Hirooki Goto, Yota Tsuji set for New Japan Cup final

Hirooki Goto will look for his fourth New Japan Cup trophy on Wednesday, while Yota Tsuji hunts for his first.

The 2024 New Japan Cup final could have been another showdown between two former tag team partners and teammates whose paths have diverged completely over the past few years. Instead, NJPW sent the other semifinalists through, setting up an intriguing clash between past and present this Wednesday in Nagaoka.

Hirooki Goto and Yota Tsuji will meet in the final after both were victorious Monday in Fukushima. Goto defeated Sanada in one semifinal, while Tsuji was able to overcome the usual copious amounts of House of Torture interference to take down EVIL in the other.

The victory for Goto means the 44-year-old can potentially add to his own bit of company history. He’s already the only three-time New Japan Cup winner (he also won in 2009, 2010 and 2012), and can add to his record with a fourth triumph.

In contrast, this is uncharted territory for Tsuji, who is being counted on as one of the performers to carry the banner for New Japan after the recent departures of stars like Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay.

Tsuji would also arguably have the more interesting storyline if he won the Cup, as it would set up a showdown for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis against his LIJ teammate Tetsuya Naito. Fans might be invested in Goto getting that shot too, though it’s worth noting that he didn’t capitalize on the world title opportunities he received from any of his three prior New Japan Cup wins.

The New Japan Cup 2024 final will take place Wednesday at Ao-re Nagaoka. The only other match currently announced is YOH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

Jack Perry is now a member of NJPW’s House of Torture

Jack Perry got some assistance, then a t-shirt, from New Japan’s most notorious heel stable.

Jack Perry defeated Shota Umino to advance on night 1 of the New Japan Cup. But that wasn’t the most newsworthy part of his evening on New Japan’s 52nd anniversary show.

Late in the match, with momentum in favor of Umino, Perry received assistance from both Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Ren Narita. After pinning Umino, he accepted one more thing: a House of Torture t-shirt from EVIL.

Perry is best known to U.S. wrestling fans for his work in AEW, which came to an abrupt halt last August after his backstage altercation with CM Punk at All In London. That incident ultimately cost Punk his job, but while he returned to WWE last fall, Perry earned an indefinite suspension.

That suspension was said to be over by December, but Perry remained away from a wrestling ring until mid-January, when he appeared at a NJPW Strong show, attacking Umino and (storyline) tearing up his AEW contract.

Originally a fan favorite as part of Jurassic Express, Perry had already been a heel for several months prior to his AEW suspension. Joining NJPW’s most dastardly villainous stable, then, seems like a logical outgrowth of his character.

For his part, Perry said during his backstage interview after his match that it was simply a matter of linking up with like-minded individuals (h/t Wrestling Observer for transcription).

There’s a very select, handful of people in the world who still have my back. But tonight, well I think I found a few more.

Perry’s next New Japan Cup match will take place March 11 against Toru Yano, who advanced past Yujiro Takahashi on Wednesday. Should Perry win that bout, there’s a very intriguing potential matchup waiting in the round of eight: against former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Sanada, who had a first-round bye but now faces Yoshi-Hashi in the round of 16.

Sanada is no stranger to House of Torture’s hijinks, but he’ll have to keep his head on a swivel even more now that Perry is in the fold.

Report: AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door will be at Arthur Ashe Stadium this year

A report suggests AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door will take the place of Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium this year.

It appears the Forbidden Door may be swinging open to an outdoor location in 2024.

The annual AEW and NJPW co-branded pay-per-view event has become a fan favorite after being held in Chicago and Toronto the past two years. Now it will apparently head to a location AEW knows well in New York City.

According to Andrew Zarian of Wrestling Observer and the Mat Men podcast, this year’s event will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.

AEW has run the venue for several years for its “Grand Slam” editions of its weekly shows. There had been speculation for some time that the company might try to turn Grand Slam into its own pay-per-view, but hosting Forbidden Door at the famous tennis stadium might be an even better solution and give AEW and NJPW a chance to sell out the building.

As for the fate of Grand Slam, Zarian first posted, then deleted his report on where it would be held, apologizing that it was “Too soon to announce the location. Things are changing.” But the implication is that Grand Slam will live on and will simply move to a different city and venue for 2024.

