fale’s Return Match: Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan vs. Prince Devitt & Bad Luck Fale

(3) IWGP Tag Championship 4WAY Match: [Champions] Winner of April 20th Match in Houston, Texas vs. [Challengers] “TenCozy” Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. “Muscle Orchestra” Manabu Nakanishi & Strongman vs. “CHAOS” Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka

(4) NEVER Openweight Championship Match: [1st Champion] Masato Tanaka vs. [Challenger] Tomoaki Honma
~ 3rd defense

(5) Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(6) Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata
(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson

(8) Double Main Event I ~ IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: [4th Champion] Shinsuke Nakamura vs. [Challenger] X
~ 8th defense.

(9) Double Main Event II ~ IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: [59th Champion] Kazuchika Okada vs. [Challenger] Minoru Suzuki
~ 1st defense.
Notes: 4 / 2 months ago

[NJPW News] New Japan announced the talent and matches involved in the New Japan Cup 2013 which is set to begin on March.

As you can tell many grudge matches have yet again been set in place for the first rounds of the tournament. CHAOS vs. Suzuki-gun will clash in the main event matches as Shisuke Nakamura will go up against Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the main event, and Kazuchika Okada is set to go up against Lance Archer.
Yuji Nagata and Minoru Suzuki have once again been placed against one another in singles competition, as well as Makabe and Yujiro have also been paired against one another.
In what I think could be a sleeper hit of the night, Satoshi Kojima will be going up against Tomohiro Ishii in the opening match of the show. Both men can play brutal with the best of them, and I already expect nothing but that in their confrontation.

The winner of the New Japan Cup will earn the next the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Hiroshi Tanahashi on April 9 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 [1st Round]”, 3/11/2013 [Mon] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

(1) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomohiro Ishii
(2) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga
(3) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano
(4) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson

(5) Special 6 Man Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Captain New Japan, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi

(6) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(7) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
(8) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
(9) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 1st Round Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 [2nd Round]”, 3/17/2013 [Sun] 16:00 @ Beikomu General Gymnasium

(-) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 2nd Round Match:
(-) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 2nd Round Match:
(-) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 2nd Round Match:
(-) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 2nd Round Match:

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013”, 3/19/2013 [Tue] 19:00 @ Shirakawa City Center Gymnasium

(1) Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu
(2) Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe vs. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV
(3) Hirooki Goto & BUSHI vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo
(4) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Tama Tonga
(5) Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku
(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Karl Anderson vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013”, 3/20/2013 [Wed] 15:00 @ Sendai Industrial Exhibition Hall, Aztec Museum

(1) Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu
(2) Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi
(3) Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Jado
(4) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Takaaki Watanabe
(5) Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & TAKA Michinoku
(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013”, 3/22/2013 [Fri] 18:30 @ Kumagai City Civic Gymnasium

(no matched announced at this time)

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 [Finals]”, 3/23/2013 [Sat] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

(-) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 Semi-Final Match:
(-) NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 Semi-Final Match:

http://www.puroresuspirit.com/2013/03/03/new-japan-event-cards-for-march-april-2012/
Notes: 1 / 3 months ago

All Japan Official Videos for February 8, 2013

Keiji Mutoh, Masakatsu Funaki & Minoru Suzuki vs. Suwama, Seiya Sanada & KAI from January 2, 2011 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Akebono & Ryota Hama, Asia Tag Match, from January 3, 2012 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
Notes: 5 / 3 months ago

[NJPW News] New Japan announced the full card for their upcoming iPPV which will be held on February 10th.

Among the newly announced matches are 4 matches that have been set in place following the show on February 3rd. Kazuchika Okada will be taking on Minoru Suzuki in the semi-final match of the show, with Okada looking to prove himself against the leader of Suzuki-gun. It has been a war between the two leading heel units in New Japan today with CHAOS vs. Suzuki-gun as of late, and on the 2/3 show Okada challenged Suzuki to a singles match for the 2/10 show. It didn’t take long for NJPW to announce the match on the upcoming iPPV and it will surely be one to cause a rift between the two heel factions.

