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10/26/22 Quick Results from New Japan’s Battle Autumn, World Television Title Tournament continues, a legend returns - Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Japan:
This was a cheering event. The crowd popped for everything.
Kosei Fujita and Yuto Nakashima vs. Aaron Henare and Gideon Grey
Henare pins Fujita with a Rampage.
TAKA Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tiger Mask, Alex Zayne and David Finlay
Zayne pins TAKA after a Cinnamon Twist.
ZSJ brawls with Finlay after the match. They will meet in Round 2 of the Television Title Tournament.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hikuleo vs. Dick Togo and EVIL
House of Torture may have the most heat in New Japan. The crowd hates them.
Tanahashi took all the double team moves and made the hot tag. Hikuleo hits a power slam and a choke slam on Togo.
Hikuleo pins Togo.
Tanahashi is working hard to get Hikuleo over. After the match, Hikuleo gets the mic. The fans chant his name. Hikuleo calls out Karl Anderson. He says New Japan wants to strip Anderson of the title. Hikuleo says Anderson can keep the belt. When Anderson is done running, come back to New Japan and he will take the title from him. He points to Tanahashi saying “we will be waiting for you” and bring the NEVER Openweight Title.
The timing on this match is bad all around. Karl Anderson will be at WWE’s Crown Jewel and may not be able to defend the NEVER Openweight Title as scheduled. Hopefully, it can all work out without any issues.
El Desperado and Taichi vs. KENTA and Taiji Ishimori
DOUKI was supposed to be in this match but he was out with a fever.
KENTA hit Taichi with a low blow and rolled him with a pull of the tights.
KENTA pins Taichi.
Master Wato and Togi Makabe vs. SANADA and Hiromu Takahashi
SANADA pins Makabe after an O’Conner Roll.
BUSHI, Titan and Tetsuya Naito vs. Francesco Akira, TJP and Jeff Cobb
TJP and Akira hit a wicked running double knee into BUSHI.
Akira pins BUSHI.
Good match. United Empire get their win back after losing last week. Their title defense against Los Ingobernales de Japon should be fun.
NJPW World Television Title Tournament Matches -
Round 1: Toru Yano vs. Great O-Khan
Gideon Grey does the ring announcement of Great O-Khan.
Match was fast paced with lots of near falls. O-Khan goes for an Eliminator but the lights go out. When the lights are back on, Yano is lying on the mat with the referee. O-Khan is standing in the ring. Behind him, on the floor, is THE GREAT MUTA! He is wearing a full costume with a mask. O-Khan sees him and gets angry. Muta sprays him with the green mist.
Yano rolls up O-Khan for the pin.
Toru Yano advances to Round 2 in the Tournament.
Yano and Muta shake hands and they leave the ring. O-Khan is crawling on ring floor in pain.
This may be an angle between O-Khan and Muta for a future match.
Round 1: Ren Narita vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Both men started hammering each other at the bell. Stiff match. Both men beat the hell out of each other. Narita catches Ishii off the ropes with a belly to belly suplex with sweet bridge (called the Narita Special).
Narita pins Ishii.
Ren Narita advances to Round 2.
Good match. I expected a hard stiff match and they both delivered. This was, in a way, the passing of the torch. As good as Ishii is, he helped make Narita in this match, in front of a Japanese crowd. All the work Narita put in with New Japan World in California, is paying off now.
Round 2 of the World Television Title Tournament will begin tomorrow.
Thank you for reading.
James Kurokawa
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