New Japan Pro Wrestling's New Year Dash recap for January 5, 2016

Courtesy of: Top Rope Press and wrestlezone.com!

Sho Tanaka, RyusukeTaguchi, Manabu Nakanishi, Yugi Nagata, &Shiro Koshinaka beats Yohei Komatsu, Cheeseburger, Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, & Fujiwara.

Ricochet & Matt Sydal beats FinJay (Jay White & David Finlay).

Jay Lethal beats Juice Robinson.

The Bullet Club (Anderson, Gallows, Takahashi, Tama Tonga, & Haku) beats KUSHIDA, Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan,Tomoaki Honma, &Togi Makabe.

Los Ingobernables (Naito, EVIL, & BUSHI) beats Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, & Mascara Dorada

The Bullet Club (AJ Styles & Kenny Omega) beats Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI when Omega pins Nakamura (which cements his spot as the #1 contender for the title). After the match, The Bullet Club turns on A.J. Styles, with Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) lay out both A.J. and Nakamura, who showed respect to one another after their IC Title match the day before. After being attacked, however, AJ is able to stand on his own and bows to the crowd in respect as he is (according to many wrestling sites) is headed to WWE.

Katsuyori Shibata, Hirooki Goto, & reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) beats Kazuchika Okada, Tomohoro Ishii, & RPG Vice (Trent Barreta & Rocky Romero) via submission.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: The Briscoes (Jay & Mark) & Toru Yano beats The Bullet Club (The Young Bucks [Matt & Nick Jackson] & Bad Luck Fale) to retain the titles.

Wrestler of the Day - 9/20: Hiroshi Tanahashi!

Today’s Wrestler of the Day is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the history of Puroresu, the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi!

Gotta be honest here, Tanahashi would not be more popular if it had not be for a real-life incident which he was stabbed in the back (LITERALLY) by his TV personality girlfriend he was dating at the time. Before this sudden incident, however, he was one the rise as one of the top young prospects in New Japan Pro Wrestling in his early days. Since the incident (which may have been the best thing that has happened to his career), Tanahashi has went to become one of the most decorated wrestlers in the history of Puroresu in Japan. He has been given the moniker “Once in a Century Talent” due to his numerous classics, championship wins, and title defenses, where he holds the most title defenses with the IWGP Heavyweight title in a single reign, with 11. His more recent classics have been against the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Katsuyori Shibata and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Here’s one of my favorite Tanahashi matches, against Kazuchika Okada!

Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs Kazuchika Okada | NJPW Invasion Attack | 07.04.2013 from 5 Star Wrestling on Vimeo.

Match of the Day - 10/15/2015: Jumbo Tsuruta vs Stan Hansen!

Short synopsis for each Wrestler and Match of the Day blogs this week.

Today's Match of the Day is the incredible match of Jumbo Tsuruta vs Stan Hansen, two all-time greats in the business. Also, this is the match that started everything. Arguably one of the most prestigious championships in professional wrestling is the Triple Crown Championship. On the night of April 18, 1989, the NWA International, PWF Heavywight, and the NWA United National Championships were unified. The winner would be crowned the very first Triple Crown Champion.

4/18/89 Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Stan Hansen by Gnomecoldsaidso

Match of the Day - 10/14/2015: Atsushi Onita vs. Terry Funk!

Short synopsis for each Wrestler and Match of the Day blogs this week.

Today's Match of the Day is the classic FMW No-rope Exploding Barbwire Timebomb Deathmatch of Atsushi Onita vs. Terry Funk. This is the match that got me heavily into the Deahtmatch concept of professional wrestling, and there is no doubt that these two are true pioneers of this style of wrestling.

Wrestler of the Day - 10/13: Tomohoro Ishii!

Short synopsis for each Wrestler and Match of the Day blogs this week.

Today's Wrestler of the Day is the hard-hitting, "Stone Pitbull" Tomohoro Ishii!

Like Hirooki Goto, I see Tomohoro Ishii as one of the best wrestlers to never hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Ishii is also a guy that the late great Bruiser Brody would be very proud of, due to he notable brawling style. What baffled me about him at first was not necessary his skill set, but how he was being used in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He was an undercard guy at best, which caused him to gain a cult following of fans. The cult following resulted in his pushed, and as you can see in the picture above, it worked out really well. Ishii is now a four-time (and current) NEVER Openweight Champion, which was his first major title with the promotion. Thankfully enough, his status in NJPW continues to rise, and now he has two 5 Star Matches to his credit: one against Katsuyori Shibata (2013) and another underrated wrestler, Tomoaki Honma (2015).

