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11/04/24 Results from New Japan's POWER STRUGGLE and Super Jr. Tag League, Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty takes shape in Osaka, Japan
1 - Tiger Mask, Capitan Suicida and Shoma Kato vs. The DKC, Ninja Mack and YOH
DKC pins Kato after a springboard leg lariat.
2 - KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight, Jude London, Paris De Silva and Katsuya Murayama vs. Taiji Ishimori, Robbie X, Drilla Moloney, Clark Conners and Gabe Kidd
Poor Murashima got a Hit and Run. Robbie X hit an X Express. Ishimori hit a Bloody Cross. Conners hit a No Chaser. Moloney hit a Drilla Killa. Kidd finishes Murashima with a Piledriver.
Kidd finally pins Murashima.
3 - Toru Yano, Tomoaki Honma, Ryusuke Taguchi and Dragon Dia vs. Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI
Hiromu forces Honma to tap out to a modified figure four leg lock.
4 - Special Tag Match: Boltin Oleg and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Ren Narita and EVIL
El Phantasmo was supposed to be Tanahashi's partner, but had to back out of the match due to health concerns.
EVIL and Narita came to the ring first. Oleg and Tanahashi are jumped from behind by the rest of House of Torture.
Oleg and Tanahashi fought back. Oleg was about to hit a Kamikaze on Narita, with Tanahashi setting up for the High Fly Flow. EVIL grabs Tanahashi's leg. Kanemaru and SHO interfere to save Narita.
Narita rolls up Oleg for the pin.
House of Torture continue to beat down Oleg and Tanahashi.
EVIL takes the mic and promises to end Tanahashi's career at Wrestle Kingdom. Jado tries to make the save but gets stomped down. EVIL pulls out a scissors and wants to cut Tanahashi's hair. House of Torture drag Jado and Tanahashi back to the locker area.
Narita hits a Double Cross on Oleg and poses in the ring with the NJPW TV Title. Ryohei Oiwa comes to the ring. Oiwa challenges Narita for the NJPW TV Championship. Jeff Cobb comes to the ring and wants match. Oiwa and Cobb begins fighting and Narita laughs and runs.
Looks like another three way for the TV Title.
5 - Special Single Match: Shota Umino vs. SANADA
Umino pins SANADA after hitting a Death Rider.
Crowd popped with surprise after the three count.
Both men shake hands after the match.
6 - IWGP World Tag Team Championship: Shane Haste and Mickey Nichols vs. HENARE and Great O-Khan
O-Khan grabs both Haste and Nichols with claw holds. TMDK hit a Power Bottom on O-Khan. Two count. Haste and Nichols set up O-Khan for a Super Tank Buster. O-Khan escapes and pushes Nichols into Haste, who falls to the floor. HENARE picks up Nichols and O-Khan hits the Imperial Drop.
O-Khan pins Nichols.
HENARE and O-Khan win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
TMDK are still hold the New Japan Strong Tag Team Championship.
United Empire has momentum heading into World Tag League later this month and Wrestle Kingdom.
Kenny Omega comes out before the Osaka crowd. Omega says he almost ready to come back to AEW. He says when he is ready to come back he wants to come back on January 5 at Wrestle Dynasty. He wants to face a new young competitor in New Japan, but did not name anyone particular. He calls New Japan the King of Sports and it will always be home.
7 - Finals for the Super Jr. Tag League: TJP and Francesco Akira vs. Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita
Great match. Both teams matched up well and exchanged a lot of reversals.
Eagles and TJP traded nearfalls until Eagles wrapped up TJP in a cradle for the pin.
TMDK wins the Super Jr. Tag League 2024 and will earn a match for the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship against Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA.
Knight and KUSHIDA come to the ring. They call out Catch 22 and say they deserve a shot for pinning them in Night One of the tournament. Knight tells them they will see them all at Wrestle Kingdom. Clark Conners and Drilla Moloney hit the ring with chairs and beat up everyone. Knight and KUSHIDA won the belts from War Dogs prior to Super Jr. Tag League. Moloney tells them they are not having a party without the War Dogs.
Now it looks like a four way Jr. Tag Team Match at Wrestle Kingdom.
Eagles and Fujita did not even get to enjoy their win. Normally, the winners of a tournament would have a ceremony, get trophies, and photos taken at ringside. The moment is captured and remembered for the winner(s). Now, the winners are interrupted by the next challenger or whoever wants to be next in line. This happened with Zack Sabre Jr. at the G1 Climax with SANADA and Shingo Takagi.
More importantly, the fans are paying to see a winner. Let the fans celebrate with the winner. This was a big moment for Fujita, being the only Japanese born star in the match. Why can't he get a chance to enjoy his win with the fans?
With three more matches on the card, all of this extra stuff makes the average fan think: 1) The Jr. Tag belts are not important because three more important matches are coming, 2) Who cares about winning a tag tournament if the winners do not get an actual shot at the Championship and two other losing teams can just jump in?, 3) Why have a tournament if the same four teams are always going to be there at the end?
8 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: DOUKI vs. Master Wato
Good match. Both men exchanged all the moves in their arsenal. Neither could get the pin or submission. DOUKI traps Wato in the Italian Stretch No. 32. Wato counters into a jackknife cradle but DOUKI reverses back into the submission. Wato gets to his feet, but DOUKI hits a DDT and back to the Italian Stretch. The referee checks on Wato. He is unconscious.
DOUKI wins the match and retains the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
Wato was very good in the match and looks to be completely healed from his injury.. It is still DOUKI's time as Champion, but Wato is future of the Jr. Division.
El Desperado's music plays, so DOUKI cannot enjoy his win. Desperado, who comes to the ring wearing an El Phantasmo T-shirt, puts over the singles Jr. Division. He challenges DOUKI for the title at the Tokyo Dome. DOUKI accepts.
