NJPW are back with New Beginning In Osaka. We have a stacked card with 5 titles on the line.
Card:
Henare vs. Taka Michinoku
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. KUSHIDA & Yoshitatsu
Juice Robinson, Yuji Nagata, Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Gedo & Jado
Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Beretta vs. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI (for the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships)
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Will Ospreay (for the British Heavyweight Championship)
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka (for the IWGP Tag Team Championships)
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee (for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship)
Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin (for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
Injury News:
David Finlay is still out of action with a shoulder injury.Desperado is off the card due to an injury.Lance Archer is out of the IWGP Tag Team title match due to a herniated disc
Also Read: Lance Archer out with herniated disc, May undergo surgery this weekend
LIVE COVERAGE WILL BEGIN AT 130PM IST - 5PM JST – 8AM GMT (PLEASE KEEP REFRESHING)
Henare vs Taka Michinoku
The match started off a little slowly before Taka and Henare started trading strikes. Taka is a former WWE Superstar and he used his experience to lock in a couple of different submisison moves on the younger Henare. Henare hit back with a nice Samoan Drop before hitting a nice flying shoulder tackle for a 2-count.
That couldn’t keep Taka Michinoku down and he used his experience to roll up Henare in a crucifix pin for the 3-count.
Taka Michinoku def. Henare
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. KUSHIDA & Yoshitatsu
Yoshitatsu got his team off to a great start before tagging in KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA continued his partner’s good work before Tenzan and Kojima took over. Tenzan hit a series of still chops followed by a nasty headbutt on his smaller opponent.
KUSHIDA tagged Yoshitatsu back in who hit Tenzan with a series of kicks followed by a spinning heel kick. Tenzan tagged in Kojima who hit both KUSHIDA and Yoshitatsu with his trademark chops followed by a running forearm in the corner. Yoshi hit back with a modified Blue Thunder Bomb on Kojima who hit back with a cutter.
Yoshitatsu countered a double-team move but Kojima and Tenzan recover. Kojima hit Yoshitatsu with his famous lariat to end things. He then covered Yoshi for the win.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima def. KUSHIDA & Yoshitatsu
Kojima went to console Yoshitatsu after the match but it ended in blows.
Juice Robinson, Yuji Nagata, Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Gedo & Jado (CHAOS)
Yoshi-Hashi and Yuji Nigata started off trading stiff strikes before Nigata went for an armbar. WHen it got broken up he tagged Tiger Mask in as Yoshi-Hashi tagged in Gedo. Tiger Mask soon took control and feinted a suicide dive before taking out both Gedo and Jado and tagging in Jushin Thunder Liger.
CHAOS tried their best to isolate Liger but he tagged in Juice Robinson who cleared the apron before going to work on Goto. He hit a beautiful somersault sunner and followed it up with a canonball, busting Goto open again. Goto hit back with an Ushi Goroshi as both men went down.
Jado then got tagged in and Robinson took him down before hitting a senton. The ensuing cover got proken up before Robinson regrouped before hitting Jado with a Pulp Friction for the pinfall. Another impressive performance from Juice Robinson, the former NXT Superstar.
Juice Robinson, Yuji Nagata, Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV def. YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Gedo & Jado (CHAOS)
Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Beretta vs. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi
After their epic battle at Sapporo, Okada and Suzuki face off again.
Suzuki attacks Okada as he enters the ring. Meanwhile, inside the ring, Roppongi Vice take out Taichi and Kanemaru.
Suzuki hammers Okada at ringside, attacking him against and with the barricade as Kanemaru and Taichi are all over Roppongi Vice. With the referee distracted Taichi hits Baretta with a bell hammer. Taichi goes for a headkcik but Baretta swiftly rolled him up. Taichi quickly regains control and tags Minoru Suzuki back in. Suzuki goes to work on Baretta’s lef with a knee bar but Okada comes back in and tries to kick Suzuki in the face and he locks Okada into the knee bar also.
He then lets go of Okada and locks Romero into the double knee bar with Baretta. Suzuki gets up and right out slaps Baretta. Baretta hits back and tags in Okada who takes Suzuki out with a running elbow followed by a DDT. Okada kip-ups back to his feet and hits a corkscrew uppercut.
Suzuki takes control back with a running big boot as the fans start chanting for Okada. The two then trade strikes before things break down into a massive melee. Suzuki and Okada brawl on the outside as Romero missed a Sliced Bread on Kanemaru who then distracts the referee as Taichi low blows Romero. Okada breaks up the ensuing pinfall before Suzuki comes in and locks in a sleeper hold on Okada.
