Search Results: "okada"

NEWS

REVIEW: New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 17: That Feels Right

January 8, 2023

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Wrestle Kingdom XVII Date: January 4, 2023 Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, Gino Gambino It’s time to go back to New Japan for a promotion that I have not looked at since last year’s Wrestle Kingdom. As tends to be the case with this show, I’m coming in mostly blind, save for knowing the wrestlers involved. The main event is Jay White defending the IWGP World Title against Kazuchika Okada, who he took the title from back in June. Let’s get to it. Pre-Show: Boltin Oleg ..

NEWS

Adam Cole Reportedly Suffers Serious Injury At Forbidden Door

June 27, 2022

It’s always a possibility. Wrestling is a contact sport and there is always the chance that something could go wrong. You never know when you are going to see someone get hurt and be taken out of the ring. There is an even bigger chance of something going wrong during a match and unfortunately that was the case this weekend in a high profile match at Forbidden Door. This weekend’s Forbidden Door event featured a four way match for the IWGP World Heavyweight title as Adam Cole, Hangman Page and Kazuchika Okada all challenged Jay White. According to F4WOnline.com, Cole suffered a concussion during the match, which ended when Cole collapsed and was pinned by White. While not shown on screen, commentary did say that Cole walked to the back on his own power. There is no word on how long it will be before Cole can return to the ring. Opinion: Concussion is one of the scariest words in wrestling as you never know how severe one of them is going to be. Cole could be out of action for more th..

NEWS

It Grows: AEW Announces Several New Matches For Forbidden Door

June 23, 2022

That’s what they needed. We are less than a week away from AEW’s Forbidden Door crossover show with New Japan Pro Wrestling. That is the kind of a show that you do not get to see very often and it certainly has potential to be special. There are several matches already set for the show and now that total has gotten even higher as AEW has beefed up the card. AEW added multiple matches to the Forbidden Door card this week on Dynamite. First up, the Buy-In show will include Max Caster and the Gunn Club facing Kevin Knight, Alex Coughlin and Yuya Uemura. Second, Jay White will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against Kazuchika Okada, Hangman Page and Adam Cole. Finally, the Young Bucks will team with Hikuleo and El Phantasmo vs. Sting, Darby Allin, Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi. Zack Sabre Jr. was also confirmed for a match against an opponent to be named. Opinion: This is the kind of big set of matches that has been needed for the card and now you can see most of what is goi..

NEWS

That’s A Big Miss: Top Name May Not Appear At AEW Forbidden Door

June 17, 2022

He would be missed. We are coming up on one of the more interesting wrestling shows in a good many years with AEW’s Forbidden Door. The show will include a series of matches between AEW and New Japan wrestlers, including some title matches. While several big names have been mentioned, it seems unlikely that one of the will be on the show due to a special circumstance. Over the last two weeks of AEW Dynamite, Hangman Page has called out Kazuchika Okada for a match at Forbidden Door. However, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, Okada is unlikely to be at the show as his wife is expected to give birth around the same time as Forbidden Door (June 26). Okada’s status for the show is not yet clear but it will be established by next week. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that could shake up the pay per view quite a bit, as Okada is one of the names that you almost must have to make the show work. He is one of the faces of New Japan and without him, the show will feel like it is lacking..

NEWS

Double Shot: Two World Titles Change Hands Over The Weekend

June 12, 2022

Two for one. There are a lot of championships in wrestling but only some of them are at the top of the industry. Those top titles are among the most famous names in the history of the business and winning one of those titles can change a wrestler’s career trajectory. That was the case again this weekend, though it turns out that it happened twice in the span of two days. There was a pair of World Title changes over the weekend. On Saturday night, Trevor Murdoch won the vacant NWA World Title at Alwayz Ready, defeating Nick Aldis, Sam Shaw and Thom Latimer, becoming a two time champion. The title was vacated after Matt Cardona was forced to vacate the title due to a torn bicep. Second, Jay White won the IWGP World Heavyweight Title from Kazuchika Okada in the main event of New Japan’s Dominion event. Opinion: This is the kind of weekend that you do not get to see very often in wrestling and it makes things that much more interesting. Above all else, these are the kinds of title change..

