Tag: NJPW

G1 Climax 32 Night 11 live results: Tanahashi faces Evil

Check out live results for G1 Climax 32 Night 11, as Hiroshi Tanahashi faces off against Evil in an important C Block match in Ehime.

The scene for G1 Climax 32 shifts to Ehime and a card that presents five tournament matches. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi faces off against the leader of the House of Torture, Evil, in what’s sure to be an intriguing bout in C Block.

Another C Block match is also on tap, featuring Tetsuya Naito, who got off to a slow start to his G1 Climax, trying to get to .500 with a victory over Aaron Henare. And the A Block, home of the monsters, has a bout which definitely deserves that name with Jonah squaring off with Jeff Cobb.

If you aren’t able to tune in live for this pivotal slate of G1 Climax 32 action, simply bookmark this page and check back throughout the night (or morning, as the case may be for some fans in the U.S.), as we’ll update it with the latest results from Ehime live as they happen.

G1 Climax 32 live results, Night 3: Naito starts his quest

Get NJPW G1 Climax 32 live results for Night 3 from Sendai, including Tetsuya Naito beginning his run.

Tetsuya Naito sure loves his baseball analogies.

As Night 3 of G1 Climax 32 gets set to roll into Sendai, Naito is once again reminding us that for him, this year’s tournament is his bottom of the ninth: possibly his final chance to get into the main event at Wrestle Kingdom. Doing so will mean winning the entire G1 Climax, and to do that, the first order of business will be taking down Hirooki Goto.

Another highly motivated participant is Tama Tonga, though in his case, it’s as much wanting to prove a point to his former Bullet Club teammates as anything else. He’ll get an opportunity to stick it to one of them, Chase Owens, directly as he opens his B Block schedule.

A battle of big men is on tap for A Block, though since that’s already being billed as the home of giants, that could be said for nearly any pairing in that part of the tournament. In this case, it’s Lance Archer and Bad Luck Fale, who clearly have already been spoiling to fight each other.

Last but hopefully not least, the D Block is set for a bout between two men who have never faced each other in singles competition in a NJPW ring, David Finlay and Yujiro Takahashi.

Can’t watch live for Night 3? We’ve got your back, as we’ll be up early to drop in the latest G1 Climax 32 live results right here. Bookmark this page and visit throughout the event, and scroll down for detailed match recaps.

NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 2 live results: Kenta and ZSJ collide

Check out NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 2 live results on July 17, 2022 from Sapporo.

G1 Climax 32 got underway on July 16, with the first four tournament matches (one in each block) providing some close, hard fought bouts and one surprise as well. Eight more competitors start their tournament journeys tonight, or more precisely, this afternoon in Sapporo.

Several of the matches were previewed thanks to the tag matches on the first night’s card. Among them were Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kenta, who couldn’t help but thrown down whether they were the legal men or not and kept up their war of words well after the three count.

Another pairing who got acquainted during Night 1 was Toru Yano and Jonah, though in their case it was less fighting and more running … on Yano’s part, naturally. Also on the slate for Night 2 are Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi, and in the main event, Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson.

Thanks to an earlier start time, it’s not quite as late for U.S. fans who want to watch live on NJPW World, but if you aren’t able to catch the action yourself, please bookmark this page, as we’ll be updating it with the latest G1 Climax 32 Night 2 results as they happen.

G1 Climax 32 Night 2 quick results:

  • Tom Lawlor and Royce Isaacs vs. David Finlay and Yoshi-Hashi

Please scroll down for more detailed results after each match finishes.

G1 Climax 32 Night 1 live results: White, Okada, Tanahashi in action

Get NJPW G1 Climax 32 live results for Night 1 in Sapporo as they happen on July 16, 2022.

Talk about starting off with a bang. Night 1 of G1 Climax 32 is wasting no time getting to some of the biggest stars in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, including the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Jay White.

The Catalyst will get a potentially stern early test in the form of Sanada. But an even bigger challenge could await the man White beat for his current title, Kazuchika Okada. He’ll kick off his campaign by facing Jeff Cobb in an A Block match that should serve as the night’s main event in Sapporo.

The C Block will get underway as well, with Hiroshi Tanahashi stepping in against Aaron Henare. And the Billy G.O.A.T. will have his first D Block tournament bout, as Will Ospreay takes part in a sure to be entertaining encounter against El Phantasmo.

