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10/30/22 Results from New Japan’s Battle Autumn’22, Semifinals of the World Television Title Tournament is set from Chiba, Japan:
Kosei Fujita vs. DOUKI
DOUKI forces Fujita to submit to the Italian Stretch #32
Ryohei Oiwa and Yuto Nakashima vs. Great O-Khan and Jeff Cobb
United Empire hits an Imperial Drop on Nakashima. They hit another on Oiwa.
O-Khan pins Oiwa.
Total squash match. United Empire looks dominant. Officials come to the ring to help. Cobb and O-Khan scare them off.
Cobb gets the mic and calls out FTR. He says they have called them out once. He said answer their challenge or United Empire will ambush them at the Osaka airport. O-Khan names all the teams they have beaten and repeats the challenge.
With World Tag League coming in November, there is still more stories to be told regarding the IWGP World Tag Team Championship for Wrestle Kingdom. We could be looking at a multi-team Title Match, rather than just FTR and United Empire.
EVIL and Dick Togo vs. Hikuleo and Master Wato
Poor Togo takes a massive chokeslam from Hikuleo.
Hikuleo pins Togo.
Hikuleo gets the mic and challenges the Tokyo Pimp Yujiro Takahashi on November 5. He tells Karl Anderson that he will be waiting for his Title Match for the NEVER Openweight Championship in Japan.
Despite the disruption to New Japan’s plans to transition the NEVER Title as scheduled, I do think the end result could be better. Shinsuke Nakamura will face The Great Muta on January 1, 2023, in Japan. Nakamura just returned to WWE television and getting pops, so New Japan is getting one of their original talents back for a special match for the Japanese audience. I believe this is a Triple H deal if I were to guess. Takahashi vs. Hikuleo may not sell tickets, but Muta vs. Nakamura is a good compromise. Eventually, Karl Anderson will drop the Title to Hikuleo and all will be fine.
Thank you, Triple H.
Tiger Mask, Alex Zayne and David Finlay vs. Taichi, TAKA Michinoku and Zack Sabre Jr.
Finlay pins TAKA after hitting a Trash Panda.
El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Taiji Ishimori and Gedo
Kanemaru forces Gedo to tap out to a figure four leg lock.
Good match. Ishimori and Desperado are heating up for Jr. Tag League and their Title match at Wrestle Kingdom.
BUSHI, Titan, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito vs. Francesco Akira, TJP, Aaron Henare and Gideon Grey
Hiromu forces Grey to tap out to a Boston Crab.
LIJ continue to beat on Grey after the match.
NJPW World Television Title Tournament:
Round 2: Ren Narita vs. Toru Yano
Narita attacks Yano before he gets to the ring. Yano tried to run but Narita hit him with strikes. Yano fought back with some quick near falls. They battle to the floor. Yano pulls out tape and ties Narita’s legs together. He throws Narita under the ring. The referee begins the count. Narita rolls out and frees his legs. He gets back in the ring and Yano stomps on him. Narita is thrown into an unprotected turnbuckle. Yano beats him down. Narita fights back with strikes and takes Yano down by the arm and goes for a submission. Narita traps him in a triangle choke. Yano is fading but he gets to the ropes.
Yano hits a belly to belly suplex and goes for a powerbomb. Narita punches his way out. Yano throws him into the turnbuckle and hits a chop block. Yano rolls him up in a school boy but Narita puts him in a triangle choke again. Yano picks him up in a powerbomb. Narita hulks up and throws a stiff kick to Yano’s chest. Narita comes off the ropes with a flying knee strike to the chest.
Narita pins Yano.
Ren Narita moves into the semifinals.
Big win for Narita over an established star in New Japan. If Narita goes the distance, this shows how much New Japan believes in him.
Round 2: SANADA vs. KENTA
KENTA stalls to begin the match. SANADA pursues but KENTA refuses to lock up. While KENTA is asking the timekeeper for the time, SANADA hides under the ring. SANADA surprises KENTA and traps him in the Paradise Lock. After SANADA frees him, KENTA rakes the eyes and hits a neck breaker. KENTA hits a Mafia Kick sending SANADA out of the ring. They keep throwing each other out of the ring. SANADA hits a Magic Killer off the guardrails. KENTA hits a Green Killer back in the ring. They exchange strikes and kicks.
KENTA throws SANADA into the referee and hits a DDT. KENTA gets a chair. SANADA dropkicks the chair into KENTA’s face. SANADA hits a moonsault. He goes for another moonsault but KENTA gets the knees up. KENTA rolls him into a small package. Two count. KENTA hits a knee to gut and a double stomp from the top rope. Two count. They exchange near falls. KENTA hits open hand strikes. The exchange more near falls. SANADA sends KENTA into the unprotected turnbuckle. SANADA rolls up KENTA with an O’Conner Roll.
SANADA pins KENTA.
SANADA moves on to face Ren Narita in the semifinals.
Narita comes to the ring to speak with SANADA ahead of their next match.
The semifinals of the NJPW World Television Title Tournament will be:
1. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL
2. Ren Narita vs. SANADA
The winner of each match will go to Wrestle Kingdom to crown the first NJPW World Television Champion.
Thank you for reading.
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