Both iterations of Forbidden Door to date have taken place in June, so that month makes sense this time around as well. Grand Slam has taken place in September for all three years that it’s been held, from 2021 to 2023.

Will Ospreay thanks NJPW after final match before joining AEW

An emotional Will Ospreay thanked New Japan and its fans after his final match for the company for now.

Will Ospreay is done with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, though it could be less like “goodbye” and more like “’til we meet again.”

Ospreay wrestled his final NJPW match over the weekend at The New Beginning in Osaka 2024, joining forces with his United Empire mates for a 10-man Steel Cage match against the Bullet Club War Dogs. Fans on hand certainly got their money’s worth, as the match lasted more than an hour before Ospreay finally took the pin from David Finlay.

After the match, Ospreay got on the microphone and thanked NJPW fans while promising that he would return someday. He took to social media to express similar sentiments this morning.

The next step in Ospreay’s career has been known for months, as AEW revealed his signing at Full Gear last November. As explained at the time, he was always planning to join the company somewhere prior to Revolution once his NJPW deal expired.

That time is now upon us as Revolution is coming up quickly on March 3. He’s likely to have a familiar face joining him not long after, as Kazuchika Okada will reportedly sign with AEW as well, and could make his debut following Revolution.

Ospreay has gone on record as saying his AEW deal will still allow him to wrestle in NJPW on occasion, and the two companies have had a close working relationship for several years. Still, he’s also admitted he doesn’t know how long it will be until he’s back in a New Japan ring, so the emotions from both performer and fans are understandable now that his incredible NJPW run has come to an end.

Kazuchika Okada says goodbye to NJPW, takes Rainmaker name with him

Next stop, AEW? That remains to be seen, but Kazuchika Okada said farewell and thank you to NJPW and its fans.

It’s going to rain somewhere other than New Japan Pro-Wrestling very soon.

Now that it’s Feb. 1 in Japan, the contract of Kazuchika Okada, the top star in NJPW over the past decade, has expired. Shortly after he became a free agent, Okada posted a short thank you and farewell message on social media.

Here’s the translation in English, according to Google Translate:

Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro Wrestling for 17 years!
thank you very much!
I laughed, got angry, cried, it was great!
I look forward to playing the remaining three games as a free agent!

His comment at the end refers to several dates he will still work this month with New Japan even though he’s not re-signing with the company. Where will he turn up next? PWInsider repeated today that “the expectation is that Okada is AEW-bound,” though until he actually shows up somewhere, that’s not set in stone.

Wherever he goes, Okada will be able to call himself the Rainmaker just as he did in Japan. He filed a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last month for Rainmaker, and has filed one for the use of his own name in wrestling contexts as well. That will be a big help for any company that lands his services, as he won’t have to change his presentation or gimmick.

NJPW confirms Kazuchika Okada is leaving soon

Okada will make some February appearances for New Japan but will sign elsewhere after Jan. 31.

It looks like the Rainmaker will soon be making it precipitate somewhere other than New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

While speculation about the future of Kazuchika Okada has been rampant over the past few months, it was still shocking to see NJPW confirm today that he will leave the company at the end of the month. The company posted on its official sites that while Okada will still work a few February dates on the New Beginning series, he won’t re-sign once his contract expires on Jan. 31.

Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024.

We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future.

A short statement from Okada himself was also included:

I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19 year old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today. Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching.

The 36-year-old Okada is widely considered one of the best pro wrestlers in the world, and has carried the NJPW banner proudly for the majority of his career. Taking the baton from Hiroshi Tanahashi (now New Japan’s president), Okada was the company’s true ace for most of the last decade, and has won nearly every championship and honor NJPW has to bestow.

Ironically, the very sense that Okada had nothing left to accomplish in New Japan also drove the idea that he might look to make a move elsewhere while still in his athletic prime. His options would seem to be unlimited; he’s worked before with TNA and recently made an appearance there, is familiar with AEW (and its fans with him) thanks to matches at the two Forbidden Doors and has appeared on Dynamite, and WWE is said to be interested in him as well.

It’s safe to say that all eyes will be on his next move, and the buzz for his first appearance elsewhere will certainly be huge. In the meantime, NJPW fans will be relishing his final matches there, and he almost certainly will get a warm farewell from crowds in Japan over the next few weeks.