NEWS

Not So Fast: Rumored AEW Forbidden Door Match Not Expected To Happen

June 10, 2022

Maybe not. We are coming up on AEW’s next major event with Full Gear, which will feature AEW wrestlers vs. New Japan wrestlers in a series of dream matches. The card has quite a bit of potential, but so far, most of the show has not been announced. There have been some matches suggested, but it seems that one match hinted at might not actually be taking place. This week on AEW Dynamite, Hangman Page mentioned IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, saying that he wanted a title shot. However, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, a singles match between Page and Okada is not expected to take place. There is no word on what the two of them will be doing at the show or why the match was mentioned with no plans for it to take place. Opinion: That’s a bit confusing, as the rule of thumb in wrestling is that if a mach is mentioned, it is going to take place sooner than later. Page and Okada are likely to be on the show, but why have Page issue the challenge if the match is not going to be on th..

NEWS

Not So Fast: Rumored AEW/New Japan Forbidden Door Match Not Taking Place

June 3, 2022

Never mind. We are less than a month away from one of the most unique shows on the wrestling calendar as AEW presents Forbidden Door. The show will feature a series of matches between AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling stars, with the first match being announced this week. While CM Punk vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi is set, another match that was rumored will not be taking place. On Thursday, a story reported by Dave Meltzer began circulating that IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will be defending his title against Hangman Page. However, according to Meltzer, the match is not going to be happening as the lineup that he saw for the show was not accurate. The rest of the card other than Punk vs. Tanahashi is being kept secret, with the June 26 card still to be announced. Per @davemeltzerWON, his WOR note last night that Hangman Page vs. Okada was tabbed for Forbidden Door based on a lineup he had seen was incorrect. That match is not planned for the PPV as the lineup is being kept a secr..

NEWS

First Match Set For Forbidden Door

June 2, 2022

The door is beginning to open. On tonight’s episode of Dynamite, we may have gotten a glimpse of the first match set for the upcoming AEW/NJPW crossover event, “Forbidden Door.” In the opening match of the show, CM Punk and FTR defeated the team of Max Caster and The Gunn Club. After the match, Punk cut a promo saying that it was time to begin selling the upcoming pay-per-view. He then issued an open challenge to anybody from NJPW to face him at the show. This brought out 8-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, who seems to have accepted the challenge and will face Punk at Forbidden Door. Editor’s Opinion: A lot of people think that it was going to be either Okada or maybe Jay White that would be facing Punk, but Tanahashi is an excellent choice. Widely regarded as one of the best professional wrestlers of all time, this clash of styles should make for an outstanding mean event in a great way to sell the show. I’m looking forward to seeing these two warriors go at it! ..

NEWS

RUMOR: Problems Between Kota Ibushi and NJPW

May 12, 2022

This is only a rumor, so take it for its worth. According to Brian Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio, some further drama is taking place between Kota Ibushi and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Apparently, Ibushi is not happy with NJPW as he feels the company is trying to get him back in the ring before he is fully healed. Ibushi suffered a shoulder injury after taking a hard landing during his G1 Climax finals match against Kazuchika Okada in October 2021. Ibushi was initially planned to participate in this year’s New Japan Cup. He was pulled from the tournament as he wasn’t ready to return to action. This adds to the potentially current drama, as he recently posted a series of cryptic tweets in Japanese. This left many foreign fans confused, due to mistranslations, as some shocking terms were seen through the translation tool on Twitter, such as “sexually harassing bosses.” Ibushi signed a “lifetime contract” with NJPW back in 2019. [h/t to SEScoops] Editor’s Opinion: While rushing h..

NEWS

Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night Two Results

January 11, 2022

Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night Two Date: January 5, 2022 Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Attendance: 6,379 Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly It’s the second of three nights of this show and this one feels like the biggest. Last night’s main event saw Kazuchika Okada win the IWGP World Title again, which leaves him ready for his first defense against Will Ospreay. The second biggest match on the card is Kenta defending the United States Title against Hiroshi Tanahashi in a No DQ match, which could be a heck of a fight. Let’s get to it. Pre-Show: Togi Makabe/Yuji Nagata/Tomoaki Honma vs. Bullet Club That would be Bad Luck Fale, Gedo and Jado for the Club. The Club jumps them to start but Jado and Gedo are knocked to the floor to start. Fale is fine enough to run Honma over though and the good guys are in trouble early. Honma is sent outside and Makabe gets taken into the corner with Jado standing on his chest. Gedo and Fale take Jado’s place but Makabe fights up and brings Nagat..

