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3/1 NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING 50th ANNIVERSARY EVENT REPORT

3/1/22 Results from New Japan’s 50th Anniversary show From Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan,

They began the show with an opening ceremony.  Current New Japan wrestlers made their way to ringside.   They introduced important figures who helped to build New Japan over the past 50 years.

They included:  Wataru Inoue, Jyushin Thunder Liger, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Seiji Sakaguchi, Norio Honaga, Tiger Hattori, Mototuki Kitazawa, Milano Collection A.T., Minoru Tanaka, Masahito Kakihara, Kazuo Yamasaki, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Akita Maeda, Shiro Koshinaka, Kengo Kimura, Masahiro Chono, Keiji Muto, Riki Choshu, and Tatsumi Fujinami.

All legends were introduced and sat in chairs in the ring.  They play a video of the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama, who thanked everyone in New Japan, but he could not be in attendance.  

Seiji Sakaguchi addressed the crowd.  

Kazuchika Okada addressed the crowd and thanked the legends in the ring.

All the legends posed in the ring for a group photo.    Fujinami and Choshu were the only ones who kept their masks on.  

They went to intermission to set up the ring for the matches to come. 

The matches on the card was adjusted due to the injuries of Kota Ibushi and Hiroyoshi Tenzan.

Tiger Mask, Ryohei Oiwa and YOH vs. Yujiro Takahashi, SHO and EVIL, with Dick Togo

Takahashi hits Pimp Juice on Oiwa.

Takahashi pins Oiwa.

It was an opening (and non title) match so House of Torture shenanigans was kept to a minimum.

 Minoru Tanaka, TAKA Michinoku and Taichi vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo and Bad Luck Fale

Tanaka spent a lot of time taking a beating from Bullet Club until he finally tagged to Taichi.  All men battled in and out of the ring.  Ishimori hits a lung blower on TAKA.  ELP hits Thunderkiss 86.

ELP pins TAKA.

They continue to tease problems between Ishimori and ELP, as well as problems with Bullet Club.

CIMA, T-Hawk, and  El Lindaman vs. El Desperado, DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru 

CIMA pins DOUKI after hitting a Metaora.

Solid match.  Good preview for CIMA who will be the New Japan Cup.

Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Kosei Fujita and Yuto Nakashima vs. Jeff Cobb, Great O-Khan, Aaron Henare and Will Ospreay 

Jeff Cobb still has his injured knee taped up, so hopefully he will make it through the New Japan Cup.   

O-Khan suplexes both Nakashima and Kojima by himself.  He hit Kojima with an Eliminator.

O-Khan pins Kojima.

United Empire continues to beat down everyone after the match.  Kevin Kelly asked Jeff Cobb who is winning the New Japan Cup.  Cobb said it would be him, if not it will be one of his guys, but it will be him.  Ospreay followed up with more comments saying that United Empire will take the New Japan Cup.

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Shiro Koshinaka vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito

Ishii and Takagi stare each other down as they will meet in the first round of the New Japan Cup.   

Takagi pins Honma with Last of the Dragon. 

YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato

No tag titles are on the line in this special tag match.  

Goto pins Taguchi after they hit a Shoto.

Fine match but I feel Goto and YOSHI-HASHI should have dominated Wato and Taguchi.    Goto and YOSHI-HASHI have been beating House of Torture, Dangerous Tekkers and LIJ for the past year, while Wato and Taguchi have only been teaming in the past two months.  The match was more competitive than I think it should have been. However, this is an anniversary event so there is some leeway should be given.   

Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr. and Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tatsumi Fujinami and Kazuchika Okada

Fujiwara and Suzuki got into a slap fight because Fujiwara wanted a piece of Tanahashi.   Fujiwara actually took down Tanahashi with the submission that made him famous, the Fujiwara armbar.  Tanahashi immediately dashed for the ropes.  Fujiwara went for an ankle submission, but Tanahashi went for the ropes.   Okada tagged in and Fujiwara dropped him with a headbutt.    Fujiwara went to the ring post then head butted the metal bolt.  Twice.  Pace picks up as Suzuki and ZSJ battle Okada and Tanahashi.   Suzuki hammers Okada with elbows and locks in a sleeper.   Fujinami saves Okada by applying a Dragon Sleeper on Suzuki.   Tanahashi with a Slingblade on Suzuki.   Okada misses a Rainmaker and Suzuki goes for another sleeper on Okada.  Okada counters with a dropkick, a landslide (sit down tombstone) and hits a Rainmaker.

Okada pins Suzuki.

Fujinami, Tanahashi and Okada pose in the ring after the match. 

Okada thanks the legends who came this evening and those who wrestled.  He bears the weight of living up to the legacy that they started in New Japan.  He felt bad that Antonio Inoki could not be here but he promised to live up to his expectations.   Tanahashi and Fujinami gave their thanks to everyone.  

It was a treat to watch Yoshiaki Fujiwara.  I cannot believe that he wrestled a match at 72 years old.  I cannot believe headbutted a steel bolt.  That is a tough man.  Overall, it was a good celebration for a company that has been around for 50 years and we are lucky to see some stars who made it happen. This was a good preview for the New Japan Cup for tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

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