#shiro koshinaka

[mostbelovednjpwtournament]

Most Beloved NJPW Wrestler Tournament

[leaveharmony]

Fujinami must be over his covid bout :-)

[jasvvy]

[gdwessel]

NJPW 50th Anniversary Show - 3/1/2022: Loads of Legends Appear For Celebratory Extravaganza; Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan Out of Anniversary and New Japan Cup

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Today was the 50th Anniversary event for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Although the actual date of the debut show was 3/6/1972, it’s not always strictly observed on that day. Nevertheless, it’s a long time for a pro wrestling company to be around (and it won’t be the only Japanese company observing that milestone, as All Japan Pro Wrestling is 50 this year as well). Through three ownerships and countless changing winds for the business, NJPW has weathered the storms, even during periods where it did not look like they would. Congratulations to them.

It was announced yesterday that neither Kota Ibushi nor Hiroyoshi Tenzan would be on this show, or in the New Japan Cup after all. Tenzan’s knee injury is still bothering him so that will pull him out. With that, the winner of Toru Yano v. Taichi will get a bye into the third round on forfeit. With Ibushi, it seemed like he was going to make it, but ultimately it was determined he would not be as fit as he should be given the nature of his injury. Ibushi is 39, he is not getting any younger. We may be seeing a decline in his ability to wrestle regularly at this stage, however as this show will prove, there are those far older who are still giving it a go. Great O-Khan now gets a forfeit win into the 2nd round, to face Taiji Ishimori. The fourth match on this show was changed as well, with Young Lions Yuto Nakashima & Kosei Fujita stepping in.

Prior to the opening match, long time veteran NJPW ring announcer Hidekazu “Kero” Tanaka brought out a Who’s Who of former NJPW stars and legends. Keiji Muto, Masahiro Chono, Tatsumi Fujinami, Seiji Sakaguchi, Norio Honaga (who would be a special referee during the 6th match), Akira Maeda (!!!), Jushin Thunder Liger, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Kazuo Yamazaki, Wataru Inoue, Tiger Hattori, Shiro Koshinaka, Kengo Kimura, Riki Choshu, Milano Collection AT, Minoru Tanaka, Masahito Kakihara and Motoyuki Kitazawa were all in the ring, along with Kazuchika Okada. The original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama, gave a video message as he is not in good health to be appearing live (and neither is NJPW’s founder Antonio Inoki). Seiji Sakaguchi and Kazuchika Okada then gave short little statements, with Okada saying how nervous he was to be part of this historic event.

 NJPW 50th Anniversary Show - 3/1/2022, Tokyo Nippon Budokan (NJPWWorld)

EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO [Bullet Club] d. Tiger Mask IV, YOH [CHAOS] & Ryohei Oiwa (Yujiro > Oiwa, Pimp Juice, 6:35)

Bad Luck Fale, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo [Bullet Club] d. Taichi [SZKG], TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] & Minoru Tanaka [GLEAT] (ELP > TAKA, Thunderkiss ‘86, 9:50)

CIMA, El Lindaman & T-Hawk [#STRONGHEARTS] d. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] (CIMA > DOUKI, Meteora, 9:22)

Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare [United Empire] d. Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Yuto Nakashima & Kosei Fujita (O-Khan > Fujita, Eliminator, 9:20)

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] d. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS], Toru Yano [CHAOS] & Shiro Koshinaka [FREE] (Shingo > Honma, Last Of The Dragon, 12:38)

Champion v. Champion Tag Match: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS] d. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato (Goto > Taguchi, Shoto, 15:04)

NJPW 50th Anniversary Match: Kazuchika Okada [CHAOS], Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tatsumi Fujinami [Dradition] d. Minoru Suzuki [SZKG], Zack Sabre Jr. [SZKG] & Yoshiaki Fujiwara [FREE] (Okada > Suzuki, Rainmaker, 18:12)

The babyfaces win the main, with Fujinami closing out the show with an “Ichi, Ni, San, DAAAA!” in tribute to Inoki. Okada and Tanahashi gave their own tributes to Inoki and the future of NJPW as well. Fujiwara and Suzuki kinda got each others’ goat through the match as well, with Fujiwara still trying to act as Suzuki’s trainer. Bishomon defeat Team Six or Nine in the annual Heavy v. Junior match, and it was a fun match, showing the triumph of four guys on the roster who’ve been seen as chronic underachievers or joke wrestlers.

GLEAT and #STRONGHEARTS showed out big on this show, with a tease of a singles match between Els Desperado and Lindaman, both champions in their companies.

Overall this was what the Anniversary show is supposed to do, make you feel good about NJPW and pro wrestling, with a lot of teases coming for the New Japan Cup 2022 tournament that starts tomorrow. I won’t be posting about it until Thursday, mind, but I think we’ll all be OK for it.

