NJPW Burning Spirit Tour - September 2 - September 25, 2022

[Chris]

Three title matches set for Burning Spirit in Kobe!​

Loaded card set for September 25

Burning Spirit is the next tour on the calendar for NJPW’s 50th year, with action starting on Friday September 2 in Yokohama and running up to the 25th in Kobe World Hall. This year will see a loaded card for Kobe, including three championship bouts.

Watch Burning Spirit LIVE IN ENGLISH on NJPW World September 25!

The main event in Kobe will see the IWGP United States Championship on the line as Will Ospreay defends against David Finlay. Mired in controversy all the way through 2022, the US title was the center of conversation in D Block through the G1 Climax. Ospreay headed into the tournament as the champion, but the title was in the hands of Juice Robinson at tournament start.
While it seemed like Ospreay would have to wait until the end of the tournament to fight Juice and get his possession back, the belt found its way to him earlier than anticipated. In Korakuen Hall, David Finlay defeated his former partner Robinson, and took the belt for himself, saying that it represented a chance to ‘rent space in Ospreay’s head’. The plan worked as Finlay defeated Ospreay to cap off an impressive three match hot streak for the Rebel; Finlay returned the title belt to its rightful owner, but the message was clear that Finlay wanted his title shot.

Ospreay was suitably incensed, and declared that he would make Finlay’s face as red as the belt, refusing to wear it around his waist until that day came. In the meantime, Ospreay would find his way to the G1 Climax final, and after narrow defeat in a classic bout in the Budokan last week, Finlay was not about to let Ospreay forget. Giving the Briton no time to let his disappointment sink in, Finlay demanded Ospreay refocus for Kobe. Knowing that he can defeat the Commonwealth Kingpin, Finlay is on the verge of finally capturing the IWGP US gold that has eluded him through his career, but with Wrestle Kingdom season looming, will it be Ospreay reasserting his place near the top of the food chain?

Hiroshi Tanahashi will challenge Karl Anderson for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Anderson returned to Japanese NJPW rings at Dominion, and immediately won the NEVER title from Tama Tonga in Osaka Jo Hall. It was a full circle for Tama’s mentor in the business and for BULLET CLUB history, and there will be further callbacks when the Machine Gun faces the Ace.
What was a friendly rivalry full of mutual respect between Anderson and Tanahashi turned ugly at Dontaku in 2013 when a post match Gunstun saw Anderson align with Prince Devitt and Bad Luck Fale to form BULLET CLUB alongside Tama. Nine years on and Anderson was wearing NEVER gold, crudely rebranded as the ‘BULLET CLUB Championship’ into tag team action at the Budokan this past week; thanks to Toru Yano getting involved with a distraction to Gallows, Tanahashi would land a Slingblade and High Fly Flow to pin the NEVER champ and stake a claim.

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships will also be on the line in Kobe. On June 20, the United Empire team of Francesco Akira and TJP captured the titles from Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi, ending Six or Nine’s quest to rack up 69 title defences. The outgoing champions want their gold back though, and will be fighting for those championships in a title rematch on September 25.

With competition heating up over just who will be FTR’s next challengers for the heavyweight IWGP tag titles meanwhile, Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale will meet Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb, and Tetsuya Naito and SANADA will be taking on Dangerous Tekkers, with a lot more great action besides at the Burning Spirit tour closer!​

 

[Chris]

Big main events welcome back cheering fans in Korakuen!​

Two all star tag bouts in front of cheering fans headline September 5 and 6

After years of waiting, Korakuen Hall will finally see fans cheering once again on September 5 and 6. A reduced capacity in Korakuen will allow for the first vocal atmosphere in an NJPW match since February 2020, and the all star main events will encourage that energy.

Watch Burning Spirit LIVE or in English on demand on NJPW World!

On September 5, the dream team of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada take on JONAH and Shane Haste. JONAH is getting set to face Okada on October 10 at Declaration of Power, and has recruited Shane Haste for his first Japanese NJPW appearance since Wrestle Kingdom 9. With Tanahashi getting set to face Karl Anderson for the NEVER Openweight Championship on September 25 in Kobe, all four men want to make a big statement in front of a rabid Korakuen.

