NJPW New Year's Golden Series - January 20-February 20, 2022

[Chris]

New Year’s Golden Series Night 1 Preview
New series starts free on NJPW World

January 20 sees the New year’s Golden Series get underway. The throwback tour title is a call back to the year opening series in the early years for NJPW, and is a fitting name for our golden anniversary celebrations!

Plus, to make sure that everybody is in on the party, January 20 sees the tour kick off live and free for all on NJPW World!

Main event: Yuji Nagata, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi)

Main eventing in Korakuen Hall, the dream team of Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi combine with Yuji Nagata to take on an imposing trio of former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi, and US and World title contenders SANADA and Tetsuya Naito. For Naito and SANADA, all focus will be on the title matches that close the tour on February 19 and 20. Meanwhile Shingo Takagi, relievced of his title on January 4 is in the rare position of being away from the title scene, and without a theme in the next tour.

During the G1 tour, a planned Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito singles match was canceled as a result of Naito’s knee injury. That night in Kobe, Yuji Nagata filled in for Naito in a special non tournament match that ended up being the measure of anything from the G1 Climax 31 itself. Nagata is still very much capable of competing at the highest main event level, and will fight just as hard tonight in Korakuen. Who takes the first key steps into the Golden Series?

6th Match: CHAOS (YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo)

Eight man action will see CHAOS take on all of HOUSE OF TORTURE in Korakuen Hall. After H.o.T gave CHAOS the runaround to secure NEVER Openweight singles gold for EVIL, and maintain NEVER 6 Man Championships for the trio of EVIL, SHO and Yujiro at the Tokyo Dome, the New year’s Golden Series is counting down toward a trio of title matchups between members of both sides.

In every event, CHAOS need to be aware of the numbers game the BULLET CLUB team routinely employ. Can they take advantage of the even teams here tonight, or will HOUSE OF TORTURE remain a step ahead?

5th Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs Suzuki-Gun (DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado)

After an upset submission win for Master Wato on the kickoff for January 5’s Tokyo Dome card led the blue haired prodigy to call his shot, we are heading towards a championship main event for Master Wato and El Desperado in Sendai February 11. That creates a preview here tonight in Korakuen. Was Wato’s big victory a fluke driven by a damaged and exhausted champion? Or might Wato be further along in his path to Grand Master status than Desperado is willing to admit?

4th Match: Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)

After Minoru Suzuki claimed the KOPW 2022 trophy in the Tokyo Dome, only to suffer the humiliation of being handcuffed to the ring post match by the KOPW 2020 and 2021 champion, Suzuki and Toru Yano are set to meet in Sapporo on February 20, under rules yet to be determined. This six man contest may prove key to giving both holder and challenger ideas for the upcoming collision, however. What madness awaits with the King of Pro-Wrestling in command of that very same trophy?

3rd Match: Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori & Jado)

The third match of the evening sees one half of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag team Champions Tiger Mask teaming with Togi Makabe against one half of the number one contenders in Taiji Ishimori and Jado. As Ishimori awaits the return of his partner El Phantasmo from STRONG’s matches in Seattle, he teams with Jado. Pairing with Gedo in Yokohama Arena didn’t bring the results that Ishimori had liked, as the BULLET CLUB side fell to NOAH’s STINGER team. Can they bounce back in Korakuen?

2nd Match: Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI)

The second match of the evening will see Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita take on Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI. The two teams met before during the G1 Climax series, in matches that still have the Young Lions wincing over the chops they were dealt. After a few extra months of seasoning, including in the big match environments of the Tokyo Dome Ranbo and Yokohama Arena for Fujita, will they be able to fire back with more fury tonight?

1st Match: Yuto Nakashima vs Great-O-Khan

Sngles action will start us off as Yuto Nakashima looks to make a mark against Great-O-Khan. With the United Empire suffering punishing losses at the Tokyo Dome, O-Khan is certain to be in a foul mood this evening, and Nakashima will need to fight hard to survive.​

 

[Chris]

Title matches on this tour are:

February 11 - El Desperado defends IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Master Wato
February 13 - EVIL defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in a Lumberjack Match
February 19 - Hiroshi Tanahashi defends the IWGP United States Championship against Sanada. Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASE defend the IWGP Tag Team Championships against EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi
February 20 - Kazuchika Okada defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito. Minoru Suzuki defends the KOPW Provisional Championship against Toru Yano. HOUSE OF TORTURE defend the NEVER Openweight 6-man Championships against Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASE, and YOH

 

[Chris]

NJPW back today

Hope English commentary is quick since Kevin is in Japan and just waiting until his quarantine is finished or something I think

 

[Chris]

NJPW pulls six wrestlers from event due to COVID-19 protocols - WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW results

Today's New Year's Golden Series show was changed as a result.

www.f4wonline.com

Not great

 

[CakeWalker]

Night One:

- The first match of the evening was much better than what I think is normally put out by the Young Lions, and was actually a well choreographed Puroesu styled match. Great-O-Khan continues to be a member of the NJPW roster, which seems to be so fluid that he can work with anyone on the roster without it becoming clunky and just remains smooth and fluid. Nakashima obviously needs some more time to develop his great - but I am confident he will get there.