Shinsuke Nakamura will also be defending CHAOS as he takes on another member of Suzuki-gun in K-DOJO’s Kengo Mashimo. Mashimo is known as of the more skilled wrestlers in the Indy scene in Japan and on the 2/3 show him and Nakamura showed their hatred against one another. It seemed a match would be coming soon following, and it was announced to happen on 2/10. This will be a big opportunity for Mashimo to show his skill against the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion in a non-title match. Who knows, if he can pull out the upset win he would surely be in line for a rematch with the belt on the line.

Hirooki Goto made a shocking announcement on the 2/3 show at calling out, his friend since High School, Katsuyori Shibata. It may have seemed like Laughter7 was done in NJPW after them both losing at the big WRESTLE KINGDOM show, but after the announcement of their inclusion on the upcoming show they might have more still left to do. Goto might not have gotten the single match he wanted, but he will be teaming with Wataru Inoue (who is far from a stranger of the two) as they take on the Laughter7 duo.

The last of the special matches announced with see Makabe going one on one against Yujiro Takahashi. Yujiro has taken it upon himself to attack Makabe physically and verbally after their matches scheduled tag matches this month. Makabe will be surely looking for revenge, and Yujiro will have to contend with the very angry Unchained Gorilla face to face. Will Yujiro prove himself as the better man that he thinks he is, or will Makabe shut up the Playboy?

This event will be offered on live iPPV on NJPW’s USTREAM channel for $25. You can order the event by checking out the link below.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/njpw1972

New Japan Pro Wrestling “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/10/2013 [Sun] 15:00 @ Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall

(1) Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Tama Tonga, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado

(2) IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: [34th Champions] “TIME SLITTERS” KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. [Challengers] “FOREVER HOOLIGANS” Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov
~ 1st Defense.

(3) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [66th Champion] Prince Devitt vs. [Challenger] Ryusuke Taguchi
~ 2nd Defense.

(3) IWGP Tag Championship Match: [61st Champions] “KILLER ELITE SQUAD” Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith, Jr. vs. [Challengers] “TenCozy” Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
~ 2nd Defense.

(4) Special Single Match: Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi
(5) Special Tag Match: Hirooki Goto & Wataru Inoue vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata [Laughter7]
(6) Special Single Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kengo Mashimo [K-DOJO]
(7) Special Single Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki

(8) IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: [58th Champion] Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. [Challenger] “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson
~ 7th Defense.

http://www.puroresuspirit.com/2012/12/22/njpw-event-cards-for-january-february-2013/
4 months ago

[NJPW February Event Card Update] New Japan has announced all the matches for their lead in tour heading into “THE NEW BEGINNING” PPV on February 10th.
I am not sure yet if this will be an iPPV, but since most big events have been offered for iPPV I can only assume yes at this time.

This next tour which takes place in early February will be main evented by multi-man tag matches highlighted with both IWGP singles belts as the IWGP Heavy Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and Ryusuke Taguchi will be taking on “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson and the IWGP Junior Champion Prince Devitt. These matches will be taking the main event spot for the majority of the shows leading into their respected title matches on February 10th.

One title match has been set in place for the tour as ZERO1’s Masato Tanaka defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii on February 3rd.

All the matches leading into the PPV are setup up as prelude’s to the show as each competitor or team aim to build any form of momentum heading into the show. KILLER ELITE SQUAD vs. TenCozy IWGP prelude tag matches will be doing just that kind of build. The same can go for the TIME SPLITTERS vs. Forever Hooligans who will be involved in multi-man tag leading into the PPV.
A noteworthy series of matches of the upcoming tour will see 6 Man clashes between the CHAOS team of namely Nakamura and Okada facing off against the team of Suzuki-gun which will be primarily comprised of Minoru Suzuki and Kengo Mashimo, from KAIENTAI DOJO. A heel vs. heel dynamic is an interesting change for NJPW, and the inclusion of Mashimo yet again is good news to hear. Nakamura has yet to have a new challenger for the IWGP IC belt, so we can only assume that Suzuki, or maybe Mashimo, could become a new challenger if this feud pans out.