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Jack Perry tears up AEW contract in shock return at NJPW Battle in the Valley

This is probably not the way you expected AEW wrestler Jack Perry to return to wrestling.

Although All In London featured standout matches and was AEW’s largest event ever, it was overshadowed by a backstage incident between CM Punk and Jack Perry. This conflict resulted in Punk’s termination days later from the company and an indefinite suspension for Perry from AEW.

Punk has since made his unforgettable WWE return, appearing at the end of Survivor Series while joining the build to WrestleMania season. However, Perry has been quiet, not making an appearance since his loss to Hook at All In, and there has been no hint of his comeback to AEW.

On Saturday night at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Battle in the Valley, that all changed when Perry made a shocking return under a mask. He attacked Shota Umino, tore up an AEW contract, and put an armband on that said “scapegoat.”

AEW and NJPW have had a talent exchange the last few years, which included Bryan Danielson competing at Wrestle Kingdom 18 earlier this month and Eddie Kingston becoming the NJPW Strong Champion. Therefore, this could simply be a continuation of that, with Perry finally bringing his highly publicized real-life situation to the ring.

The NJPW World tweet, which is directly associated with NJPW, also labels him as “AEW’s Jack Perry.” This gives us enough of a hint that he’s still an AEW talent.

As he officially returns to pro wrestling, all eyes are on his eventual appearance on AEW programming. This may be delayed if he enters a storyline with New Japan, but when he does eventually come back at Dynamite, Rampage, Collision or a pay-per-view, it will undoubtedly make waves to see how AEW uses him post-suspension.

Perry is certainly incorporating what happened last year with the armband used at Battle in the Valley, so let’s see how much he will integrate real life into the ring.

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Matt Riddle, controversial past and all, looks to start anew with MLW

Does Matt Riddle understand why WWE let him go? Ahead of his MLW debut, he says he does.

Matt Riddle estimates he hasn’t had this much time off since he was 21 years old.

In the last three months, the now 37-year-old has been paid by WWE to sit at home and do nothing related to professional wrestling thanks to a 90-day non-compete clause that was triggered once the company released him back in September.

Riddle’s release marked the end of a run that featured its share of professional highs and personal lows. The most recent low was an incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York that occurred shortly before his release, where Riddle was seen on video being belligerent to airport staff.

The release, although abrupt in nature, was not a complete surprise to Riddle. He understood why.

“I think they were just sick of my shit at times,” he said during a phone interview with Wrestling Junkie.

And there was a lot of excrement to sort through. Between a sexual assault allegation and subsequent lawsuit that was eventually dropped and issues with substance abuse, the sudden end to Riddle’s WWE tenure gave him the time to go home, spend more time with his growing family (he welcomed his fourth child to the world in late 2023), hit the reset button and start anew. It is badly needed, as his reputation amongst wrestling fans has taken a serious hit.

The next chapter of Riddle’s wrestling journey begins at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday, Jan. 6, where he is scheduled to face Jacob Fatu at Major League Wrestling’s Kings of Colosseum. It will be Riddle’s first non-WWE match in more than five years.

Also on the card will be an MLW World Heavyweight title bout with Alex Kane defending against Richard Holliday and a match between Japanese wrestling legend Satoshi Kojima and former Impact World Champion Sami Callihan that will air on “MLW Fusion.”

“MLW, before I signed with WWE, was probably the most professional place I worked,” Riddle said. “They were always on the level. I felt like they had great stories and a good process of how they did everything.”

“I think I’m going to be able to show a side of me that I haven’t been able to show in a long, long time,” he later said.

The wrestling landscape is far different from the one Riddle left behind when he signed with WWE in 2018. Back then, the independent scene was thriving, in large part due to up-and-coming wrestlers like Riddle.

Today, the independent scene is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and a good chunk of the goodwill Riddle garnered during his time as an independent wrestler has diminished.

The former WWE United States Champion may be looking to start anew, but that does not mean his slate has been completely wiped clean. Riddle’s controversial reputation has followed him to MLW. It has also cast a shadow on his upcoming appearance for New Japan Pro Wrestling, who aired a video of him challenging the iconic Hiroshi Tanahashi to a future match. 