- Hiromu's mask was just so cool - because he was out for ages, I don't know if this is a new mask or whether he has worked on it although I really can't remember him ever actually wrestling in one. Only for there to be a second mask underneath. In terms of the style, I think the mask is there to help project more of a heel character for Takahashi moving forward, especially in terms of his wrestling style in the ring. (I could be wrong, especially without the English commentary). Oiwa certainly brings the battle to the table in this contest, and is another young Lion that seems to really bring a level of competence. Both opening matches went as expected which is generally the nature of these "training matches" for the Young Lions.

- Anything that Ishimori and Tiger Mask are involved in - is generally going to be a great watch - so when its tag team wrestling you always know you are in for a treat. Makabe and Jado are added to the mx, and you've got the building blocks for an interesting mid-card affair. The match was not the greatest affair, but for what it was presented as I don't think it fell below my expectations.

- KOJIMA and Minoru on opposing sides of the ring - everything else is a bonus, although Suzuki and Yano are very much the main focus of this match and I am curious to see what direction the KOPOW goes this year. The pace of the match was good and it was certainly the most watchable match of the card so far. A Kojima win and Minoru in handcuffs by the end of it. Good show!

- Now the match between Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi against Suzuki-gun (DOUKI, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) has already got that traditional NJPW multiple man tag team contest chaotic feel. It was a good watch and if we can take anything from the victory, I think it is that hopefully 2022 will be the year that Wato starts to really shine in the Super Juniors, his post match pushing contest with El Despy might even be the real push towards a future shot at the title. But we will see. I'm probably dumb and it has been scheduled already, either way a really solid match in Korakuen. (and then the advert appears and they are booked to face each other LMAO).

- It is really hard for me not to want House of Torture to win - I just really enjoy the nonsense and shenanigans they are bring to NJPW as 'THE' heel unit at the moment, even if they are just an extension of the Bullet Club at the moment. I am hopeful, there will be an all out internal war again later down the line - that isn't just motivated by foreign influence. But also - Tomohiro Ishii is involved - so this match is just going to be fucking awesome. And just as expected, this match is a great way to start off this new your all the combustible elements are just making it such a visually stimulating affair. AND the portion that it was EVIl vs. Ishii in the ring together, well those are always going to be the highpoints of the contest. HOT might have lost, but Ishii claimed the victory - so you really can’t complain about this match either. This continues to be a great premier to the New Years Golden Series.

- LIJ on one side of the ring. Okada, Tanahashi and Nagata on the other - lets get this main-event feature started! The interactions between Naito and Okada were obviously key - but this really was a match that you could just sit back and enjoy. A solid win by Naito, to bring an end to the matches for the first night of action.

 

[Chris]

Six NJPW wrestlers still sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols - WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW results

For the third straight day, six wrestlers have been pulled from an NJPW show.

www.f4wonline.com

Really a shame bc I'm watching N1 rn and the Yano/Suzuki stuff has been the best part so far lmao

 

[Chris]

I'm loving this N1 main event so far, Okada/Naito exchanges especially and Shingo looks fucking great as well

 

[Chris]

I love when Naito starts speaking Spanish and I halfway understand a promo on an NJPW show lol

 

[CakeWalker]

Night Two:

- The third match of the evening was really enjoyable and all four had really great charisma, with even Gedo seeming to have a throwback moment and coming off as a legit contender (even though everyone knows he is taking the pin). Taiji stealing Tiger Mask’s mask at the end creates a great bridge for future matches in this series. A good hook has been cast in the water as it also pulls in Blue Justice into this angle.

- I wish I knew what Taguchi was saying whilst El Despy and Wato were having a moment, but it certainly came off as being funny. The match at its core was great and the build up towards this match between the par is just right on track. This is going in the right direction already.

