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10/14/24 Results from King of Pro Wrestling 2024; New Champions crowned from the Ryogoku Sumo Hall, Tokyo, Japan:
There were no televised house shows on New Japan World, despite the roster being on tour during the past two weeks. This card was set up at DESTRUCTION in Kobe on September 29. The average New Japan World viewer has not gotten to see these stories build since DESTRUCTION. It would have been nice to see the stories leading up this event play out on the house shows. The Bullet Club Rogue Army has not been in New Japan in 2024, but they have a Tag Team Title match. Hiromu vs. MISTICO should be on Wrestle Kingdom, not an opening match. Moloney, Conners, Knight and KUSHIDA have not been on tour in New Japan in several months. Ryohei Oiwa just debuted and receives a NEVER Title shot in his second match in New Japan. If New Japan wants fans to invest in their wrestlers, they need to explain and tell better stories. Show us, do not just tell us.
1 - Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi vs. MISTICO
MISTICO was awarded a plaque to commemorate his 20 years in wrestling.
Hiromu quickly goes after MISTICO's knee and attempting his new figure four cloverleaf. MISTICO hit a Spanish Fly off the top rope. MISTICO hits a Destroyer. Hiromu with a Hiromu Roll. Two count. Hiromu picks up MISTICO for a Time Bomb, but he drops MISTICO on his knee. Hiromu applies the figure four cloverleaf.
MISTICO taps out.
After the match, they tease a hair vs. mask match.
Solid match. Nothing special. MISTICO looks good, but he has lots of mileage on his bump card.
2 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Drilla Moloney and Clark Conners vs. Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA
A few sloppy moments in the match. Moloney hit a Powerbomb on KUSHIDA into a neck breaker by Conner. War Dogs drop KUSHIDA with Hit and Run. Two count. KUSHIDA tags Knight which the War Dogs did not see. War Dogs are about to hit Full Clip, but Knight knocks Conners off the top rope. Knight with a Jacknife Cradle on Moloney for the pin and win.
Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles.
3 - IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Shane Haste and Mikey Nichols vs. Caveman Ugg and Bad Luck Fale
TMDK hits a double back suplex on Fale. TMDK hits a Power Bottom on Ugg. Two count. TMDK hits Thunder Valley on Ugg.
Nichols pins Ugg.
Shane Haste and Mikey Nichols retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles.
After the match, Great O-Khan and HENARE enter the ring and declare they are entering World Tag League and they will take the Tag Team Championship. Haste tells them to bring it on because The Mighty Don't Kneel.
4 - NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi vs. Ryohei Oiwa
Oiwa attacked Takagi's left arm to weaken the Pumping Bomber. They traded stiff shots. Takagi hit a Superplex and a Sliding Lariat. Two count. Oiwa blocks Made in Japan. They trade lariats. Oiwa with an Olympic Slam. Takagi hits a lariat to the back of the head and hits Made in Japan. Two count. Oiwa with a German Suplex. Two count. Oiwa applies a sleeper hold. Oiwa hits The Grip. Oiwa with a Doctor Bomb. Two count. Takagi with a Pumping Bomber. Two count. Takagi with a Saito Suplex, a Pumping Bomber and a Power Bomb. Two count. Takagi with another Pumping Bomber and a Last of the Dragon.
Takagi pins Oiwa.
Shingo Takagi retains the NEVER Openweight Title.
This match was similar to the Yota Tsuji vs. Will Ospreay match over a year ago. Tsuji proved in that match he could hang with the main eventers. In this match, Oiwa proved to a New Japan audience that he belongs.
5 - NJPW World TV Championship (3 way Match): Jeff Cobb vs. Yota Tsuji vs. Ren Narita
Cobb showed off his power by throwing his opponents all over the ring. Cobb hit a double Samoan Drop. Cobb suplexed Narita on Tsuji. Narita hit Hells Guillotine on Tsuji. Narita applies an ankle lock. Tsuji hits a double stomp on Cobb. Tsuji headbutts Narita. Tsuji goes for a Gene Blaster on Cobb, but Cobb turns it into a Tour of the Islands. Cobb goes for the pin, but Narita pulls the referee out of the ring. The crowd is pissed by that.
Narita goes for a low blow but Cobb blocks it. Narita hits Cobb with the push up bar and follows with the Double Cross.