The video was posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, and judging by the replies, it is clear that there is at least a portion of the wrestling fan base that has yet to forgive Riddle for his past transgressions.

Riddle, who began his career in professional wrestling after being fired from UFC for being “a moron,” according to company president Dana White, understands the narrative surrounding him at the moment and chalks some of it up to his own doing. But he also points to members of the wrestling media/zeitgeist, who in his mind, put his name in stories merely as a way to drive engagement and not because it is the cold, hard truth.

It is something that Riddle admits he didn’t always handle well during his time in WWE.

“As a WWE superstar, you know, it’s one of those weird things,” Riddle recalls. “Even when you’re growing up and you’re training to do this stuff and you’re just sitting around with guys that have done it, and they’re like ‘Hey, just be careful, you know, when you’re making it to the top or you’re trying to. People will come out of the woodwork and try to hurt you and try to ruin your career or this, that and the other thing.’

“For me, I’d be like, ‘No way! That’s crazy!’ But then as you grow older and you start working your way up the card and you’re in WrestleManias and everything else, you start to notice that if people don’t get what they want from you, they will try to do that. I feel like that happens more so when you’re under that magnifying glass of a company like WWE. And that’s not a knock on them. It’s a good thing, I guess, in the sense of the attention and stuff like that. But also at the same time with professional wrestling fans — whether you have people writing articles or doing stories — the fans … they believe a lot. ”

“That was the most stressful thing,” he later added. “Anything can be blown out of proportion and look a certain way and you’ve got a bunch of other people speculating on the internet. That was probably the hardest part.”

As an example, Riddle points to a recent report that he cut his hair. Riddle claims he has not cut any inches off his hair and has no idea where the story came from. Riddle says his mother even called him to ask if he had, in fact, cut his hair, to which he said he hadn’t. Judging by the video of Riddle New Japan aired during its New Year Dash event, it looks like he is still sporting his trademark locks.

The way Riddle looks at it, it’s just the latest case of someone wanting to put his name in a story for the wrong reasons.

“Unfortunately, other people look at it differently,” he explained. “Other people aren’t as smart or educated and they’re not me. They don’t live my story or my situation. It’s kind of hard. They just hear what people say. For me, for the most part, I’m not going to go on the internet and defend myself. I feel like, ‘What’s the point?’”

“If it was, I don’t know, not true or exaggerated or whatever it is, I have no idea how I should even go about doing this in 2024. So I kind of just sit back and let people do whatever they want. At the end of the day, people are going to do what they want, and I always look at it as the cream always rises to the top. As long as I work hard and put my best effort forward and I’m nice to people, usually things work out.”

While the haircut story is apparently fake news, the UFC firing, the WWE wellness policy suspensions and eventual firing, and his belligerent behavior at JFK was not. These were, in fact, true events. But what has Riddle taken away from all of this?

“I took away a lot of lessons, but would I go back and change anything? No.” he said. “Everything happens for a reason. Just like when I got fired by the UFC for a reason so I could make it to WWE and I got fired from WWE for a reason so I can do something else.”

“For me, I need the rainy days to enjoy the sunny ones,” he later added.

Matt Riddle challenges Hiroshi Tanahashi, who responds ‘I have no idea who that guy is’

The Ace and president of New Japan said he’d have to do some research to figure out who Matt Riddle is.

It doesn’t look like there will be any rest for President Ace, as Hiroshi Tanahashi had to defend his newly won NJPW World Television Championship against Ryusuke Taguchi at New Year Dash. But it was what happened afterward that has NJPW fans and wrestling observers talking.

With Tanahashi still in the ring at Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo, the crowd went quiet as a video played. It was a challenge to the Ace from Matt Riddle, who introduced himself and said he’d see the NJPW president “soon.”

While many fans are familiar with Riddle from his time in WWE (which came to an end with his release last fall), Tanahashi was apparently not.

“Any time, I will do it,” Tanahashi said afterward. “But I have no idea who that guy is.”

Happily, Tanahashi added that he would “have to go back and do some research,” so he’ll know all about Riddle before they meet up in the ring.

What wasn’t immediately clear is where Tanahashi and Riddle might face off, as NJPW has big events coming up in both Japan and the U.S. over the next few months. Battle in the Valley in San Jose seems a little too soon since it’s just over a week from now on Jan. 13, though other matches were made for the event at New Year Dash — including Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi in a No DQ showdown.