Opening the night on September 5 will be another TMDK member in Bad Dude Tito. After impressing all the way through the G1 tour, Tito is back in Japan, but his first singles match in Japan will be a difficult test indeed against Minoru Suzuki. Tito pushed Tom Lawlor to the limit on STRONG a few weeks ago, but can he survive Suzuki?

September 6 will see Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi take on El Phantasmo and KENTA in the main event. After defeating Shingo in his last G1 block match, Phantasmo has declared loud and long that he is ‘Shingo’s daddy’. He and KENTA will look to prove that point once more, while Takagi works for a singles rematch, and Hiromu wants to carve his own narrative on the road to Wrestle Kingdom.​

 

[Chris]

Damn

 

[Chris]

Burning Spirit night 1 (September 2) Full card, preview​

September series starts in Yokohama

As we emerge from the G1 Climax, NJPW heads next on the Burning Spirit series through September. The Yokohama Budokan will see the start of the month long series, with returns, debuts and an all star main event.
Watch Burning Spirit live or in English on demand on NJPW World!

Main event: Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs TMDK (JONAH, Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste)

The main event of the evening will see a TMDK trio take on Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano. The last time Shane Haste was in an NJPW ring in japan was Wrestle Kingdom 9, where ironically enough he was Toru Yano’s partner for the evening opposite Suzuki-Gun, but much has changed over seven and a half years. That includes the emergence of TMDK on NJPW STRONG, and JONAH and Bad Dude Tito’s impressive run all the way through g1 Climax 32. With JONAH looking to make a statement for himself and his group on the way to Declaration of Power and a big singles bout with Kazuchika Okada October 10, could TMDK be an unstoppable force?

6th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) vs Suzuki-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

Los Ingobernables De Japon were left with a lot of questions to ask of themselves after G1 Climax 32. With SANADA and Tetsuya Naito all denied a win in the tournament of tournaments, they must all now reset and find new directions. Zack Sabre Jr. feels the same way, stating that ‘something has to change’ after Naito put him out of the running inside of two minutes at the Budokan. That new direction could well be in the tag team ranks, with a long line of contenders forming for FTR’s IWGP Tag Team titles. Might SANADA and Naito regain their passion for tag competition against dangerous Tekkers? And might Hiromu and BUSHI, or Desperado and Kanemaru have a similar taste for tag gold after United Empire seek to defend against Six or Nine in Kobe at the series closer?

5th Match: Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & KUSHIDA vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Hikuleo & KENTA)

The fifth match of the evening will see KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori’s ongoing ‘assessment’ continue, but the headline of this trios match is the return of Hikuleo to Japanese competition. After dominating on NJPW STRONG, the Young Gun now hits rings in Japan, and will seek to prove himself as a power player in Japan as well as the US tonight.

4th Match: United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo, Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale)

Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb are continuing to fight with Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale, continuing a tag rivalry from the spring, and both sides declaring themselves worthy of challenging FTR for the IWGP Tag titles. With both teams set for what will be a decisive direct tag match in Kove at the end of the tour, six man preview action sees them looking to make an impact.

3rd Match: Jado, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi vs United Empire (Gideon Grey, Francesco Akira & TJP)

The third match of the evening sees the debut of the latest United Empire member in ‘Lord’ Gideon Grey. The mastermind of Revolution Pro’s Legion faction in the UK, Grey is sure to be a key strategist, and a potential scout for the group, having managed Great-O-Khan through his United Kingdom excursion in 2018 and 2019. Will he be able to bring the IWGP Juniro Tag Team Champions Akira and TJP to success over Six or Nine with Jado tonight?

2nd Match: Ryohei Oiwa, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo)

CHAOS continue to battle HOUSE OF TORTURE on the leadup to a NEVER Openweight six man title clash later in the series. Tied to the worst elements of BULLET CLUB all year long, CHAOS want to see the back of EVIL’s crew once and for all, and hope to start that process with Oiwa tonight.