NEWS

New Japan Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night One Results

January 6, 2022

Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night One Date: January 4, 2022 Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Attendance: 12,047 Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly It’s back to Japan for the first time in about a year, though the company does feel a good bit colder this time around. The pandemic and a slew of injuries have battered New Japan, but this show’s reputation is more than enough to warrant a look. The main event of this first night is Kazuchika Okada challenging Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Title, with the winner facing Will Ospreay tomorrow night. Let’s get to it. Note that I do not regularly follow New Japan so I won’t know much in the way of storylines or recent character development. Please bear with me if I miss something that commentary does not explain. Pre-Show: New Japan Ranbo This is a 19 man Royal Rumble and over the top/pinfall/submission eliminations with one minute intervals. The final four advancing to a four way on night two for the Provisional King Of Pro Wrestling 2..

NEWS

AEW Hints At Huge International Star Possibly Making Appearance

November 12, 2021

Make sure to oil the hinges. The wrestling world has expanded so much in the last few years, as promotions from all over the world can be seen by almost anyone at any time. That is the kind of thing that fans have been waiting on for years, but now we might be seeing something else. One of the most decorated stars in the industry could be on his way to one of the biggest promotions on the other side of the world. During this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, commentary revealed that the Best Friends have officially joined the Chaos stable in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Commentary also regularly mentioned Kazuchika Okada, the leader of the stable. While not confirmed, this could suggest that Okada could appear in AEW at some point in the future. New Japan wrestlers have appeared in AEW semi-regularly since AEW debuted in 2019. This is speculation at this point and AEW has said nothing about Okada possibly appearing. Okada is a different kind of star. Check out what he can do in the ring: ..

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VIDEO: Released WWE Stars Teased In Slammiversary Preview

April 26, 2021

Face time! One of the best things about Impact Wrestling in 2020 was the mystery of Slammiversary. The company made it very clear that some of the recently released WWE stars would be heading to the promotion but the question was which ones would be there. It made for some great drama and then the payoff wound up working rather well. It went so well that they might as well try it again. It worked before. Check out the teaser for this year’s Slammiversary: During Sunday’s Rebellion pay per view, Impact Wrestling aired an ad for July’s Slammiversary event. The video featured brief flashes of recently released WWE stars, including Samoa Joe, Chelsea Green and Mickie James, all of whom have worked for Impact Wrestling before. Also included were flags of Australia and Mexico, along with Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and the Great Muta. Slammiversary 2020 saw the debuts of the Good Brothers and the returns of Eric Young and EC3. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that gets my attention a..

NEWS

2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards Revealed

March 14, 2019

It’s that time of year again. The latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter contains their annual awards for the year 2018. They are based on the time frame from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 and are voted upon by the readers. Here are the various categories, along with the winners: LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR) : Kenny Omega MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE: Conor McGregor MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: Kenny Omega MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Daniel Cormier TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: Young Bucks BEST ON INTERVIEWS: Daniel Bryan PROMOTION OF THE YEAR: New Japan Pro Wrestling BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW: NXT PRO WRESTLING MATCH OF THE YEAR: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada, Dominion 6.9, June 9, Osaka MMA MATCH OF THE YEAR: Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier, April 14 [This post contains video, click to play] UNITED STATES/CANADA MVP: AJ Styles JAPANESE MVP: Kenny Omega MEXICO MVP: L.A. Park EUROPE MVP: Walter NON-HEAVYWEIGHT MVP: Will Osp..

NEWS

The Goldmine: NJPW Dominion 2018 Dominates Wrestling

June 10, 2018

Just as a classic video game like Super Mario World, Street Fighter II or Zelda (which Kenny Omega “The Omega Man” enjoys playing a lot), NJPW Dominion 2018 delivered every bit the excitement, the entertainment and the pageantry. It is now, I believe, officially safe to say that NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) has finally stretched its creative voice and is now being heard echoing around the world. Hey, it could easily be renamed, NWPW (New World Pro Wrestling). I’d buy that. Unquestionably one of the greatest stories told inside a wrestling ring is Omega vs Okada, Dominion ’18. Check out highlights from the match: [This post contains video, click to play] Last night, one of the greatest wrestling entertainers on earth today, “The Omega Man” defeated Kazuchika Okada to realize a dream and capture the IWGP world title for the first time in his illustrious career. If that wasn’t enough, Kenny’s two recently reunited best-friends-till-the-end, The Young Bucks’ Matt and Nick Jackson are..