- The focus of Ishii vs. EVIL is great and I like how they almost seemed to treat the match as lumberjacks at the starting portion of the contest. When the match became more tag team based again, it continued to build up this tension between HOT and CHAOS. I would like to see the SHO and YOH stuff turn into focus on other wrestlers though. I know it's very central to their characters though - so maybe I’m just getting ahead of myself. This second match of the series was so much better than the first encounter, if not the best match of the series up to this point (not the hardest considering how early we are in).

- A replay of yesterday, but with Blue Justice swapped out for Makabe, which I think straight away is going to lower the standard. Nagata > Togi especially in recent years. I do feel Shingo would be great having a string of singles with Nagata and Makabe, even though it's not really the nature of these tour matches. That is just a bit of personal preference rather than insight. Shame on me though, because this match was actually slightly better than yesterday, particularly enjoying the Tanahashi and Sanada work.

 

[Chris]

Was posted in the general thread too but due to COVID the following events have been cancelled, I think they were all just house show ones not broadcast on NJPW World

Tuesday January 25 Fukushima ・Toyota Crown Arena
Saturday January 29 Korakuen Hall
Sunday January 30 Ibaraki・Kamisu Bousai Arena

One event has been postponed:
Friday January 28, Aichi –> Monday April 18 Aichi ・Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

 

[Chris]

Finally watched the second show, a bit boring all the way through. I think the Bushi/Young Lion match was my favorite this time lol

 

[Chris]

New Year’s Golden Series Night Six (February 7) Preview​

Tour resumes with second night in Korakuen Hall

After a fortnight’s break, NJPW resumes touring action on February 6 in Chiba, before the next night sees the New Year’s Golden Series tour return to Korakuen Hall. There a big main event will see a preview of championship action February 11 in Sendai, as Master Wato and El Desperado meet in a tag battle before their Sun Plaza Hall IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match!

Watch New Year’s Golden Series LIVE IN ENGLISH on NJPW World!

Main Event: Six or Nine (Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato) vs Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado)

The main event in Korakuen Hall will see the Six or Nine team of Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato face El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. On January 5, Wato stunned the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Desperado, catching him in the new Vendeval submission hold for the tapout win, and instantly cementing a claim to his title. Sendai Sun Plaza Hall will see what is undoubtedly the biggest match in Wato’s young career to date, and one where he will have to show the champion the sum total opf all his efforts over the last year in NJPW.

Desperado has been oft critical of the young blue haired prodigy, after Wato struggled to find his way immediately after returning from excursion. Yet his improvements over the last several months have been inarguable, and his potential as a threat to the masked man’s throne should not be overlooked. Wato will seek to prove that point tonight. Meanwhile, just over one year removed from a bitter defeat in the Tokyo Dome for Wato and Taguchi opposite their Suzuki-Gun opposition tonight, the duo will be seeking to make a point, and for Taguchi’s sake, hoping to cement themselves as future contenders to IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team gold- maybe, should events in Sapporo play their way, keeping Taguchi’s dreams of being the 69th tag champion alive in the process.

6th Match: Togi Makabe, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Shingo Takagi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito)

Before the New Year’s Golden Series entered its break, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada were not enjoying the best of starts. The IWGP United States and IWGP World Heavyweight Champions were on the losing end of tags to open the tour, with wins for Tetsuya Naito and then SANADA highlighting the first two Korakuen Hall stops. Monday will see another six man preview of February 13’s tag team main event in Osaka and then the championship matches set to headline in Sapporo February 19 and 20. There is where the wins will count the most, but will LIJ maintain an upper hand, and a mental advantage tonight in the Hall?

5th Match: CHAOS (YOH & Tomohiro Ishii) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO & EVIL)

Another team that has struggled with early series losses has been HOUSE OF TORTURE. Always a step ahead when holding the numbers advantage, the group hasn’t been as H.o.T when sides were even through the early stages of the tour. Dick Togo had been handed defeats in early events, and while NEVER Openweight Champion EVIL will be unconcerned, pointing toward his February 13 meeting with Tomohiro Ishii in Osaka as the true test of respective mettle, this time the King of Darkness may be sweating.
In Osaka, EVIL and Ishii will be meeting in a Lumberjack Match, with representatives from HOUSE OF TORTURE and CHAOS around ringside. The presence of teammates for Ishii present to nullify any interference means that previews like this eight man are more closely related to the singles championship encounter than may appear, and means CHAOS’ current form is a source of concern for the champion and his cohorts.