The eventual G1 Climax winner could definitely be among the wrestlers in action on the tournament’s first night, which promises to make the 2022 edition of this annual event intriguing. If you can’t stay up late (or wake up early, as the case may be) to tune in, we’ll be adding G1 Climax 32 Night 1 live results as they happen, so you can get up to speed whenever you decide to check in on what went down.

Tony Khan says no Forbidden Door 2 in Japan, but open to AEW stars going overseas

Tony Khan says Forbidden Door 2 can’t happen in Japan but is open to having AEW talent appear with NJPW on its home turf.

If there’s a Forbidden Door 2, it won’t be in Japan.

So said AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan in a recent interview with the New York Post. But while laying out his reasons, Khan also left the door (no pun intended) open for AEW talent to participate in an event in Japan.

It’ll just need a different name.

“The idea of doing an event over there with AEW stars and New Japan stars is very potentially interesting, but if it happens it won’t be ‘Forbidden Door’,” Khan said to the Post’s Joseph Staszewski. “‘Forbidden Door’ is gonna stay in North America. It wouldn’t make sense with the time zones, the revenue.”

He’s probably right on both counts. To grab the widest possible audience in the U.S., a Forbidden Door in Japan would need to start in the morning — there’s a 14-hour time difference between Tokyo and Chicago right now — and that wouldn’t be great for Japanese fans.

In terms of the gate, the biggest NJPW show of last year, Wrestle Kingdom, had an announced attendance on night one of just over 12,000. That’s thousands less than were in the United Center a few weeks ago, where Khan said the gate was over $1 million.

All of this might come as a bummer to NJPW, whose president Takami Ohbari has already said he’d love it if Forbidden Door 2 could happen in Japan later this year. That seems unlikely given Khan’s comments, but if he allows AEW wrestlers to head overseas for a dual-branded card, does it really matter what it’s called?

The big takeaway here is that there appears to be a desire on the part of both companies to keep working together going forward. Whether that leads to a full-on card in Japan remains to be seen, but we probably haven’t seen the last AEW-NJPW collaboration, no matter what name it ends up sporting.

Zack Sabre Jr. on Claudio Castagnoli Forbidden Door surprise: ‘That was not technical wrestling’

Zack Sabre Jr. complained that facing Claudio Castagnoli in his AEW debut at Forbidden Door wasn’t what he signed up for.

Zack Sabre Jr. wanted a match with Bryan Danielson at Forbidden Door to prove who was the best technical wrestler in the world. What he got instead, thanks to Danielson missing the event due to injury, was the AEW debut of Claudio Castagnoli, known to wrestling fans everywhere as Cesaro during his time with WWE.

Castagnoli came out on top in the all-European matchup, pinning Sabre after 18-plus minutes of action. The change in opponents didn’t sit well with Sabre, who stayed on-brand by complaining about it in a video posted to social media by AEW.

“That was not technical wrestling,” Sabre said. “I did not sign up for that. I was coming for you, Bryan, because we were going to find out who the best technical wrestler in the world is. You didn’t bloody show up, did you? And surprises, I bloody hate surprises.

“And sodding Claudio, did he not get the memo? That was supposed to be a technical wrestling match. Where was the technique? You Swiss bastard.”

Sabre ended his rant by saying that if any American wrestlers wanted to take him up on his original challenge, they can head to either Japan or the U.K. to face him, because he has no intentions of returning to the U.S.

That idea has at least a chance of becoming a reality. Earlier this week, NJPW president Takami Ohbari planted the seeds for a Forbidden Door 2 in Japan, saying he’d like to see it and that the company’s “50th anniversary year is a good opportunity to make it happen” … which just so happens to be this year.

Danielson vs. ZSJ in the Tokyo Dome for technical supremacy bragging rights? We’re on board for that and would guess Sabre would be too, as long as there are no surprises this time.

Jay White def. Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page, Kazuchika Okada to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door: Best photos

Check out the best photos of Jay White defeating Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door.

Jay White backed up his assertion that he is the Catalyst of professional wrestling by successfully defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against three of the best in the game ⁠— Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada ⁠— at Forbidden Door. Check out some of the best photos from this unforgettable four-way title bout below. (Photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling)

Could Forbidden Door 2 take place in Japan? NJPW would like to see it happen

NJPW’s president said he’d like to see a Forbidden Door 2 in Japan … and soon.

Tony Khan may have already considered the possibility of making Forbidden Door an annual event in the U.S., but NJPW’s president is thinking about a sequel even sooner than that — on New Japan’s home turf.