NEWS

Five Major Title Changes Take Place at NJPW Dominion

June 9, 2018

You may have missed it this morning, but New Japan Pro Wrestling ‘s Dominion event took place this morning inside the Osaka-jo Hall. The card features the next installment of the Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada saga over the IWPG Heavyweight Title. Chris Jericho challenged Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and a lot more. 2018 Dominion saw five major titles changes during the event. The first being Michael Elgin winning the NEVER Openweight Championship in a Triple Threat Match defeating Hirooki Goto and Taichi. The Young Bucks also won the IWGP Tag Team Titles from the Los Ingobernables de Japan after recently entering New Japan’s heavyweight division. Related: Here’s How WWE is Planning to Kill New Japan’s Move to the United States Rey Mysterio made his first appearance for the company via a taped message at Strong Style Evolved. He tried to set up a match with Jyushin Thunder Liger, but Mysterio had to pull out of the match due to an injury. However, a six-..

Other

Tetsuya Naito Explains Why He Does Not Wear The IWGP Intercontinental Title, And Talks His Issues With Chris Jericho

May 19, 2018

Naito minces no words about his dislike for Chris Jericho. The tranquilo Tetsuya Naito keeps his cool throughout the toughest of situations but what took place during night two of NJPW's 'Wrestling Dontaku' event was the straw that broke that camels back. As Naito exited the ring after receiving admiration from the Fukuoka faithful in attendance he was attacked by a "fan" who was wearing a 'Bushi' mask. That "fan" turned out to be former nine-time WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho who was last seen in NJPW when he attacked Naito from behind at 'New Years Dash' the day after Wrestle Kingdom 12. Prior to their first encounter Naito voiced his opinion on Chris Jericho coming into the company and stealing spotlight away from his main event match against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom. The bad blood between the two men will peak on June 9th at NJPW's 'Dominion' event as Chris Jericho will make his in-ring return to the compan..

NEWS

Cody Reveals That All In May Not Air On PPV

May 19, 2018

While on Wrestling Observer Radio, Cody [Rhodes] revealed that the All In show may not actually air on PPV television. The All In event is still months away, but the tickets for the independently produced show sold out in just under 30 minutes, surprising everyone. When discussing the show on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Cody explained why the show may not actually be airing to those, not in attendance. Here is what he had to say: “Streaming pay-per-view tv basically it being accessible obviously we have talked about it and we have talked to various people who are capable of doing that for us. It’s a matter of maybe the best potential deal. But it’s also a matter of we have guys like Pentagon who is represented elsewhere we have guys like Okada who is representing New Japan Pro Wrestling and we have me, Matt, and Nick who are Ring Of Honor guys but also New Japan guys.” So from what we understand, contractual issues may be a huge stepping stone for competitors working the show as t..

Other

Flip Gordon Will Have Another Chance To Get Booked For The 'All In' Show

April 30, 2018

This may be Flip's last chance. Since the announcement that The Young Bucks and Cody are going to be presenting their self-financed show entitled 'All In', a number of wrestlers that have been booked for the show have been revealed. Names such as: Jay Lethal, Britt Baker, Chelsea Green, Joey Janela, the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and others have been declared official for the show on September 1st. One man that has been consistently and vigorously attempting to get on the card is Flip Gordon. Flip Gordon was regulary featured in numerous episodes of the 'Bullet Club's' 'Being The Elite' YouTube series where he would seemingly fit in with the rest of the crew but could not seem to garner the liking of the former ROH World Champion Cody. "The American Nightmare" announced via Twitter today that Flip failed to gather the three full votes needed to get booked for 'All In' so he is providing the 26-year old with ano..

Other

NJPW Hi No Kuni Quick Results (4/29), A New Champion is Crowned

April 30, 2018

NJPW Hi No Kuni is in the books and a new IWGP Intercontinental Champion has been crowned as Tetsuya Naito captured the gold by defeating Minoru Suzuki in the main event. Evil & Sanada also held onto the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles when they defeated the Killer Elite Squad in a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom. Also, Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi picked up singles match victories over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desparado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Here are the full NJPW Hi No Kuni quick results: IWGP Intercontinental Title Match: Tetsuya Naito def. Minoru Suzuki to win the title IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match: Los Ingobernables (Evil & Sanada) def. Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) to retain the titles Hiromu Takahashi def. Yoshinobu Kanemaru Bushi def. El Desparado by DQ Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin & Kushida def. Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto & Will Ospreay) Suzuki-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, ..