1st Match: The DKC vs Kosei Fujita

The Opening match of the evening will see the return of The DKC to Japan. After his debut tour of Japan earlier this summer saw him embraced by the Japanese fans, The DKC will look to show the LA Dojo’s superiority over Noge here in our opener as he takes on young Japanese favourite Fujita. WHo gains the upper hand in our opening singles bout?​

 

[Kairi HoHo]

Papa Suzuki telling it like it is. Loved that he took shots at the Reporters for New Japan not talking about his World Tour Overseas. Suzuki coming over in October

 

[Chris]

NEVER 6 in Beppu Under Dog Cage Survival Rules!​

New rules for September 18 sees first ever Dog Cage Survival Match

The semi main event in Beppu on September 18 will see the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag team Championships decided as the CHAOS side of YOH, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI defend against HOUSE OF TORTURE’s EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and SHO.

CHAOS won the titles back in July thanks to Toru Yano shutting the interfering H.O.T members in a dog cage, a scene that has led to repercussions as EVIL’s crew have been trying to get revenge all the way through the Burning Spirit tour.

With a regular tag match clearly not satisfying either team, the decision has been made to conduct the title bout under Tornado Dog Cage Survival rules. For the first time ever, this unique bout will see tornado rules apply- there will be no tags, and submissions and pinfalls can count by anyone on anyone. Additionally, in each of the four sides of the ring at ringside will be a dog cage. Teams can opt to lock an opponent inside one of the four cages to eliminate them from the match. Should all three members of a team be shut in a cage, the match will end.

Who will come out on top in this unique environment? Find out in Beppu September 18 live or in English on demand on NJPW World!

 

[Chris]

 

[Kairi HoHo]

Oh no I'm hope everyone is safe over there.

 

[Leon TrotSky]

Burning Spirit in Beppu, Fukuoka Cancelled (Update) | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

(Update: September 18 4:30 PM: update to reflect the cancellation of September 19’s Fukuoka event)Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling. As Typhoon Nanmadol is expected to make landfall in the south of Japan on September 18, NJP...

www.njpw1972.com

Update: Fukuoka event also off

 

[Chris]

 

[Chris]

KUSHIDA to miss Kumamoto action​

KUSHIDA, who was scheduled to wrestle on a non televised live event September 21 in Kumamoto, will miss the event as a precaution due to health concerns.

KUSHIDA was removed from Saturday’s event in Kagoshima after presenting with a fever. After testing negative for COVID-19, he underwent consultation with doctors who diagnosed him with a suspected skin disease.

We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing KUSHIDA wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.

The following change has been made to Wednesday’s card.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga, KUSHIDA & Jado vs Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo -> Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga & Jado vs Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows & Taiji Ishimori

 

[Chris]

KUSHIDA absent from 9/23 Takamatsu event | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Following his absence from September 21’s Kumamoto event, KUSHIDA will not be cleared to compete on September 23 in Kumamoto. After being assessed for a suspected skin disease, KUSHIDA has ...

www.njpw1972.com

Hand, foot, and mouth disease damn. Hope he's able to heal up quick

 

[Chris]

House of torture 6 man champs again

 

[Chris]

KUSHIDA to miss action in Kobe | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.KUSHIDA, who was scheduled to compete Sunday at Burning Spirit in Kobe, is still recovering from a bout of hand, foot and mouth disease, and will not be cleared to wrestle his scheduled match.We a...

www.njpw1972.com

 

[Chris]

Burning Spirit night 16 (September 25) Preview​

Kobe sees live English coverage return to NJPW World

The Burning Spirit series reaches its conclusion on September 25, as Kobe World Hall will bring three championship matches on top of a stacked card of action. Who will carry their titles into the autumn, as Declaration of Power in Ryogoku, and Royal Quest in London approach?
Watch Burning Spirit LIVE IN ENGLISH on NJPW World!