You can see the full announced events below.
http://www.puroresuspirit.com/2012/12/22/njpw-event-cards-for-january-february-2013/

New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/2/2013 [Sat] 18:00 @ Gifu Industrial Hall

(1) Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu
(2) Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe
(3) KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & BUSHI vs. Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Jado
(4) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr & TAKA Michinoku
(5) Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Wataru Inoue vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
(6) Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & Taichi
(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Prince Devitt

New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/3/2013 [Sun] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

(1) Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Tama Tonga, Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe
(2) Hirooki Goto, Wataru Inoue, KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & BUSHI vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov
(3) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr & TAKA Michinoku
(4) Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Yujiro Takahashi
(5) Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & Taichi
(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson & Prince Devitt

(7) NEVER Openweight Championship Match: [Champion] Masato Tanaka vs. [Challenger] Tomohiro Ishii
~ 2nd Defense.

New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/5/2013 [Tue] 19:00 @ Koga City Gymnasium in Ibaraki

(1) BUSHI & Yohei Komatsu vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe
(2) KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Tiger Mask IV vs. Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Jado
(3) Manabu Nakanishi, Hirooki Goto & Captain New Japan vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
(4) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr & Taichi
(5) Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue vs. Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
(6) Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku
(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Prince Devitt

New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/6/2013 [Wed] 18:30 @ Chino City Citizen Museum Multi-Hall

(1) BUSHI & Sho Tanaka vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe
(2) KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Gedo
(3) Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Wataru Inoue vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
(4) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask IV vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr & Taichi
(5) Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
(6) Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Jado vs. Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & TAKA Michinoku
(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Captain New Japan & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Prince Devitt

New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to THE NEW BEGINNING”, 2/7/2013 [Thu] 19:0 @ New Sunpia Tochigi

(1) BUSHI & Yohei Komatsu vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe
(2) KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Tiger Mask IV vs. Rocky Romero, Alex Koslov & Jado
(3) Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Wataru Inoue vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
(4) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr & TAKA Michinoku
(5) Togi Makabe & Wataru Inoue vs. Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
(6) Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Kengo Mashimo & Taichi
(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Prince Devitt
Notes: 1 / 4 months ago

Taiyo Kea vs. Minoru Suzuki from April 9, 2011, Champion Carnival tournament match.
~ Another match released to showcase Taiyo Kea’s career before his temporary leave this January to peruse his degree in business management.
~ Kea and Suzuki have been both allies and rivals in the ring, and this match from 2011 showcases their time against one another.

Keiji Mutoh, Yuzuki Aikawa & Rina Takeda vs. Kaz Hayashi, Nanae Takahashi & Natsuki☆Taiyo from December 11, 2011 @ Korakuen Hall, Fan Appreciation Show.
~ All Japan released this match as Aikawa announced that she will be retiring from pro wrestling in April of 2013, and so All Japan released this match of her participation in the All Japan ring.

(Source: youtube.com)
5 months ago

[NJPW Official Video ~ Greatest Moments for December 21, 2012]
Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru Suzuki & Yoshihiro Takayama from December 23, 2010 at the Korakuen Hall.
~ A lead-in to the upcoming rematch & showdown between Nagata and Suzuki at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th at WRESTLE KINGDOM 7.
5 months ago

[All Japan News] AJP announced that Taiyo Kea will be taking part in 2 matches on January 2nd & 3rd to as his final send off before he takes an extended absence to go to study business management near his home of Hawaii.
On January 2nd, Taiyo Kea will be reuniting with his former World Tag Champion partner & 2008 Tag Team of the year in Minoru Suzuki as well as MAZADA to see a full “GURENTAI” reunion. They will be going up against Keiji Mutoh, Kaz Hayashi & Masanobu Fuchi.
Then on January 3rd, All Japan will be hosting a big 10 man tag match which will see Kea teaming with his former RO&D partner in TAKA Michinoku as well as Mutoh, Masakatsu Funaki and Fuchi as they take on Suwama, Omori, Manabu Soya, Ryota Hama & Hiroshi Yamato.

Below are the announced cards so far for the first 2 shows of the new year.