Tomorrow’s card:

New Japan Cup 2022

All shows on NJPWWorld

- 3/2/2022, Tokyo Nippon Budokan

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: CIMA [#STRONGHEARTS] v. TAKA Michinoku [SZKG]

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: Tomoaki Honma v. YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS]

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: Yuji Nagata v. Hirooki Goto [CHAOS]

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: Togi Makabe v. Jeff Cobb [United Empire]

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: Toru Yano [CHAOS] v. Taichi [SZKG]

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi v. YOH [CHAOS]

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables] v. Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club]

New Japan Cup 2022 1st Round: Kazuchika Okada [CHAOS] v. El Desperado [SZKG]

While we are celebrating anniversaries, it’s also the 19th anniversary of Kenta Kobashi defeating Mitsuharu Misawa, at last, for a title, which was the beginning of one of the greatest title runs ever, Kobashi’s lone, 13-defense reign of the GHC Heavyweight title. Next year is the 20th anniversary for that; I will mark my calendar now to do a longer-form piece about it at some point.

That’s really it for today. WAVE ran today as well. Tokyo Joshi held a show at a swimming pool with one match yesterday so I don’t think I really need to get into that one. 

Be back Thursday, which promises a new unit reveal in Dragon Gate.

[puroresu-musings]

BRUTAL

[alibomaye]

[mengs-mullet]

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight championship side plate.

[keepingthespiritalive]

[Kawada Produce News] Toshiaki Kawada held a press conference, at his ramen shop “Mengerous K”, to announce the full card for his upcoming self-produce show on April 26.

The show will feature 5 matches featuring veterans versus younger wrestlers as well as a special 30 minute talk show between Kawada and Naomichi Marufuji, as Marufuji was an understudy to Mitsuharu Misawa back in the late 1990′s. The main event will feature Shiro Koshinaka teaming with Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Tamon Honda to take on the team of NOAH’s Go Shiozaki and Kaito Kiyomiya teaming with DDT’s Kazusada Higuchi. 

Kawada iterated that this show was put together on a sort of short notice, but that he put together a card for the show that has a unique concept behind it regardless. With the main event specifically he himself is interested in the reaction that it may receive once they all face each other in the ring. Kawada thanked everyone who will be taking part in the show and he hopes that everyone who comes out enjoys it.

Toshiaki Kawada Produce Show “HOLY WAR ~ prologue ~”, 4/26/2018 [Thu] 19:00 @ Shinkiba 1stRING in Tokyo

(1) Ikuto Hidaka (ZERO1) vs. Junta Miyawaki (NOAH) (2) Masao Inoue & Gabai Jichan (both FREE) vs. Buffalo (Makai) & Kushinbo Kamen (Osaka)

(3) Ore no Talk Show: Toshiaki Kawada & Naomichi Marufuji

(4) Jun Kasai & Tomoya Hirata (both FREEDOMS) vs. Yuko Miyamoto (666) & Isami Kodaka (BASARA) (5) Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION) & Minoru Tanaka (FREE) vs. Hideki Suzuki (FREE) & Takatoshi Matsumoto (ALPHA) (6) Shiro Koshinaka (FREE), Yoshiaki Fujiwara (Fujiwara-gumi) & Tamon Honda (FREE) vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH), Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH) & Kazusada Higuchi (DDT)

http://puroresuspirit.net/tag/toshiaki-kawada/

[alluctor]

[riberajacket]

For sale! @LivingLegendLZ #LarryZbyszko from #riberasteakhouse. The writing on top says Zbyszko in Japanese. This is from the #WCW / #NJPW 1992 event where Larry Zbyszo & #ArnAnderson the Enforcers beat Michiyoshi Ohara & Shiro Koshinaka. DM or e-mail: TeamVisionDojo@gmail.com

[uselessshit13]