Main event: IWGP United States Championship: Will Ospreay vs David Finlay
Singles record: 2-1 Ospreay

The main event in Kobe will see the IWGP United States Championship on the line as Will Ospreay defends against David Finlay. Mired in controversy all the way through 2022, the US title was the center of conversation in D Block through the G1 Climax. Ospreay headed into the tournament as the champion, but the title was in the hands of Juice Robinson at tournament start.

While it seemed like Ospreay would have to wait until the end of the tournament to fight Juice and get his possession back, the belt found its way to him earlier than anticipated. In Korakuen Hall, David Finlay defeated his former partner Robinson, and took the belt for himself, saying that it represented a chance to ‘rent space in Ospreay’s head’. The plan worked as Finlay defeated Ospreay to cap off an impressive three match hot streak for the Rebel; Finlay returned the title belt to its rightful owner, but the message was clear that Finlay wanted his title shot.

Ospreay was suitably incensed, and declared that he would make Finlay’s face as red as the belt, refusing to wear it around his waist until that day came. In the meantime, Ospreay would find his way to the G1 Climax final, and after narrow defeat in a classic bout in the Budokan last week, Finlay was not about to let Ospreay forget. Giving the Briton no time to let his disappointment sink in, Finlay demanded Ospreay refocus for Kobe. Knowing that he can defeat the Commonwealth Kingpin, Finlay is on the verge of finally capturing the IWGP US gold that has eluded him through his career, but with Wrestle Kingdom season looming, will it be Ospreay reasserting his place near the top of the food chain?

8th Match: NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Singles record: 4-2 Tanahashi

Hiroshi Tanahashi will challenge Karl Anderson for the NEVER Openweight Championship in Kobe. Anderson returned to Japanese NJPW rings at Dominion, and immediately won the NEVER title from Tama Tonga in Osaka Jo Hall. It was a full circle for Tama’s mentor in the business and for BULLET CLUB history, and there will be further callbacks when the Machine Gun faces the Ace.

What was a friendly rivalry full of mutual respect between Anderson and Tanahashi turned ugly at Dontaku in 2013 when a post match Gunstun saw Anderson align with Prince Devitt and Bad Luck Fale to form BULLET CLUB alongside Tama. Nine years on and Anderson was wearing NEVER gold, crudely rebranded as the ‘BULLET CLUB Championship’ into tag team action at the Budokan this past week; thanks to Toru Yano getting involved with a distraction to Gallows, Tanahashi would land a Slingblade and High Fly Flow to pin the NEVER champ and stake a claim.

Tanahashi seeks his second NEVER Openweight reign in Kobe. His first run with the title in 2021, defeating Shingo Takagi for the title only to be relieved of the gold by Jay White three months later, was crucial for this stage of the Ace’s career. Initially regarding the NEVER gold as a stepping stone back into IWGP World Heavyweight Championship prominence, Tanahashi instead would learn just how important the title was on its own merits through his war with then title holder Takagi. That’s a significance the Ace seeks to bring with him into his challenge of an old familiar rival.

7th Match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: United Empire (TJP & Francesco Akira) vs Six or Nine (Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato)
Tag record: 1-0 United Empire

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships will also be on the line in Kobe. On June 20, the United Empire team of Francesco Akira and TJP captured the titles from Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi, ending Six or Nine’s quest to rack up 69 title defences. The outgoing champions want their gold back though, and after an inspirational speech from Wato to his mentor and partner at the G1 Special in Roppongi after the G1 Climax, the Coach was convinced. Ever since, Taguchi has been tapping into the black charisma of Masahiro Chono. It’s not an entirely bizarre connection for Taguchi; Chono was a seven time IWGP Tag Team Champion with different partners as Taguchi is in the junior heavyweight stakes. Numerology fans will also be excited to know that the 69th junior tag champions are challenging in the very same building that Taguchi became the 69th IWGP Junior Heavyweight singles champion back in 2014 when he defeated KUSHIDA. Do the stars all align in Kobe World Hall September 25?