Here's one of the 5 Star Matches I mentioned, where he faces off against Tomoaki Honma back on February 14th, 2015.

Tomohiro Ishii vs Tomoaki Honma from Jorge Rebelo on Vimeo.

Match of the Day - 9/29/2015: Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitshuharu Misawa!

Its Pro Wrestling NOAH’s turn to be showcased as Today’s Match of the Day goes to two mega stars of the company, Kenta Kobashi vs. the late great Mitshuru Misawa! During their heyday, these two were on the top of the mountain wherever they went – more so Misawa, who has had 23 5-Star matches (maybe more, if ya ask me) in his career. Kenta Kobashi, to his credit, has continued to remain very popular among the fans even after retiring from in-ring competition due to being diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, Misawa’s career and life came to end when he passed away due to injuries suffered during a tag team match back in 2009. This particular match greatly depicts what a professional wrestling match should look like. It’s like poetry in motion, ya know? Not once do you see an error being made by these two in this match. This is PURORESU at its finest. Watch this match and prepare to be educated.

Match of the Day - 9/28/2015: Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka!

We’re taking it to Japan with Today’s Match of the Day, which goes to the late Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka. These two had a rivalry that spanned for the better part of a decade and through two promotions (these two reignited their rivalry in the WWE), and they tore the house down every time they stepped in the ring against one another. This match took place for the Pro Wrestling Zero-1 promotion in Japan back in 2004. This is one of my favorite encounters of the two, because of the spots and bumps taken by both men – and lets not forget the undeniable agility for both men for their size! JEEZUS. Anyways, enjoy the match. This is just one of their classic encounters!

Wrestler of the Day - 9/28/15: Manami Toyota!

Today's Wrestler of the Day is arguably one of the greatest women wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots. EVER. Manami Toyota!

Manami Toyota is the epitome of a true women’s wrestler, having had success as both a singles and tag team wrestler. She came to prominence when teaming with Lioness Asuka, known collectively as The Crush Girls. Together, they were seen by many one of the most popular and successful female tag teams of all time. During their tenure as a team, they were four-time Tag Team Championship in AJW, and were box offices draws in Japan, drawing in record television ratings. Throughout the 1990s, Toyota had a streak of classics in singles and tag team matches, and ALL of them were rated 5-Star Matches by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Two of these matches were named Match of the Year by Meltzer: her match against Kyoko Inoue and a classic tag team match where she teamed up with (INSERT TAG TEAM MATCH HERE). Now, with almost 30 years of experience under her belt, she has not missed a beat, and she continues to prove why she is one of – if not THE BEST women’s wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots.

Here’s Manami facing off against one of her greatest adversaries, the powerful Aja Kong, who is a joshi legend in her own right.

Match of the Day - 9/25/2015: Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue!

This 5-Star joshi puroresu classic is today’s Match of the Day! Manami Toyota and Kyoko Inoue are, and continue to be quintessential female wrestlers in Japan. More notably, Manami Toyota is seen as one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step foot in a ring – man or woman. This particular match took place on May 7th, 1995 in Tokyo, Japan. The match was rated a 5-star match and was named Match of the Year by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This match will seriously blow you away – being full of innovation, incredible sequences and fluidity. In my opinion, this match is one of the greatest Joshi matches in history. Watch this, you will certainly enjoy it!

Match of the Day - 9/20/2015: Combat Toyota vs. Megumi Kudo!

Going to the extreme as today's Match of the Day goes to Combat Toyota vs. Megumi Kudo, which is - in my opinion - one of the best deathmatches in professional wrestling history. This match took place in FMW, and it was Combat Toyoda's retirement match that contested in a No Rope Electrified Barbed Wire deathmatch. There is absolutely nothing about this match that does not make you go "Holy S**t!". It's that good, folks. And need I not forget to say that this is how wrestling is supposed to be done. Raw emotion, story-telling, and most importantly... WRESTLING! Enjoy this one... and while you're at it, count how many times you yell "Holy S**t!" at your computer screens!

Match of the Day - 9/17/2015: The Young Bucks vs. Time Splitters!

Today's Match of the Day is another junior heavyweight tag team match of New Japan Pro Wrestling. I don't know if I am very obsessed with these matches, or if these guys continuously put on classic matches. Either way, the match of the day goes to: Bullet Club members Matt & Nick Jackson of the The Young Bucks vs. Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA of The Time Splitters! This match took place at the New Beginning in Osaka on February 11th, 2014. This match greatly shows that these two teams are not only two of the best teams on the planet, but individually some of the best high flyers in the business today. Enjoy this one, folks. You're gonna be in for a ride!