Narita pins Cobb.
Ren Narita wins the NJPW World Television Championship.
The match was built around Cobb and Tsuji, but Narita comes in to steal the spotlight. At least, no other House of Torture members were involved.
They play a video of the Young Bucks coming to Wrestle Dynasty.
Crickets from the Ryogoku Crowd.
6 - Hiroshi Tanahashi 25th Anniversary Match: El Phantasmo, Shota Umino and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi and EVIL
ELP, Umino and Tanahashi come out dressed in gladiator armor to promote the Gladiator II movie, who is a sponsor of King of Pro Wrestling. Wow!
Typical House of Torture shenanigans. Tanahashi hits a High Fly Flow on Yujiro and gets the pin.
Tanahashi takes the mic and thanks the fans for 25 years in wrestling. He says he wants to keep fighting forever. But the finish line is sight. 2025 will be his last year. January 4, 2026 will be his last match.
EVIL and Dick Togo come back to attack Tanahashi. ELP makes the save but Narita hits ELP with the push up bar. House of Torture beats down Tanahashi and ELP.
EVIL says he will decide when Tanahashi retires because this is his company.
I do not like to speculate on fantasy booking, but there are two legends of the wrestling industry who have announced that the end is near. Both began their careers around the same time frame, but in different wrestling companies. I am referring to John Cena and Hiroshi Tanahashi. The wrestling landscape is much different than it was 25 years ago, in that this match is a possibility. WWE has sent wrestlers to Japan to compete in other companies. A match or two between Cena and Tanahashi in 2025 could draw money for both WWE and New Japan. No title belts. Just a singles match for the sheer spectacle. Cena vs. Tanahashi at Summerslam 2025 at Metlife Stadium? Or Cena vs. Tanahashi at King of Pro Wrestling 2025? Or both? As much as AEW would want to take credit for opening the Forbidden Door, WWE would break it down with this match. It would needs tons of promotion and planning to make it happen.
7 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: DOUKI vs. SHO
SHO attacked DOUKI before the bell and hit a piledriver on the floor. SHO threw the young lions around at ringside. SHO dragged a hurt DOUKI back to the ring. SHO rips off DOUKI's mask. The camera at ringside shows SHO holding the mask with the ring ropes cleverly blocking DOUKI's face. DOUKI stands and his mouth and lower face is painted red and white, like a kabuki mask. He spits red mist into SHO's eyes and looks like a demon from horror manga comics. DOUKI hits two Suplex de La Luna on SHO.
DOUKI pins SHO.
DOUKI retains the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title.
DOUKI puts the mask back on and he becomes his normal self. Yoshinobu Kanemaru jumps in the ring and attacks DOUKI. Kanemaru was about to hit DOUKI with the belt. Master Wato returns! He hits Recientemente on Kanemaru and saves DOUKI. He challenges DOUKI for the Jr. Heavyweight Title. They have a stare down, which means DOUKI accepts.
8 - IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: David Finlay vs. Hirooki Goto
The story of this match is Goto wants his young children to be proud of him and he wants to win the title for them. At a press conference, Finlay told Goto's kids that he was a failure as a father and he will beat him up at King of Pro Wrestling. They put Goto's kids at ringside right behind the guardrail to watch the match. (The last time Goto brought his kids to the ring was at Korakuen Hall and his daughter broke down in tears because she was scared. That is uncomfortable.)
Goto and Finlay quickly fight to the floor. Finlay give Goto's kids a double middle finger. They fight back into the ring and trade shots. Goto hits a lariat sending Finlay to the floor. Finlay throws Goto into the guardrail and grabs chairs from under the ring. Finlay goes for a powerbomb but backdrops Finlay onto the chairs. Goto hits a running spin kick. Goto dodges and sends Finlay into the guardrail. Goto hits a GTR off the guardrail. He throws Finlay in the ring and hits a top rope elbow. Two count. Finlay hits an Irish Curse. They trade strikes. Goto hits a reverse GTR. Finlay hits a lariat and a Dominator. Two count. Finlay applies a Sleeper. Goto reverses into an ushigaroshi. Goto hits a GTW. Two count. Goto hits a headbutt. Goto with a Shotenkai. Goto goes for GTR, but Gedo jumps on the apron. Finlay hits Into Oblivion. YOSHI-HASHI grabs Gedo from the apron. Finlay grabs his shillelagh and hits Goto. Goto kicks out at two. Finlay with a Powerbomb. Two count. Massive chant for Goto. They exchange reversals. Finlay hits Overkill.