6th Match: KUSHIDA & Tama Tonga vs BULLET CLUB (Jay White & Taiji Ishimori)

Just two weeks before Tama Tonga faces Jay White for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on October 10 at Declaration of Power, this tag team preview should be a heated one indeed. Though the main event in Ryogoku is confirmed, KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori aren’t listed on the card. Their singles confrontation for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight gold is surely all but guaranteed, but while the Bone Soldier still refuses to grant the Timeplistter’s challenge, KUSHIDA will want to authoritatively take the choice out of the champion’s hands here in Kobe.

5th Match: Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & Kazuchika Okada vs TMDK (Bad Dude Tito, Shane Haste & JONAH)

Six man action will see Kazuchika Okada and JONAH square off once more before both head to the UK for Royal Quest, and then on to Ryogoku for Declaration of Power. Kobe is just a short hop from the Osaka site of JONAH’s monumentl victory over Okada in the G1 Climax; what might Kobe World Hall see between the two on September 25?

4th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) vs Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi)
Tag record: 2-1 Dangerous Tekkers

While SANADA and Taichi’s relationship has long been one of relatively amicable competition and gamesmanship, a fact evidenced by cheering crowds in Korakuen Hall only egging on their desire to come out on top of pec popping sessions and impromptu press up contests, Tetsuya Naito and Zack Sabre Jr.’s connections are rather more frayed and potentially flammable.

Veering wildly between good natured banter and vicious hatred, Naito and ZSJ landed firmly in the latter when El Ingobernable put ZSJ away in under two minutes to knock him out of the G1 Climax. All the more galling for Sabre was the fact that Naito was subsequently knocked out of the G1 running by WIll Ospreay in the semifinals, meaning the Briton’s loss was for naught.

Ever since, Naito has not entirely given up on his hopes to main event in the Tokyo Dome on January 4 2023, despite the spot seemingly being completely out of reach. Meanwhile Sabre has talked about wanting to find some singles gold somewhere before the year is out. Perhaps the answer for both can be found in this tag team confrontation…Or more likely a bitter struggle will see bad blood continue to boil.

3rd Match: United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens)
Tag record: 2-0 O-Khan & Cobb

After three long months, FTR’s first defence of the IWGP Tag Team Championship is finally set for October 1 in London, but these two teams are fighting to take on either the current champions or Aussie Open in the weeks tocome. Certainly Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan won’t be afraid to take on their stablemates in Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, but would rather face the team that took away their IWGP tag titles without directly beating them. Back on May 1 Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens ended O-Khan and Cobb’s first reign with the tag titles in exactly the same way in a three ay environment, and now the BULLET CLUB duo want their first direct tag team win over the United Empire pair in order to secure a future title shot in arguably a de facto number one contender’s match.

2nd Match: Toru Yano vs Doc Gallows
Singles record: 1-1

Like a moth to the flame, Toru Yano has been simultaneously terrified of, and obsessed with, Doc Gallows since the big LG’s return to Japanese action this past May. Seemingly unable to resist poking the bear, Yano immediately set out to humiliate Gallows, leading to a Dominion matchup that saw Yano head into action with deep trepidation, but head out just four minutes later, victorious.

As Gallows headed back fuming to America, it seemed the issue was in the books. Yet when Gallows came back in the final days of the G1 Climax, his issues with Yano came to the fore again, a low blow from Yano deciding one tag match, and a squirt with a water bottle being enough of a distraction to lead Hiroshi Tanahashi to pinfall victory over Karl Anderson the next. Does the moth lie to fight another day after Kobe?

1st Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) vs BULLET CLUB (KENTA, Hikuleo & El Phantasmo)

The night kicks off with Shingo Takagi leading LIJ compatriots to battle against KENTA, Hikuleo and El Phantasmo. As ELP continues to declare himself Shingo’s ‘daddy’, and the KOPW 2022 trophy holder continues to vow singles revenge, might someone’s hand be forced in our opener tonight?​