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Road to DESTRUCTION recap for September 16, 2015

Courtesy of Broiled Sports!

(1) Sho Tanaka vs. Jay White

◆Winner: Sho (8:48) with a Boston Crab.

(2) Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Rocky Romero, Barreta & Gedo

◆Winner: Romero (10:01) following the Strong Zero on Komatsu.

(3) Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Mascara Dorada

◆Winner: Honma (10:02) following the Kokeshi on Dorada.

(4) Katsuyori Shibata [FREE] & Tiger Mask IV vs. Tetsuya Naito & Juice Robinson

◆Winner: Shibata (9:03) following the P.K. on Robinson.

(5) Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga

◆Winner: (9:05) following the Rainmaker on Tonga.

(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows, Kenny Omega & Cody Hall

◆Winner: Kojima (11:21) following a Lariat on Hall.

(7) Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe & Captain New Japan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI

◆Winner: Nakamura (15:22) following the Boma Ye on Captain.

Match of the Day - 9/16/2015: A.J. Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki

Today's Match of the Day - A.J. Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki, which took place on August 1st, 2014 during the annual G1 Climax tournament. This highly-acclaimed match  was awarded 2014 Match of the Year by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter. If ya ask me, this match not only cemented A.J. Styles' overall legacy as a wrestler, it also cemented him as a top gajin (foreign wrestler) in Japan. Oh, and we cannot forget the always incredible Minoru Suzuki, who - to his credit, has continued to be a top contender for every other major title in and out of New Japan Pro Wrestling. This is truly pro wrestling at its finest. Enjoy!

AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki from Jorge Rebelo on Vimeo.

Wrestler of the Day - 9/16: reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly)

As I said, I will be posting not only about singles wrestlers, but tag teams as well. I'll deliver a short synopsis of the team, and a match that greatly depicts their awesomeness.

Today's "Wrestlers of the Day".... Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly of reDRagon!

This team was originally formed by Kyle O'Reilly as a way to get under his former Team Ambition partner, Davey Richard's skin. Who would have ever thought that they would go on to become one of the best tag teams on the planet today? Every since they won the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the first time back at ROH's 11th Anniversary, they have gone on to win the titles twice more, and was at one point global double champions, as they held the former and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships simultaneously. 

Here's a match from their time in New Japan Pro Wrestling against another great tag team, The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA)! This match took place at Power Struggle on November 8, 2014.

Wrestler of the Day - 9/15: Shinsuke Nakamura!

I'm adding new components to this blog, because quite frankly, I'm tired of seeing just results to the same weekly shows every week. JEEZUS. Today, I begin my first "Wrestler of the Day" blog. Although I would like to post for every single day, I know that if time doesn't persist, then there will not be one for that day. In this particular post, I will provide a short synopsis of the wrestler (or tag teams) and a match that greatly depicts their awesomeness. Ready? Okay! 

Today's Wrestler of the Day... none other than the "King of Strong Style" himself, Shinsuke Nakamura! 

The ever electrifying and eccentric Shinsuke Nakamura has been a prominent figure in Japan's Puroresu for the last decade. Whether it be putting on 5-Star Classics against the likes of Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada; or bringing the relatively new IWGP Intercontinental Championship the prestige it has today. Nakamura continues to amaze audiences with his killer Strong Style trademark and undeniable charisma across the globe.  

Here's one of his highly acclaimed matches, where he defends the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Kota Ibushi on January 4th, 2015 at Wrestle Kingdom 9.

2015.01.04- Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs... by dixonkyle4

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Road to DESTRUCTION recap for September 15, 2015

Courtesy of Broiled Sports!

(1) Yohei Komatsu vs. Jay White
◆Winner: Komatsu (9:21) with a Boston Crab.

(2) Yuji Nagata & Sho Tanaka vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Mascara Dorada
◆Winner: Dorada (9:08) with the Dorada Screwdriver on Sho.

(3) Tomoaki Honma, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & David Finlay Jr. vs. Toru Yano, Gedo, Rocky Romero & Barreta
◆Winner: Barreta (11:22) with the Strong Zero on Finlay.

(4) Togi Makabe & Katsuyori Shibata [FREE] vs. Tetsuya Naito & Juice Robinson
◆Winner: Makabe (9:32) following the King Kong Knee Drop on Robinson.