All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2013 New Year Shining Series ~NEW YEAR 2DAYS~”, 1/2/2013 [Wed] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

Newly Announced:
(-) Kea Send-off 6 Man Tag Match: Taiyo Kea, Minoru Suzuki & MAZADA vs. Keiji Mutoh, Kaz Hayashi & Masanobu Fuchi

Previously Announced:
(-) World Tag Team Championship Match: [64th Champions] “GET WILD” Takao Omori & Manabu Soya vs. [Challengers] “SOA” Masakatsu Funaki & Masayuki Kono
~ 2nd Defense.

(-) World Junior Heavyweight & GHC Junior Heavyweight Double Championship Match: [33rd World Jr. Champion] Hiroshi Yamato vs. [25th GHC Jr. Champion] Shuji Kondo
~ Yamato’s 6th Defense, Kondo’s 3rd Defense.

——————————————————
All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2013 New Year Shining Series ~NEW YEAR 2DAYS~”, 1/3/2013 [Thu] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

Newly Announced:
(-) Kea Send-off 10 Man Tag Match: Taiyo Kea, Keiji Mutoh, Masakatsu Funaki, Masanobu Fuchi & TAKA Michinoku vs. Suwama, Takao Omori, Manabu Soya, Ryota Hama & Hiroshi Yamato

Previously Announced:
(-) GAORA TV Championship Match: [1st Champion] Seiya Sanada vs. [Challenger] Tomoaki Honma
~ 3rd Defense.

(-) Asia Tag Championship Match: [89th Champions] “Junior Stars” Minoru Tanaka & Koji Kanemoto vs. [Challengers] “Team 246” Kaz Hayashi & Shuji Kondo
~ 2nd Defense.

(-) Triple Crown #1 Contender Match: Akebono vs. Joe Doering
~ The winner of the contendership match will then earn the right to face Masakatsu Funaki on January 26th.
Notes: 1 / 6 months ago

[K-DOJO News] KAIENTAI DOJO added another title match to their upcoming Korakuen Hall show on November 13. Among the previously announced singles matches of TAKA Michinoku vs. Minoru Suzuki and the STRONGEST-K title on the line between Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Yuji Hino.
It was announced that the STRONGEST-K TAG will be defended as well as the newly crowned champions Kengo Mashimo & Ryuichi Sekine will be going against Taishi Takizawa & Akito, who is regular of Sportiva and DDT.

KAIENTAI DOJO “CLUB-K SUPER in Korakuen”, 11/13/2012 [Tue] 19:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
Newly Announced:
(-) STRONGEST-K TAG Championship Match: [21st Champions] Kengo Mashimo & Ryuichi Sekine vs. [Challengers] Taishi Takizawa & Akito [Sportiva]

Previously Announced:
(-) Special Singles Match: TAKA Michinoku vs. Minoru Suzuki [Pancrase MISSION]

(-) CHAMPION OF STRONGEST-K Championship Match: [12th Champion] Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW) vs. [Challenger] Yuji Hino
~ 3rd Defense.
Notes: 1 / 7 months ago

[Tenryu Project News] Genichiro Tenryu’s return match has been made official as he is set to return on December 29.
Mr. Puroresu, who has been unable to compete due to spinal stenosis, is set to make his return at the end of the year in a big way.
Tenryu will be teaming with Yoshihiro Takahayama, Minoru Suzuki and a “to be determined wrestler” as they take on NJPW’s Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima.
Tenryu will be teaming with the men who replaced him for the shows this year as the acting general’s, but with the news that Kensuke Sasaki is taking time away from the ring for surgery of his own that leaves an open spot for Tenryu to fill.
The match will be quite special in another way as it will see 3 generations (70, 80, and 90’s) of Japanese Pro Wrestlers in the ring at the same time.
Tenryu’s shows are known for bringing together big main events and recently he even brought together former Triple Crown Champions to compete in a special 6 man tag.
The announced return match for Tenryu is still a little over 2 months away and he aims to be 100% recovered by then. He also mentioned that he has been secretly training with his “Goo Punch” and Soccerball Kick already, with a grin on his face.
As for the lat partner for Tenryu that is still undecided, but he thanked NJPW specifically for allowing him to use their talent.