NJPW has its series of The New Beginning shows in Osaka and Sapporo in February, then just announced Windy City Riot in Chicago for April 12. Regardless of where it takes place, a Tanahashi-Riddle match will be exciting for some, distressing to others, and definitely not something anyone would have predicted for 2024 even a few months ago.

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NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 results: Tetsuya Naito achieves his destiny, defeating Sanada

Tetsuya Naito claimed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the main event at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

The crowd sounds like it is very much behind Tetsuya Naito as he makes his way down the ramp. His narrative as painted by the announcers is that his previous moments of potential glory were mostly spoiled by the pandemic and injury, giving him one more chance for that ultimate moment here.

Sanada has a good story too, with Chris Charlton putting him over as the selfless warrior who puts team and fans over himself. Will he claim his biggest win ever for himself tonight?

Neither man rushes in when the bell rings, and the first exchanges of holds is very even on the feet and the mat. The fans applaud their stalemate.

They work over to the ropes, where Red Shoes is keeping a careful eye, and Sanada makes an acrobatic save when he sees Naito has wandered away from a potential dive to the floor. The champ holds the ropes for the challenger to return to the ring. Gentlemanly.

An exchange of strikes breaks out, with Naito getting the best of it. A neckbreaker from a hip toss gets the challenger the upper hand, and he capitalizes with more elbows in the corner and a flurry of offense that leads to a low dropkick to the back of Sanada’s head.

Some mat work by Okada forces Sanada to get a rope break. Naito stomps his back before they trade more strikes. Sanada fights back with a low dropkick to the knees and a backdrop suplex.

Two leapfrogs set up a dropkick in a classic sequence for Sanada, and a plancha is right on the money. Some fans come to life for that, as well as for the champ’s springboard dropkick. A TKO gets a two count for the champ, who goes right back to work by locking in Skull End. Finally, Naito is able to get a boot to the bottom rope for a break.

Sanada’s moonsault finds no one home, and Naito smiles as he executes a dropkick to knock the champ to the floor unexpectedly. The challenger hangs Sanada’s legs on the barricade to deliver a neckbreaker, and it’s no shock to see the champ holding his neck in pain.

The ref starts a 20 count that reaches 18 before Sanada gets back in the ring … only to feel Naito’s knee in his neck again. A Frankensteiner hurls the champ from the top rope, a good sign for Naito. Sanada fires right back with a dropkick and elevated DDT, and now both men are on the canvas gathering their wits.

Sanada kips up and hits a poison rana/shining wizard combo. Up top for a moonsault he goes, but Naito knows it’s coming and gets his knees up perfectly.

Naito hammers away with strikes until Sanada is face down on the canvas. Esperanza is on target, as well as Destino. The fans like that, but a second Destino is countered by a TKO.

Who will get up first? It’s Sanada, who almost overshoots a moonsault but lands on Naito’s back. A second to the front side of the challenger also hits, but Naito kicks out at two.

It’s Naito’s turn to rally, but he can’t pull off another Destino. The challenger waves in the champ and does hit Destino. A third doesn’t quite connect cleanly, so it’s appropriate that Sanada kicks out.

He looks for more offense but is greeted by Deadfall instead. The fans are at full throat as both men are back down with Red Shoes checking in.

A palm strike is answered by a rolling elbow, and Sanada hits his own Destino. Naito fires back with a rolling kick and a tornado DDT. Sanada rolls back into a bridge off the ropes and gets amazingly close without hearing the three.

The champ’s shining wizard has him looking for Deadfall, but Naito counters with one of his own. A brainbuster has Naito pointing to the stars, and a devastating Destino ends it, making Naito the world champ.

But Naito’s moment of triumph was brief, as he gets attacked from behind by EVIL and Dick Togo. “I won’t let you have your roll call,” says EVIL. Sanada attacks EVIL, however, and Togo, and the fans come to life for the aid he gives the man who just defeated him.

With Sanada finally on his way out, Naito gives him props, saying he’s only holding the mic right now because of him. The new champ says LIJ supporters will have an even better year in 2024 and finally gets to lead the huge roll call he’s always wanted to do.

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