(5) Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tama Tonga & Cody Hall
◆Winner: Okada (9:32) following the Rainmaker on Hall.

(6) Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii
◆Winner: Nakamura (13:20) following the Boma Ye on Taguchi.

(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows & Kenny Omega
◆Winner: Kojima (16:23) following a Lariat on Gallows.
~ Kojima with yet another direct win over the IWGP Tag Champion.

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Road to DESTRUCTION recap for September 14, 2015

Courtesy of Broiled Sports!

(1) Sho Tanaka vs. David Finlay Jr.
◆Winner: Finlay (7:16) with a Boston Crab.

(2) Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Yohei Komatsu vs. Rocky Romero, Barreta & Gedo
◆Winner: Barreta (9:51) following the Strong Zero on Komatsu.

(3) Yuji Nagata & Captain New Japan vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Mascara Dorada
◆Winner: Nakanishi (9:21) following a Hercules Cutter on Captain.

(4) Katsuyori Shibata [FREE] & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Juice Robinson
◆Winner: Shibata (10:45) following a P.K. on Robinson.

(5) Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Doc Gallows & Tama Tonga
◆Winner: Okada (9:45) following the Rainmaker on Tonga.

(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, Kenny Omega & Cody Hall
◆Winner: Kojima (12:51) following a Lariat on Hall.

(7) Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI
◆Winner: Goto (14:01) following the Shouten Kai on HASHI.

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Road to DESTRUCTION recap for September 13, 2015

Courtesy of Broiled Sports.

1) Sho Tanaka vs. David Finlay Jr.
◆Winner: Finlay (7:16) with a Boston Crab.

(2) Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Yohei Komatsu vs. Rocky Romero, Barreta & Gedo
◆Winner: Barreta (9:51) following the Strong Zero on Komatsu.

(3) Yuji Nagata & Captain New Japan vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Mascara Dorada
◆Winner: Nakanishi (9:21) following a Hercules Cutter on Captain.

(4) Katsuyori Shibata [FREE] & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Juice Robinson
◆Winner: Shibata (10:45) following a P.K. on Robinson.

(5) Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Doc Gallows & Tama Tonga
◆Winner: Okada (9:45) following the Rainmaker on Tonga.

(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, Kenny Omega & Cody Hall
◆Winner: Kojima (12:51) following a Lariat on Hall.

(7) Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI
◆Winner: Goto (14:01) following the Shouten Kai on HASHI.

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Road to DESTRUCTION recap for September 12, 2015

Courtesy of Broiled Sports!

(1) David Finlay Jr. vs. Jay White

◆Winner: White (7:43) with a Boston Crab.

(2) Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yohei Komatsu

◆Winner: Honma (11:11) following the Kokeshi on Komatsu.

(3) Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi, Mascara Dorada & Captain New Japan vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Gedo, Rocky Romero & Barreta

◆Winner: Tiger (10:52) with a Reverse Double Armbar on Gedo.

(4) Katsuyori Shibata [FREE] & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tetsuya Naito & Juice Robinson

◆Winner: Shibata (11:40) following a P.K. on Robinson.

(5) Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga

◆Winner: Okada (8:53) following the Rainmaker on Tonga.

(6) Hirooki Goto & Togi Makabe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI

◆Winner: Makabe (11:53) following the King Kong Knee Drop on HASHI.

(7) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows, Cody Hall & Kenny Omega

◆Winner: Tanahashi (16:23) with the High Fly Flow on Hall.

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Road to Destruction recap for September 10, 2015

Courtesy of Broiled Sports!

(1) Yohei Komatsu vs. Sho Tanaka

◆Winner: Komatsu (9:46) with a Boston Crab.

(2) Yuji Nagata & Jay White vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Tomoaki Honma

◆Winner: Honma (10:08) following the Kokeshi on White.

(3) Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Rocky Romero, Barreta & Gedo

◆Winner: Tiger (11:28) with a Jumping Crucifix Hold on Gedo.

(4) Katsuyori Shibata & Mascara Dorada vs. Tomoaki Honma & Tama Tonga

◆Winner: Naito (10:56) following the Destino on Dorada.

(5) Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Doc Gallows & Tama Tonga

◆Winner: Okada (9:00) following the Rainmaker on Tonga.

(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, Cody Hall & Kenny Omega

◆Winner: Kojima (13:02) following a Lariat on Hall.

(7) Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe & Captain New Japan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano

◆Winner: Nakamura (13:51) following the Boma Ye on Captain.