Tenryu Project “Genichiro Tenryu Returns ~Revolution~”, 12/29/2012 [Sat] @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

Tenryu’s Return 8 Man Tag Match: Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshihiro Takahayama, Minoru Suzuki & “to be determined” vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima.
7 months ago

All Japan Official Videos for October 19, 2012 [2 Matches]

Seiya Sanada vs. Jun Akiyama from April 10, 2011, CHAMPION CARNIVAL 2011.
~ All Japan’s Supernova from the 1990’s and All Japan’s current Supernova.
Many people feel that this is Sanada’s breakthrough match as a future as a singles competitor, check out this match below that showcases the past and the future.

Minoru Suzuki & Masakatsu Funaki vs. Yuji Nagata & Jushin Thunder Liger from March 21, 2011.
A dream team tag team match from 2011 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan. All 4 men are far from strangers as they were all New Japan Young Lions at one time, and have trained and competed against each other in the past. Nagata and Suzuki are known for their physical and technically based battles in the past, and Funaki and Liger spent the early parts of their career in NJPW as rookies and training partners.
Their careers have all gone their separate ways and have each found success.
To have all 4 of these men in the ring at the same time was surely one for the history books.

~ In a bit of side news, there was actually a point that Masakatsu Funaki could have actually became Jushin Thunder Liger. It is very interesting to think how different things might have been if that was so.
(Source: puroresuspirit.com)
7 months ago

All Japan Official Videos for October 12, 2012 [2 Matches]

Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taiyo Kea
November 29, 2008 @ Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, 2nd Stadium, 2008 World’s Strongest Tag League.

Shuji Kondo & Hiroshi Yamato vs. Minoru Tanaka & Koji Kanemoto
October 10, 2011 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
(Source: facebook.com)
7 months ago

Weekend Recap for October 8, 2012 [Vol. 5]

All Japan, NOAH and New Japan all held big shows this weekend. This will be a big rundown with the 3 big shows, but I will try my best to cover the major happenings.
————————————————————————————————————————-
[All Japan]
AJP held a big show on Sunday (10/7) to kick off their 40th Anniversary Tour.
Among the biggest headlines from the show is Seiya Sanada becoming the first ever GAORA TV Champion after defeating Yasufumi Nakanoueno in the final match.

Yes you heard that right Yasufumi, the young talent has finally began to rack up some wins as of late. He has been gaining quite a following as well with people cheering for him to do his best, and when he picked up the win over Miyamoto earlier in the night, regardless of the beating he took, he got fan support.
Keiji Mutoh has said that Sanada and Yasufumi are the future of All Japan, so it will be interesting to see how far they go in the years to come.

SUSHI has once again found himself on the losing end of Aegyptus Aerial. The two mummies of All Japan have proven to be a cohesive unit and it has come at the expense of SUSHI and his tamago’s on his mask.
It might all seem to be a lost cause for SUSHI, but the last thing he said after his loss is that he will bring a “large” partner of his own next time.

The battle between Suwama and Joe Doering has become very heated on Sunday. Doering has painted a big target on anyone that is before him, and Suwama has become that very target. The two will meet one on one on October 21.

Masahiro Chono has stated that he is looking to back Suwama ever since his loss to Masakatsu Funaki on September 23. Chono walked out with Suwama that night and it seemed an alliance was formed. Though at the show on October 7th, Suwama walked away without a word.
Suwama stated that his only goal is to reclaim the Triple Crown, but Doering is standing in his way at this time. The upcoming singles match could set either men up for a few title shot.
Though the bigger question shall remain to what will come between Chono and Suwama?

Scott Norton will be competing in All Japan for the entire month of shows in October, and Sunday’s show saw the big man back in the ring with a win to start off the tour right.
After the match, Chono joined Norton and Mutoh in the ring and it was yet again another nWo reunion, much like when Kevin Nash was in All Japan a couple weeks back.