4th Match: Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Toru Yano vs Suzuki-Gun (DOUKI, TAKA Michinoku, Taichi & Minoru Suzuki)

The fourth match of the evening will see Minoru Suzuki and Toru Yano once again lock horns as they continue on the path to a Sapporo encounter where the KOPW 2022 trophy will be on the line. As Yano has maintained a vise like grip on the KOPW trophy over the last two years, it was a surprise that Suzuki would scoop victory in the Tokyo Dome on January 5 to be the first trophy holder of the year. Yet Yano was determined to regain ‘his baby’, and was quick to handcuff Suzuki to the ring ropes in the Dome, and then again in Korakuen Hall weeks later. Rules have yet to be announced for the KOPW encounter, but restrants may be a part of proceedings- will Suzuki make good on his promise to make the world ‘regret putting the rules in (his) hands’?

3rd Match: Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo & Yujiro Takahashi)

Tiger Mask will continue to fly the flag for Flying Tiger in the third match of the evening as one half of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag team Champions teams with Tomoaki Honma to face Gedo and Yujiro Takahashi.
Due to card changes, Yujiro Takahashi will be substituting for Taiji Ishimori in this match, removing a valuable preview for Tiger Mask and a chance for revenge.
The following Friday in Sendai, Tiger will be facing Ishimori one on one, with some personal anger at stake as well; last time the two shared a ring in Korakuen Hall, it was Ishimori ripping the mask from Tiger’s head after Gedo sampled a submission defeat. Will the Yujiro ensure that BULLET CLUB continues to play head games tonight ahead of their singles meeting, and a challenge for BULLET CLUB’s Cutest Tag Team to Tiger and Robbie Eagles at the end of the tour?

2nd Match: Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI)

The start of the new year’s Golden Series saw Hiromu Takahashi present Ryohei Oiwa with a money making opportunity; a ‘New Year’s Pocket Money’ match where Oiwa could pick up some extra cash if he yanked a mask from Takahashi’s head. Oiwa would be frustrated and then submitted that night, but now connects with teammate Kosei Fujita, as the two take on Hiromu and BUSHI. Last year, the G1 series saw Oiwa and Fujita take some violent chops at the hands of the LIJ duo; will they be able to fire back tonight?

1st Match: Yuto Nakashima vs Great-O-Khan

Singles action will kick off the evening as Great-O-Khan will take on Young Lion Yuto Nakashima. O-Khan has not had the best of starts to 2022, and after his defeat to SANADA at the Tokyo Dome, seemed almost panicked backstage by his positioning on the undercard, albeit appearing in ring with signature trademark swagger. Last time in the Hall, he flashed one million Yen in cash to Ryohei Oiwa before handing it off to departing ring announcer Kimihiko Ozaki, but as partner Jeff Cobb is set for an imminent return, now is the time when the Eliminator will be looking to get down to business and make a swift example of Nakashima.​

 

[Chris]

Updated the preview above cause Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Taiji Ishimori, and Jado are all out due to COVID protocols

 

[Chris]

Live English commentary

 

[Chris]

New Year’s Golden Series Night 9 (February 11) Preview​

Junior Heavyweights take center stage in Sendai

February 11 sees night nine of the New Year’s Golden Series, and the first championship action of the tour, as Sendai will see the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defended atop a card that is dominated by junior heavyweight action.
Watch LIVE IN ENGLISH on NJPW World!

Main event: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado vs Master Wato
Singles record: 1-1

The Xebio Arena will be headlined by what is without doubt the biggest match in Master Wato’s young career. Placed opposite an El Desperado less than 24 hours removed from a war opposite rival Hiromu Takahashi in the Tokyo Dome, Wato made the absolute most of the situation, navigating his new Vendeval submission and garnering a tapout victory- and the championship opportunity that came with it.

The tapout victory, and the 1-1 record against the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion that Wato possesses belies the face that Desperado has been constantly critical of the blue haired prodigy since he returned from excursion in the spring of 2020. His criticism, of not honing his abilities and not seeming confident and comfortable in his own skin, comes from experience; Desperado himself struggled out of the gates in NJPW before undergoing a seven year journey to get to the top of the division. Nor has Desperado’s criticism been completely without warrant, as results have not been instantly forthcoming for the would be Grand Master in the early stages of his NJPW career.

Yet the improvements that Wato has made over the last several months have been undeniable, and his threat to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion is indeed credible. As Wato has been keen to remind his opponent, Desperado would be making a grave mistake if he thinks he can look past his defence in Sendai toward Heat’s all time defence record, and matches against outside challengers from the likes of STRONGHEARTS and NOAH. Could Wato take a huge step toward Grand Master status tonight? Or will the Desperado era continue?