With Okada trapped, Kanemaru and Taichi double-team Romero and pick up the win.
Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi def. Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Beretta
The brawl continues after the match as Taichi and Kanemaru signal their intentions of going after the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championships as Okada and Suzuki continue to slug it out at ringside.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi [Taguchi Japan] vs. SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI [LIJ] (for the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships)
Los Ignobernables attack Taguchi Japan as they posed after their entrance. Things broke down immediately as Nakanishi hit back with a double suplex before tossing Bushi out of the ring.
The match finally started with BUSHI and Taguchi as the legal men. Taguchi hit a jumping hip attack before tagging in Nakanishi. Nakanishi just hit a couple of strikes before tagging in Tanahashi. Taguchi japan members then clear the ring before triple teaming BUSHI who countered as LIJ regrouped.
BUSHI took off his shirt and choked Taguchi with it as EVIL and SANADA threw Tanahashi into the ring-post with a chair around his neck.
SANADA who was now the legal man, literally tied Taguchi up before hitting him with a dropkick.
EVIL got tagged in as he hit Taguchi with a senton. Taguchi then went for another hip attack but EVIL reversed it into an inverted Atomic Drop as both men went down. Taguchi tagged Tanahashi in who took on all 3 members of LIJ. EVIL then hit Tanahashi with a series of strikes before taking him down with a massive clothesline.
Nakanishi and SANADA were now the legal men. He took SANADA down before the things broke down into a melee. All thee members of Taguchi Japan hit their LIJ counterparts with stereo clotheslines.
The Taguchi Japan members then locked in three simulatenous submission moves but the referee got taken down by SANADA.
LIJ isolated Nakanishi as SANADA looked to hit him with the Skull End. Takahashi came in and hit SANDA with a Slingblade before EVIL took him out in return. Nakanishi then took SANADA down with a crossbody but he kicked out at the last second.
BUSHI then spit the mist on NAKANISHI as SANADA locked in the Skull End for the win.
Los Ignobernables def. Taguchi Japan
Los Ingobernables are the new NEVER Openweight 6-man tag-team champions.
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Will Ospreay (for the British Heavyweight Championship)
Shibata and Ospreay started off slow. Shibata soon went to work on Ospreay’s arm and wrist although targetting his legs may have been better for Shibata.
He followed it up with a series of really stiff forearms as Ospreay hit back with a dropkick. Ospreay then acrobatically avoided Shibata’s offence at ringside before hitting him with a big boot. He then followed it up with a suicide dive before following it up with a somersault dive outside the ring.
Ospreay is in complete control as he hits Shibata with a running dropkick in the corner. Shibata just gets up after the dropkick and asks Ospreay to smash him in the face. The two then trade forearms and Shibata follows it up with a runnung boot followed by forearms and a running dropkick. Shibata followed it up with an Octopus Hold. He follows it up with a deadlift German Suplex on Ospreay before he hit Ospreay with a series of furious strikes followed by a vicious kick which sent Ospreay reeling to ringside.
Shibata followed him out put Ospreay lured him in and knocked him into the ringpost before hitting a vicious kick. Ospreay had to lift Shibata back into the ring to avoid the countout. He hit Shibata with the Superkick in the corner and followed it up with the spinning dragon kick.
Ospreay then hit and Inverted 450 Splash and Shibata kicked out at 2. Ospreay looked to finish Shibata off with another spinning dragon kick before attempting the springboard stunner.
Shibata caught Ospreay in mid-air and locked in a sleeper. Shibata then hit the Penalty Kick on Ospreay and pinned him for the win. An incredible match.
Katsuyoti Shibata def. Will Ospreay
An incredible show of respect from Shibata and Ospreay after the match.
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka (for the IWGP Tag Team Championships)
The main story going into the match was Lance Archer’s inhury. He was replaced by Iizuka.
This match started off at a super-fast pace and continuted throughout. Each took looked to isolate members of one of the other teams and take them out of them equations. They 6 men threw everything at each other to get closer to the IWGP Tag-Team Championships.
After the opening sequence, Ishii and Makabe took each other to the limit. Ishii hit a massive superplex but Makabe got back up immediately only to get a headbutt. Davey Boy Jr. came in and hit a massive headbutt before hitting Toru Yano with a butterfly suplex for the nearfall. He followed it up with a powerbomb but Honma broke up the ensuing pinning attempt.
