NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME - 4 януари 2010

[nWoHulkster]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH will do battle at the Tokyo Dome, when the biggest show of 2010, “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, takes place on January 4th. No matches have as yet been announced but it was suggested that Nakamura could defend his IWGP Heavyweight Title against a top NOAH wrestler, with several other singles matches behind it. President Sugabayashi believes the time has come to settle the rivalry with some big matches.

NO LIMIT return to New Japan in triumph at the Tokyo Dome! Yujiro and Tetsuya Naito, having gained much experience firstly in TNA Wrestling then in CMLL, where they have become top stars, return in style. They, along with G1 Tag League 2009 winners Bad Intentions, challenge IWGP Tag Team Champions, Team 3D, in a 3WAY Hardcore Rules match. There are few rules in this stipulation, with weapons permitted, and NO LIMIT want to win the belts, then take them back to Mexico and defend them.

The winner of the upcoming Super J-Cup now has extra incentive as he will challenger the strongest junior, Tiger Mask, for the title at the Tokyo Dome.

President Sugabayashi also announced that talks to bring Hulk Hogan in for the show have now been abandoned, as he will be needed by TNA that day.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/10 (WPW)

Tokyo Dome

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask © vs. Super J-Cup 5th Stage winner

2. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match: Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) © vs. Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) vs. NO LIMIT (Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito)

[nWoHulkster]

Hirooki Goto has challenged new GHC Heavyweight Champion, Takashi Sugiura, to a rematch at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. The two have history of late with Sugiura getting the better of Goto in two matches during his New Japan stint earlier this year. Their last meeting, during the 2009 G1 Climax allowed Sugiura to progress to the semi final round, where his campaign ended. Goto of late, however, has started showing signs of a revival with a revenge win over ZERO1 ace, Masato Tanaka. Now he wants to make it two-in-a-row by beating the new top man of NOAH, Sugiura, and has called on Sugiura to show courage and put his belt on the line.

TAJIRI shows no signs of exiting New Japan. His parent company HUSTLE is now officially dead but he looks to be part of a smaller offshoot group called SMASH launching soon. But it looks like he will continue to appear regularly in New Japan and has set his new target as Yuji Nagata’s Aogi-gun. TAJIRI said he wants to reeducated the group - comprised of Nagata, Super Strong Machine, Inoue, and Hirasawa - as he believes the faction has a startling lack of talent. TAJIRI said he would dye the blue colour of the group to green and make them kneel before him.

To clarify and respond to a few emails I’ve gotten at once, the rumours that Hulk Hogan had been approached to work the January 4th Tokyo Dome show were true. However, Hogan won’t be on the show due to (in part at least) a colliding schedule, as he has joined TNA Wrestling now. The newest rumour, though, is that New Japan is working on bringing in an American pro wrestling legend for the show who is “on par” with Hogan. Well, I’m not sure if anyone is on par with Hogan but there are certainly some big names out there.

[nWoHulkster]

Part two of the January 4th Tokyo Dome card is set! Takashi Sugiura makes his V1 defense of the GHC Heavyweight Title against Hirooki Goto in a big match for both men on the highest stage. And Hiroshi Tanahashi battles the previous GHC Heavyweight Champion, Go Shiozaki, in what should be an exciting singles match. Still no announcement on the main event, but all signs now point to Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yoshihiro Takayama for the IWGP Heavyweight Title.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/10 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Dome

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask © vs. Super J-Cup 5th Stage winner

2. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match: Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) © vs. Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) vs. NO LIMIT (Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito)

3. NJPW vs. NOAH Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Go Shiozaki

4. GHC Heavyweight Title: Takashi Sugiura © vs. Hirooki Goto

[nWoHulkster]

Nakamura vs. Takayama set as 1/4 main event

Yoshihiro Takayama returns to New Japan Pro-Wrestling on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome six years to the day after suffering a humiliating upset loss to the then “green boy” Nakamura in the main event of the 1/4/04 event. It is a very different Shinsuke Nakamura these days, then a trickster relying mostly on speed and instincts to win matches, now a conqueror much like Takayama himself who has become one of the kingpins of pro wrestling in Japan.