They start playing Desperado's music. DOUKI said to stop the music. He said he won his match, so play his music, which they did.
9 - IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Taichi vs. David Finlay
Taichi has new white ring gear.
Taichi hammered Finlay with stiff shots. Finlay takes the match to the floor and gets the advantage back. Stiff match. The crowd is chanting for Taichi. Taichi hits a Dangerous Driver. Two count. Finlay hits Into Oblivion. Two count. Finlay with a powerbomb. Two count. Finlay hits a Black Mephisto on Taichi. Two count. Taichi with a Gedo Clutch. Two count. Taichi with a powerslam. Two count. Finlay hits a Buckle Bomb. Taichi with Tensho Jujihou. Taichi hits Black Mephisto. The referee is about to count to three but gets pulled from the ring. By SANADA! The crowd is buzzing. Taichi is confused and pissed. SANADA stands back like he did not do anything.
SANADA opens his shirt to reveal a War Dogs T-Shirt.
Taichi is in shock. Finlay hits Taichi with the shillelagh and follows with Overkill.
Finlay pins Taichi.
David Finlay retains the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.
TAKA argues with SANADA. Gedo grabs him from behind and SANADA kicks TAKA in the groin. SANADA picks up a groggy Taichi and hits a Deadfall. The crowd is pissed off.
Finlay takes the mic and calls out Yota Tsuji. Tsuji beat him twice in the G1 Climax. He offers Yota Tsuji a chance at his Global Championship at Wrestle Kingdom. Tsuji accepts.
Crazy match with a weird twist. I do not see SANADA as a Bullet Club-type of member. However, SANADA could continue his feud with Shota Umino with a Bullet Club vs. Hontai or Bullet Club vs. Just 4 Guys.
10 - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi
This was originally a Special Single Match which became a Title Match.
Both matched each other hold for hold. Takagi kneed ZSJ in the gut. ZSJ with a neck twist. They trade strikes. ZSJ works over Takagi's neck. They exchange submissions. Takagi goes for high impact moves, like a Death Valley Driver. ZSJ kept going for submissions. Takagi powered up ZSJ into Made in Japan. Two count. ZSJ did a vicious double stomp on Takagi's knees. ZSJ hits a Zack Driver, but is unable to make the cover. Lots of chants for Takagi. Takagi with Twist and Shout. They exchange strikes. Takagi hammers ZSJ with elbows and locks in a rear naked choke. ZSJ rolls to the ropes. ZSJ hits a tornado DDT and a quick Zack Driver. Takagi kicks out at two, but ZSJ quickly grabs his legs in a submission. ZSJ keeps moving and twisting Takagi's legs. Takagi gets the rope break. Takagi hits a Zack Driver and a Last of the Dragon, but Takagi's knees are in pain and could not make the cover.
Takagi hits Pumping Bomber. ZSJ with a German suplex and a punt to the chest. ZSJ hits another hard Zack Driver.
ZSJ pins Takagi.
Zack Sabre Jr. retains the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Good match. Check it out on New Japan World.
Zack gets the mic and gives Takagi his thanks. Shota Umino comes out to the ring. The crowd boos. The Osaka crowd does not think he is ready. Umino wants to challenge for the World Championship. Umino said when would be up to ZSJ. ZSJ acknowledges the challenge and Umino went back to locker room.
A video plays for Ricochet. Ricochet appears and hits a top rope clothesline. He challenges ZSJ for IWGP on January 5 at Wrestle Dynasty. Ricochet was about hit a final blow when Umino jumps into the ring to save ZSJ. Ricochet escapes. ZSJ pushes Umino to the floor and tells Ricochet to come back to the ring. Umino then hits a Death Rider on ZSJ. The crowd is booing loudly. Umino poses with the World Title over ZSJ.
Zack, in his own way in the backstage interview area, said to Umino to not pay attention to the boos.
It seems they are setting up Zack Sabre Jr.defending the World Title against Shota Umino on Wrestle Kingdom and Ricochet on Wrestle Dynasty. Umino is not acting like a heel but is getting booed like one. The Japanese crowd is not ready for Umino yet, but New Japan is pushing him hard by beating SANADA tonight. Umino is in a no-win situation, because will probably lose at Wrestle Kingdom, because the AEW crowd will expect to see ZSJ vs. Ricochet on the next night at Wrestle Dynasty. Umino will be seen as a lesser opponent who got beaten first, who the crowd is already booing. This is not good for his long term booking.
It looks terrible that Umino beat SANADA, which should have been a big win. But SANADA turns heel and that is what fans will remember. The Umino vs. SANADA storyline during the Road to Power Struggle was just not good.
At the end of the day, the Japanese wrestling market is what is most important. New Japan needs to grow their business in Japan by building stars. They are showcasing wrestlers like Gabe Kidd, Kosei Fujita, HENARE and Ren Narita. However, most current New Japan wrestlers are not at the superstar level of Hiroshi Tanahashi or Kazuchika Okada. That will take time and New Japan needs to be patient. A lot of focus is on international cards in the United States or Europe which is fine, but the business in Japan needs to remain strong as well.
Hot Shot Booking is becoming the normal in New Japan. By the end of January, no one will remember Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, because it will onto the next thing. To my earlier point of celebrating tournament wins, let the crowds savor the victories. Stop having angles after every title match at every big show. Let the fans enjoy the moment with the wrestlers. That is how the fans will invest in your company.
Soon, Hiroshi Tanahashi will retire, and who will be the superhero to take his place? The Osaka crowd just told you that it is not Shota Umino right now.
Thank you for reading.
James Kurokawa
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