Hiroshi Yamato survived a grueling match against DDT’s Kenny Omega on Sunday, and even lost a tooth in the process. If there was ever a doubt in someone’s mind that Yamato was not a fighting champion I think he has proved the doubters wrong.
No one stepped up against Yamato after his win, but Yamato announced that himself and Shuji Kondo will be aiming to claim NOAH’s GHC Jr. Tag belts.
Kondo and Yamato have proven to be a strong team when they have competed in NOAH, and with Kondo recently winning the GHC Jr. (singles) belt. Yamato & Kondo are looking to take even more from NOAH.

Takao Omori and Masakatsu Funaki will meet one on one for the Triple Crown Championship on October 21. Though last Sunday they both met in the start of the 40th Anniversary Tour in a Triple Crown Prelude match. Omori and Funaki went back and forth the entire match with both men going for their big moves early on. Omori would deliver the Axe Guillotine Driver and the Axe Bomber, but being the tag setting Funaki would be saved. Funaki and Omori would spill to the outside and would pretty much remain there for the rest of the match.
Kono and Soya would battle the most after this with Kono getting the win after the Giant Knee Drop from the top rope.

All Japan will be building up to the show on October 21 that is coming up in less than 2 weeks.
————————————————————————————————————————- [NOAH]
NOAH came out 3 to 2 in the NOAH vs. ZERO1 feud, but regardless of the outcomes it seems the war is still only beginning.
NOAH announced the participants for the GLOBAL LEAGUE WAR 2012 and it will be taking place from November 3 to November 23.
Kotaro Suzuki and Atsushi Aoki came out the victors over Ikuto Hidaka and Craig Classic, but there is obviously more to come from Kotaro and Hidaka.
Super Crazy and Ricky Marvin successfully defended the GHC Junior Tag Team Championship against the junior tag league winners Taiji Ishimori and Atsushi Kotoge.
During the backstage interview, Marvin and Crazy said they will both be heading to Mexico. Whether the titles will be defended there is unknown, but it was hinted at.

KENTA finally got his hands a heavyweight championship after himself and fellow NO MERCY teammate Maybach Taniguchi beat TNA’s Samoa Joe and Brutus Magnus after a 16+ minute match.
After the match Go Shiozaki and Akitoshi Saito appeared and challenged the new champions. It has been a long time coming for KENTA to finally get his hands on a heavyweight caliber belt and you can bet that he will not let himself or Maybach fall easily.

Kohei Sato attacked Morishima after the match and dropped the champion with a German Suplex. Sato has stated more than once that he once a shot at the GHC Heavyweight belt, and he has definitely gotten the attention of the champion.

Morishima said in the post match interview that he knows that the GLOBAL LEAGUE will be happening in November, but he wants to face in Sato before the tournament. NOAH has a pretty standard tour this month with them holding a show on 10/27 at the Korakuen. We could very well see a title defense there is Morishima is serious about facing Sato before the upcoming tournament.

————————————————————————————————————————- [NJPW] Manabu Nakanishi returned to the ring after spending 16+ months out due to a neck injury. Nakanishi would end up falling to Toru Yano in his return match, but he is looking to get stronger and also reform the “Muscle Orchestra” team with Strongman.

The Forever Hooligans picked up the win over the Time Splitters and still aim to remain as champions “FOREVER!”.
No other team has been announced as the next contenders, but New Japan will be holding their Junior Tag League starting on October 21.
Low Ki was able to regain his the Jr. Heavy belt against Kota Ibushi at the KoPW event. After a 17+ minute match Low Ki would walk out the victor after an Avalanche (Top Rope) KiKrusher to the reigning champion.
Low Ki was also met with his first challenger in the returning Prince Devitt. Devitt has been away in his home in Ireland after competing in Mexico and is looking to pick up in NJPW where he left off.
Kota Ibushi stated in the backstage interview that he has no idea what has been going wrong, whether it is his changing of his style or what? He was successful against Kenny Omega in August at the Budokan, but since he has not been able so successful. Ibushi stated that he will not give up though and will be aiming for a rematch.
Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. have been crowned the new IWGP Tag Team Champions after an almost 13 minute match against Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Archer and Smith, Killer Elite Squad /K.E.S., have proven to be a strong team as of late and they proven themselves to be the team to beat after taking down one of the more popular tag teams in Japan today.
K.E.S. stated that Suzuki-gun is #1 and they will continue to win in the future.
No teams have stepped up against the new champions, but NJPW will be holding their “Heavyweight’ Tag League in November.