7th Match: YOH vs SHO
Singles record: 20-11-22 YOH

For the fourth time in the last six months, YOH and SHO collide in the semi main event in Sendai. When SHO turned his back on Roppongi 3K last summer, he rode a wave of anger at his former partner, as well as YOH’s struggles in ring, to score an emphatic and violent victory at Wrestle Grand Slam in the MetLife Dome. Yet in both Best of the Super Jr, and at Wrestle Kingdom 16, YOH recovered to wins over his one time friend that saw him defuse the Murder Machine, and stay a step ahead of SHO’s devious tactics.

As SHO stayed with the HOUSE OF TORTURE gameplan of dirty tactics and weapon use through the early stage of the tour, the switch flipped in YOH in Korakuen on February 7. After being blasted with a chair by SHO, YOH grabbed his former partner’s now trademark wrench and corked SHO with it, before having to be pulled away from a violent post match beating.

Now with thsi match gaining another and more violent dimension, should YOH pick up another victory in his home prefecture of Miyagi, he can finally put SHO in his rear view mirror. Not only that, he may take a step closer to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. That’s a spot SHO wants for himself and HOUSE OF TORTURE, and YOH will have to keep his head on a swivel tonight as his opposition will stop at nothing in the pursuit of victory.

6th Match: Tiger Mask vs Gedo
Singles record: 6-1 Tiger Mask

One week before Flying Tigers are scheduled to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against BULLET CLUB’s Cutest Tag Team in Sapporo, Tiger Mask had hoped for a singles preview against Taiji Ishimori tonight. Instead, as fever protocols keep Ishimori in isolation until Sunday in Osaka, he must face another familiar nemesis in Gedo.

The early part of the tour has seen Tiger Mask show his submission prowess on Gedo in tag team matches, but February 7 saw Gedo take brass knuckle revenge. The Blacksmith then promised to step up should Ishimori be absent; now that is indeed the case, Gedo seeks to score only his second career win over his 2005 Best of the Super Jr. finals opponent, while the masked master will seek to extend that 6-1 win:loss record.

5th Match: Kazuchika Okada, Shingo Takagi & Yuji Nagata vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi)

In a rematch from the first main event on the New Year’s Golden Series, six man action sees Yuji Nagata join the Dream team of IWGP United States and World Heavyweight Champions, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada, as they face the Los Ingobernables De Japon side of Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and Shingo Takagi. The tour kicked off with Naito landing Destino on Nagata and picking up the victory, all while shooting a meaningful gaze at Okada, who he faces February 20 in Sapporo. With championship implications looming large, who comes out on top in Sendai?

4th Match: Satoshi Kojima vs Great-O-Khan
Singles record: 1-0 O-Khan

As Jeff Cobb continues to recover from leg injuries sustained at Wrestle Kingdom, Great-O-Khan will face Satoshi Kojima one on one in Sendai. The two did battle in Yokohama during the G1 Climax 31 tour with the Dominator coming out on top; after O-Khan has been humbled somewhat by engaging with Young Lion competitors through the early part of the tour, he wants to re-establish United Empire’s dominance against the strongest arm in professional wrestling.

3rd Match: Toru Yano, Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)

Toru Yano and Minoru Suzuki’s long held issues will continue in Sendai, as Suzuki-Gun battle a team of Yano, Togi Makabe and Ryusuke Taguchi. With KOPW rules now proposed by both participants, it’s quite possible that both Suzuki’s handcuffs and Toru Yano’s dog cage may make an appearance tonight in Sendai. The question is, after TAKA Michinoku was locked inside that cage Monday in Korakuen, has he found a way out yet?

2nd Match: Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo)

Six man action will see Hiroyoshi Tenzan fill an absent YOSHI-HASHI’s spot to take on HOUSE OF TORTURE. Sunday in Osaka, Ishii will face EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship in a Lumberjack Match, where HOUSE OF TORTURE interference will be nullified at last. EVIL’s gang of thieves have not fared well through the first part of the tour. Will that make for ominous plans hatched in Sendai?

1st Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI) vs Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI)

Suzuki-Gun and LIJ collide in tag action in the first official match of the night. On an evening dominated by junior heavyweight action, four of the very best competitors currently have no singles themes, but will be seeking to remind the fans in Sendai, and around the world that they could very comfortably be contenders to whomever walks out of tonight’s main event with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

1st Match: Tomoaki Honma vs Ryohei Oiwa

Tomoaki Honma will be giving a veteran glance at Young Lion competition in the opening match of the evening as he faces Ryohei Oiwa. Young Oiwa managed to combine with Kosei Fujita to get a 10,000 Yen payoff out of Hiromu Takahashi in Korakuen this week, removing Hiromu’s mask to grab some new year’s cash, albeit losing the match itself. Will this small win pave the way to a big one against Honma?​