Speaking to Tokyo Sports (h/t to Fightful for the translation), NJPW president Takami Ohbari said he’d like to see AEW stars return the favor and compete in Japan for the next Forbidden Door.

“In my opinion, there are some wrestlers who were unable to come (to the U.S.) at the last minute. There are still wrestlers and matches I would like to see. I would like to see a continuation of this event. I think there is a need to see this event in Japan. The 50th anniversary year is a good opportunity to make it happen. I think there are some (AEW wrestlers) who would like to compete in front of Japanese fans.”

One part of that quote that jumps out at you is Ohbari saying the 50th anniversary year is the best time for a Forbidden Door 2 in Japan … because that’s right now. NJPW was founded in 1922, and has been celebrating 50 years of strong style all year.

Could Forbidden Door 2 be put together that quickly? Perhaps. Considering NJPW would be handling the bulk of the logistics by hosting, it wouldn’t be as much strain on AEW except for, of course, making talent available.

AEW’s final PPV of any calendar year is Full Gear, which takes place in mid-November. There is a stretch in-between that and New Japan’s big early January Wrestle Kingdom two-day extravaganza that might work.

It does seem fair, for lack of a better word, for AEW stars to make their way to Japan, and FTR has already said they’d love to defend the IWGP titles they just won in their country of origin. If you’re a believer in speaking things into existence, you have to appreciate what Ohbari is going for here.

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Jon Moxley def. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the interim AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door: Best photos

Check out the best photos of Jon Moxley defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi for the interim AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door.

Two wrestling worlds collided when Jon Moxley defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi for the interim AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door, at the United Center in Chicago on June 27, 2022. Check out the best photos from this memorable match below. (Photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling)

AEW just pulled off Forbidden Door without 4 of the biggest stars in company history

The continual growth of the AEW roster allowed it to put on an excellent Forbidden Door card with NJPW but without four of its biggest names.

If you asked Tony Khan a year ago (pandemic restrictions notwithstanding), if he wanted to try a dual-branded pay-per-view with New Japan Pro-Wrestling without Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes, he almost certainly would have said no. The same would have been true six months ago pondering a Forbidden Door without CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.

This past Sunday in Chicago, AEW and NJPW pulled off one of the more entertaining and ambitious pro wrestling cards in recent memory without any of them.

While Rhodes departed of his own accord to return to WWE several months ago (and ironically got injured since then), the other three wrestlers all missed Forbidden Door due to injury. Punk and Danielson were penciled in for specific matches: Punk against Hiroshi Tanahoshi for the AEW World Championship, and Danielson in a battle for technical supremacy against Zack Sabre Jr. Omega has been out longer term, but considering his history with NJPW, he almost certainly would have been in one of the night’s matches, like the four-way match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

It’s a testament to the amount of talent that AEW has acquired and developed that other members of the roster were able to step up and fill the void almost seamlessly, a fact not lost on Khan during the post-event media scrum.

“You could headline any pay-per-view ever with the list of people who were out on this pay-per-view,” Khan said. “The roster is so deep compared to where it started, and we’re able to sustain it.”

Indeed, having Jon Moxley sub in for Punk worked for a variety of reasons, not least of which because Mox had been seeking a match with Tanahashi for some time, and Khan admitted to delaying it. That paid off handsomely in Sunday night’s main event, with much of the crowd cheering for Tanahashi but also showing Moxley love when he emerged with the victory.

Moxley also missed time in recent months due to checking himself into alcohol rehab, but he and Jericho — as well as Orange Cassidy, who shined at Forbidden Door in a singles match against Will Ospreay — returned to the fold just when AEW needed them most.

Khan’s continued knack for talent acquisitions helped as well, with Claudio Castagnoli making his AEW debut as Danielson’s hand-picked replacement to face Sabre. Amid the ongoing debate over whether AEW has too large a roster in some parts of wrestling fandom, it could have been seen as a luxury signing. But if Forbidden Door proved anything, it’s that you never know when any newcomer or foundational talent will be needed to play a big part on short notice.

“The people who came in helped fill that void,” Khan said, referring to Punk and Danielson. “Now they need the time, now they’re beat up, and now these guys can step back in, the originals, the first few champions. And new faces come in for the company, including, now, Claudio. I just think it’s really cool, to talk about it again, full circle, being back here in Chicago. … So it all came together even though it wasn’t the original plan for tonight.”

It certainly wasn’t, and probably never would have been at any time in AEW’s history. But darned if it didn’t turn out just fine anyway.