January 8

50 the Duseks Joe Ernie us tag team champs

52 gorkys Ivan soldat pacific northwest tag champs

52 Bobby Lane Florida southern champion

60 Pete Managoff Texas champion

61 62 mephisto Dante Memphis southern tag champs

65 pepper Martin pacific northwest champion

65 Fritz Von Erich Texas champion

71 ron Don Wright Tennessee tag champs

71 the claw Tom Andrews AWA Midwest champion

72 Stan Pulaski Reggie Parks AWA midwest tag champs

73 Lorenzo Parente Bobby Hart mid America tag champs

73 Joc Rougeau Quebec world championship

77 Gino Hernandez Detroit us champion

83 al tomko moose morowski British Columbia international tag champs

90 Jerry Lawler uswa unified champion

94 far 2 wild uswa tag champs

95 Arn Anderson WCW TV champ

95 Suzuki Cutie Mayumi ozaki jwp tag champs

95 ohara tatsuitatoshi goto Shiro koshinaka War 6 man champs

98 juventud guerrera WCW cruiserweight champion

00 ray Gonzalez wwc universal champion

00 thrill kill kult czw tag champs

03 America most wanted nwa tag champs

05 sonjay dutt nwa cyberspace cruiser x division champion

05 l a player mid America champion

05 handsome Johnny psycho chaotic tag champs

06 edge WWE champion

10 extreme Loco ewf America champion

11 cliff Compton ovw champion

11 Christopher Silvio Ryan Nemeth ovw southern tag champs

11 Shaun Tempers Georgia anarchy TV champ

11 Derek stone metro pro champion

11 El mesias wwc universal champion

11 Stephen wakeling wbc muay Thai super middleweight champion

15 low ki tna x division champion

16 Matt hardy tna champion

17 Trevor Lee tna x division champion

17 Lashley tna champion

[jasvvy]

Starting a match with a rear view is the ultimate power move.

[gdwessel]

Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Night 6 - 4/22/2019: Ibushi & Romero Swap Spots; Makabe, Ishii Booked for Riki Choshu Retirement 6/26/2019

Strong Style Story Episode 52 Side A & Side B on Pro Wrestling Only

The tour resumed today, the first of three nights at Tokyo Korakuen Hall. There was a title match today, as well as a shuffling of the card, as now Kota Ibushi wants to face Tetsuya Naito the rest of the tour, following Naito’s challenge to Ibushi for the IWGP Intercontinental title on Saturday. So basically, Ibushi and Rocky Romero are switching places the rest of the tour. OK.

- 4/22/2019, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (NJPWWorld)

Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma d. Ren Narita, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura (Kojima > Tsuji, lariat, 10:30)

Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado [SZKG] d. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Shota Umino (Suzuki > Umino, Gotch Style Piledriver, 9:41)

Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] d. YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS], Rocky Romero [CHAOS] & Toa Henare (Taichi > Henare, Seiteijujiryo, 11:53) 

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI & Shingo Takagi [Los Ingobernables] d. Kazuchika Okada [CHAOS], Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS], Kota Ibushi, SHO [CHAOS] & YOH [CHAOS] (SANADA > YOH, Skull End, 15:09)

Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens [Bullet Club] d. Juice Robinson [Lifeblood] & Mikey Nicholls [CHAOS] (Owens > Nicholls, Package Driver, 8:24)

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Togi Makabe, Toru Yano [CHAOS] & Ryusuke Taguchi © d. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Hikuleo [Bullet Club] (Makabe > Hikuleo, King Kong Knee Drop, 14:17) - Makabe/Yano/Taguchi succeed their 2nd defense

Jay White & Taiji Ishimori [Bullet Club] d. Hirooki Goto [CHAOS] & Dragon Lee [CMLL] (White > Goto, Blade Runner, 18:33)

Jay cheated to win, natch. Dragon Lee came out wearing a half-mask with his own and Kamaitachi’s mixed, in tribute to Hiromu. Aww.

MVP + Taguchi retain the Comedy Belts, however GOD attacked Yano post-match. Makabe beat back GOD, whilst Yano re-stole the IWGP Heavyweight tag team belts. EVIL & Ishii brawled again post-match. Liger and Suzuki continue to go back and forth with one another.

Riki Choshu is retiring from wrestling after 50 years, on 6/26/2019 at Tokyo Korakuen Hall. The event is completely sold out, and there is talk of simulcasting the event at cinemas all over Japan. So this is a pretty big deal. Choshu retired once before, of course, on January 4, 1998, at the Tokyo Dome, ostensibly to concentrate on being the head booker of NJPW, but would return to ring action against Atsushi Onita on 7/30/2000 in a No Rope Explosive Barbed Wire Deathmatch at Yokohama Arena. He would leave NJPW in 2002 after being demoted as head booker, following the defections of Keiji Muto, Satoshi Kojima & Kendo Ka Shin to AJPW.

In any event, his retirement match is now set, and NJPW luminaries past and present will be in the 6-man tag match. For the current NJPW workers, Tomohiro Ishii will be teaming alongside Choshu and Shiro Koshinaka against a team of Tatsumi Fujinami, Keiji Muto (who really oughta consider retirement himself, and I say that with him being my all time favorite wrestler) & Togi Makabe. I am pretty sure this show will make tape, and with Makabe & Ishii, might even make NJPWWorld.  We shall see.

The tour continues tomorrow, live on NJPWWorld. The roster for Best of the Super Juniors 26 will be announced during this time, and I think we are all hoping and praying for one name to be announced... if he is ready for it.