Yujiro Takahashi more or less dominated his match against Tetsuya Naito. In a little less than 6 minutes, Yujiro controlled most of the match and systematically took Naito’s injured right knee apart piece by piece. Naito has been suffering from an injured knee since the G1 CLIMAX in August and after his match against Yujiro things are not looking well for Naito. The referee had to stop the match because Naito would have suffered even more damage if the match would continue. After the match Yujiro took a chair to Naito’s knee then told Naito that he should just retire. That Naito can no longer wrestle, as his knees are too weak for him to compete. Naito was carried out of the ring via stretcher, and we will just have to wait and see what comes now.

Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata continue on with their domination of New Japan. After the destruction of Hiromu Takahashi, Saku and Shibata took the fight to Makabe and Inoue and came out the victors.
Up next it seems Togi Makabe is looking for a singles match against Sakuraba and the early sign seems to be pointing that it could very well be happening.

Kazuchika Okada once again proved to be the better over Karl Anderson and continues on with his right to face the champion at Wrestle Kingdom on 1/4/2013.
After a 16+ minute match, Okada won with the Rainmaker and sealed the fate of Anderson.
Up next for Okada seems to be Hirooki Goto as Okada aims to gain back his loses from the G1 CLIMAX. Goto managed to beat Okada on the G1 8/10 show and that loss is not going to sit well with Okada who looks to be going into Wrestle Kingdom.
During the backstage interview Anderson was asked what was next for him, and he said that he will be aiming to go after Nakamura and the the IWGP Intercontinental title.

Speaking of the IWGP IC title, Nakamura successfully retained against Hirooki Goto after a 15+ minute match.
Nakamura is looking to carry his “white” belt proudly and is looking to raise the value of the belt. He mentioned to the backstage reporters that he is looking for challengers from all over the world. He also took note of Anderson wanting to make a bid for the IC belt, but he also noted that Anderson keeps losing to Okada.
The main event of the KING OF PRO-WRESTLING show saw Hiroshi Tanahashi retaining against Minoru Suzuki in a close to 30 minute match. The match shows to be very physical between the two and went back and forth multiple times. After the match, Yujiro Takahashi appeared and called out Tanahashi for the next title match. Which could very well take place on Novemeber 11 at Osaka. Yujiro picked up the victory over Tanahashi a few weeks back and set himself up for a future title shot, and after the ruthless attacks on Naito, Tanahashi may very well have a threat on his hands.

————————————————————————————————————————-
I think that just above covers all the big happenings, and I am sorry for the length of the post, but there was quite a bit to mention and cover. Next weekend will be a little on the lighter side other than TAKA’s 20th Anniversary show, which I can think of off the top of my head.
NJPW Upcoming Events
All Japan Upcoming Events
NOAH Upcoming Events
If you guys want me to continue posting something like this feel free to like this post on the facebook page, leave me a comment, or give me a retweet on twitter.
I am still looking for critique’s and always open to thoughts.
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Charles Schaeffer [Bushido RX] ~ Puroresu Spirit

NJPW “WRESTLING DONTAKU 2013”, 5/3/2013 [Fri] 17:00 @ Fukuoka Kokusai Center

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 [1st Round]”, 3/11/2013 [Mon] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 [2nd Round]”, 3/17/2013 [Sun] 16:00 @ Beikomu General Gymnasium

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013”, 3/19/2013 [Tue] 19:00 @ Shirakawa City Center Gymnasium

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013”, 3/20/2013 [Wed] 15:00 @ Sendai Industrial Exhibition Hall, Aztec Museum

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013”, 3/22/2013 [Fri] 18:30 @ Kumagai City Civic Gymnasium

New Japan Pro Wrestling “NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 [Finals]”, 3/23/2013 [Sat] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

All Japan Official Videos for February 8, 2013

All Japan Official Videos for October 19, 2012 [2 Matches]

All Japan Official Videos for October 12, 2012 [2 Matches]

Weekend Recap for October 8, 2012 [Vol. 5]

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