Finlay pins Goto.
David Finlay retains the IWGP Global Championship.
The camera shows Goto's daughter crying. Finlay gives YOSHI-HASHI and Goto's kids the middle finger. Deplorable. But great heel heat.
Finlay takes the mic and says that he has beaten everyone. He calls out Yuya Uemura as his next challenger. Uemura beat Finlay in the G1, but Uemura is out injured. Taichi comes out to support his teammate. Taichi accepts the challenge. Finlay tries to hit Taichi with the belt. Taichi plants him with a Dangerous Driver. Taichi promises to take the Global Championship to Wrestle Kingdom.
9 - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Massive pop for both champion and challenger. All of TMDK are in ZSJ's corner.
Lots of mat wrestling to begin the match. ZSJ starts with leg submissions. ZSJ falls to the floor. Naito goes for a neckbreaker on the apron, but ZSJ avoids it. ZSJ cranks Naito's neck with a leg twist. ZSJ works over Naito's neck and legs. Naito cranks ZSJ neck with a leg twist of his own. Naito hits a dropkick to the head. Naito with neckbreaker on his knee and a hanging neckbreaker. Two count. Naito traps ZSJ in a double leg full nelson. ZSJ grabbed Naito in a Minoru Suzuki style arm submission. ZSJ worked over the neck. Naito counters with a tornado DDT. Naito hits a Frankensteiner off the top rope. Naito applies the Puma Blanca. Rope break. Naito begins to hammer ZSJ with elbows to the head and neck. Naito hits an Esperanza. Naito hits a Destino. Two count. ZSJ traps Naito in a Clarky Cat. ZSJ keeps moving and switching submissions. Naito gets to the ropes. ZSJ tries for a Zack Driver, but Naito counters into Valencia. Naito goes for a Destino, but Zack reverses and hits a Gotch Piledriver. Another nod to his mentor Minoru Suzuki. ZSJ goes for another Zack Driver but Naito reverses into a Destino. Two count. They exchange reversals. ZSJ hits a Zack Driver. One count. Another Zack Driver. Two count. A third Zack Driver.
Zack Sabre Jr. pins Naito.
Zack Sabre Jr. wins the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Great match. Zack told a good story in the match, using the moves taught to him by his trainers, all leading to this moment.
Zack takes the mic and tells Naito that even though he won the title, he will always be in New Japan. He says "Mucho Gracias, Senor". Naito gives him a smile and head back to the locker room.
SANADA comes to the ring. He says the match was so amazing. He says that this is his last chance to become champion in this year. SANADA will face Zack Sabre Jr. at Royal Quest in 6 days in London. ZSJ officially agrees to the match.
Shota Umino comes to the ring. The crowd starts to boo. (I agree with the Ryogoku fans. New Japan is shoving all these potential challengers out there before building anything. Let Zack celebrate first. The fans want to celebrate with the winner at the end of the show and celebrate the moment. Then someone comes to cut a promo, and everyone is just supposed to swallow it. They got pissed at EVIL for attacking Tanahashi. SANADA and Uminio are doing the same thing. Show us that these wrestlers deserve it. If Shota is your next big babyface, and people are booing, that is a bad look.)
Shota Umino says Tanahashi is retiring and Hontai could be weakening. He wants a shot at the title. Shingo Takagi comes out and wants a shot at the Title.
Zack tells everyone to shut up, SANADA has the first shot, he will think about it, and get out of ring. Big applause for the new Champion.
Zack says the Summer of Zack is over, but the Zack Era is just began. He says this is the Era of the TMDK, because The Mighty Don't Kneel. TMDK celebrates in the ring and they go into the crowd to celebrate with the fans.
In the interview area, TMDK drink beer to celebrate. Kosei Fujita announces that he will challenge Gabe Kidd for the Strong Openweight Championship on November 8 at Fighting Spirit Unleashed.
Upcoming Events on New Japan World:
Super Jr. Tag League begins on October 24.
Power Struggle in Osaka will be on November 4.
World Tag League begins November 19.
Thank you for reading.
James Kurokawa
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