Iizkua then came in and hit Honma with an atomic drop before a package was tossed into the ring.
Iizkuka took out the Iron Glove from it and took out everyone in sight before he hit his own partner while attempting to hit Toru Yano. Yano followed it up by rolling up Davey Biy Jr. for the win.
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano def. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma and Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee (for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship)
The history between Takahashi and Dragon Lee go back to CMLL. They strated the match by facing off and the high-octane offense started as soon as the match began.
The two repeatedly dodged each others offense before Dragon Lee hit a hurracanrana and followed it up with a tope suicida.
Takahashi hit back with a sunset flip Powerbomb from the apron and onto the mat.
Back inside the ring, Takahashi looked to unmask Dragon Lee before booting him in the face and choking him. Dragon Lee replied with an enzeguiri followed by an hurracanrana from inside the ring and onto the floor outside. Dragon Lee followed it up with a Tope Codheiro before dragging Takahashi back into the ring. He followed it up with a triple suplex.
Lee looked to hit another hurracanrana to ringside but Takahashi reversed it into a deadly powerbomb onto the apron.
Takahashi replies with a superkick. The two men then head to the top rope and Takahashi pulls of Dragon Lee’s mask in midair and goes for a cover.
It’s a 2-count. Lee’s face is hidden by an official as he remasks. He recovers and hits Takahashi with a Dragon Driver for a nearfall. He looks to capitalize with a Powerbomb but Takahashi reverses it into a Canadian Destroyer.
The two of them then rrade vicious slaps before Takahashi hits another Superkick and follows it up with another Canadian destroyer. Somehow Dragon Lee kicked out but Takahashi then finished him off with the Time Bomb.
Hiromu Takahashi def. Dragon Lee
Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin (for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
Naito faces Elgin in a huge rematch for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The match starts off at anextremely slow pace but Elgin takes control fairly quickly and the fans are frimly behind the Canadia powerhouse. Elgin hit a press slam on Naito before hitting him with a Canonball off the apron and onto the mat. Elgin followed up with a stalling vertical suplex on the entrance ramp.
Naito finally takes back control as he target’s the big man’s knee. Naito locks in a modified knee bar as he continues to work the knee. Elgin tries to hit back with a series of strieks but Naito locks in a Figure 4 leglock. Elgin tries to forearm his way out of it but Naito just laughs and spits in Elgin’s face. Elgin isn’t happy and he hits back with a Fa;con Arrow followed by a huge corner splash.
Elgin hits a German Suplex into the turnbuckle and followes it up with another bridging German Suplex for a 2-count.
Elgin hits a series of lariats to Naito, dropping him. He followed it up with a triple German Suplex. Naito looks to hit a Tornado DDT but Elgin stops it in midair but Naito eventually hits it. He rakes Elgin’s eyes and hits a low dropkick to Elgin who hits back with a big boot.
Big Mike looks to capitalize as he takes Naito to the top turnbuckle. Elgin looks for a Superplex but Naito pounds his bad knee before raking the eyes. Naito follows it up with a sunset flip powerbomb. He looks to hit a jumping forearm but Elgin converts it into a Powerbomb in midair. Elgin heads back to the top rope and hits a massive splash but it looks like his knee took a bad bump off the mat.
Elgin then turns Naito inside-out with a huge lariat and follows it up with a superkick to Naito’s jaw. Naito looks to hit Hurracanrana off the top rope but Naito turns it into a powerbomb as the crowd explodes. He followes it up with a Death Valley Driver on the apron. How is Naito still standing? Elgin then hits a deadlift Falcon Arrow from outisde the ring to the inside It’s another nearfall. Elgin then socks Naito into in the face with a massive right hand.
As Elgin was about to pin Naito, he raked the eyes and hit the Destino for another nearfall. Naito follows it up with a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckle.
Elgin follows up with an apron powerbomb followed by a powerbomb into the barricade. He then hits a spinning sitout powerbomb inside the ring for another nearfal.
Elgin looks to finish Naito off with a Burning Hammer but he reverses it into a modified Destino in midair as both men go down again. Naito goes to the top rope but Elgin catches him with a forearm. Naito then hits back with a spinning wheel kick and hits a Destino from the top-rope. Elgin kicks out again but Naito hits another Destino and Elgin can’t kick out this time.
Tetsuya Naito def. Michael Elgin