- 4/23/2019, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (NJPWWorld)

Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Toa Henare v. Shota Umino, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Ren Narita v. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado [SZKG]

Tomoaki Honma, YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS] & Rocky Romero [CHAOS] v. Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG]

Togi Makabe, Toru Yano [CHAOS], Juice Robinson [Lifeblood] & Mikey Nicholls [CHAOS] v. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens [Bullet Club]

Hirooki Goto [CHAOS], Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Lee [CMLL] v. Jay White, Hikuleo & Taiji Ishimori [Bullet Club]

Kota Ibushi, Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS], & SHO [CHAOS] v. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, & Shingo Takagi [Los Ingobernables]

Kazuchika Okada & YOH [CHAOS] v. SANADA & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

Strong Style Story Episode 52 Side A & Side B on Pro Wrestling Only

[iqwrestler]

Shiro Koshinaka, Taiyo Kea, KENTA, Kendo Kashin, TAKA. Just picked some Randos

Kashin

KENTA

Kea

TAKA

Koshinaka

[alibomaye]

[joeyvintage]

Disc 1 - Japan

Sabu & Masahiro Chono vs. Junji Hirata & Tatsumi Fujinami, 1/4/95 (12:50)

Sabu & Masahiro Chono vs. Michiyoshi Ohara & Shiro Koshinaka, 1/95 (15:40)

Sabu, Masahiro Chono, Hiro Saito & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Hiroshi Hase, Junji Hirata, Riki Choshu & Shinya Hashimoto (2 out of 3 falls), 3/13/95 (20:05)

Sabu vs. Koji Kanemoto - IWGP Junior Title Bout, 5/3/95 (18:46)

Sabu vs. Koji Kanemoto - IWGP Junior Title Bout, 6/14/95 (20:20)

Disc 2 - Japan

Sabu vs. Black Tiger, 7/95 (11:17)

Sabu & Masahiro Chono vs. Keiji Mutoh & Jushin Lyger, 8/95 (9:27)

Sabu vs. Jushin Lyger, 9/23/95 (14:12)

Sabu, Black Cat & Hiro Saito vs. Akira Nogami, El Samurai & Gran Hamada, 9/25/95 (16:15)

Sabu vs. Gran Hamada - UWA Junior Heavyweight Title Bout, 11/23/95 (13:32)

Sabu & Hiro Saito vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko, 12/11/95 (15:45)

Disc 3 - Bonus Japan

Sabu & The Sheik vs. Atsushi Onita & Tarzan Goto - Ring of Fire Match (Handheld, 5/6/92) - Fire gets out of control and burns the ring

Sabu & Horace Boulder vs. Atsushi Onita & Tarzan Goto - Ring of Fire Match (Handheld, 5/7/92)

Sabu vs. Eiji Ezaki (Hayabusa before he wore his mask) (Handheld, 7/29/92)

Sabu & The Sheik vs. Terry Funk & Tarzan Goto (4/22/93)

Sabu vs. Terry Boy (12/11/93)

Sabu vs. Hayabusa (Handeld, 4/28/94)

Sabu vs. Terry Funk (Handheld, 5/3/94)

Sabu & Kimala 2 vs. Yoshinari Ogawa & Maunakea Mossman (JIP, Early 97)

Sabu vs. Sandman (12/22/97)

Sabu vs. Kendo Ka Shin (1/19/03)

Sabu & Mikami vs. Kazuya Yuasa & Masashi Ikeda (10/4/03)

Sabu,The Gladiator & Justin Credible vs. Masato Tanaka, Kintaro Kanemura & Tetsuhiro Kuroda (3/7/04)

Disc 4 - U.S. Indys

Sabu vs. Lightning Kid (X-Pac) (1993)

Sabu vs. Jerry Lynn

Sabu vs. Chris Candido (Ladder Match, 6/19/94)

Sabu vs. Cactus Jack in a "Desert Death Match" (1995)

Sabu vs. Cactus Jack in a "Desert Death Match II" (1995)

Sabu vs. Hakushi (Handheld, Late 90's)

Sabu vs. Mankind (09-11-97)

Sabu, Messiah & Adam Flash vs. Trent Acid, Wifebeater & Nick Gage - Tables Match (5/1/04)

Disc 5 - IWA Mid South Part 1

Sabu vs. Flash Flanagan (7/30/98)

Sabu vs. Chris Hero

Sabu vs. CM Punk vs. Tracy Smothers (9/8/01)

Sabu, Ian Rotten, Tracy Smothers & Mark Wolf vs. Bull Pain, Todd Morton, Mitch Ryder & Tarek the Great (Cage Match, 10/20/01)

Sabu vs. Nate Webb vs. J.C. Bailey (2/13/04)

Disc 6 - IWA Mid South Part 2

Sabu vs. Jerry Lynn (5/29/04)

Sabu vs. Ian Rotten (6/18/05)

Sabu vs. Danny Daniels vs. Kid Kash (7/13/05)

Sabu vs. Chad Collyer (8/5/05)

Sabu vs. Mad Man Pondo (5/18/06)