Shinsuke’s V4 defense was today confirmed at a special event that saw others on the show comment, as well as some pre-J-CUP hype. Takayama confessed that New Japan has changed since he was last there, becoming a much stronger and more orderly promotion that can stand on it’s own two feet again, and cited the growth of Tanahashi and Nakamura as two factors in that. Still, he is in New Japan to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title and hasn’t forgotten his defeat to Nakamura, who took the NWF Heavyweight Title off him back at the start of 2004 and sealed it. Whatever the result on January 4th, it is thought that Takayama has transferred his main attention to New Japan from All Japan and could be a regular fixture in the company come 2010.

Nakamura was complimentary of Takayama who in some ways he resembles now with his knee kicks and heavy strikes. Shinsuke called Takayama a unique individual in Japan and called him a “big wall” to get past even now. He pointed out that Takayama is very worthy having accomplished what he calls a “super-grand slam” of the IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Tag (New Japan), GHC Heavyweight & GHC Tag (NOAH), and Triple Crown & AJPW World Heavyweight Tag (All Japan) titles. While New Japan vs. NOAH dominates a large part of the upcoming Tokyo Dome super-show, Nakamura said his fight with Takayama will be a personal battle unrelated, Takayama having become a freelancer a long time ago now after once belonging to NOAH.

No other matches were announced today, with much still undecided. Nagata and Nakanishi both said they are looking forward to whoever is thrown their way, while Makabe was a little less polite, saying he has introduced himself as a member of the NJ vs. NOAH feud but no one from “cowardly NOAH” has yet stepped forward to receive his challenge. Akira Taue, Takeshi Morishima, and Kenta Kobashi are just three possibilities to face the Unchained Gorilla at the Dome on 1/4.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/10 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Dome

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask © vs. Super J-Cup 5th Stage winner

2. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match: Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) © vs. Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) vs. NO LIMIT (Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito)

3. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Radiance~: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Go Shiozaki

4. GHC Heavyweight Title - NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Blast~: Takashi Sugiura © vs. Hirooki Goto

5. IWGP Heavyweight Title - The newest, The strongest: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

[nWoHulkster]

GHC Tag Team Champion, Mohammed Yone, intruded on today’s NJPW show and trampled down Makabe after the the fifth match, answering Makabe’s call for someone from NOAH to stand up and challenge him. This match, or some form of it, looks to be one of the next added to the 1/4 Tokyo Dome show in the coming days.

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW "WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME", 04.01.2010 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Dome

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask © vs. Super J-Cup Sieger

2. Wrestle Kingdom IV Special Eight Man Tag Match: Riki Choshu, Terry Funk, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Abdullah The Butcher, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii

3. Wrestle Kingdom IV Special Singles Match NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Wilderness~: Togi Makabe vs. Mohammed Yone

4. Wrestle Kingdom IV Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Akebono vs. TAJIRI & Masato Tanaka

5. IWGP Tag Team Title, 3 Way Hardcore Match: Brother Ray & Brother Devon © vs. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson

6. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Radiance~: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Go Shiozaki

7. GHC Heavyweight Title ~ NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Blast~: Takashi Sugiura © vs. Hirooki Goto

8. IWGP Heavyweight Title ~ The newest, The strongest: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

Match Order = TBA

Terry Funk & Abdullah The Butcher! :ohmy:

[G]

АПФ!!!!!!!!!... Невероятен Кард определено! Да Funk & Abdullah ще са на Евентът, но повече ме грабва Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Go Shiozaki & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yoshihiro Takayama. Нямам търпение да гледам тази лудница :P

[ShwN]

^И аз. Също имам доста големи очаквания за 3-Way Hardcore Tag Match,където Team 3D ще загубят титлите,но няма да са туширани.

[nWoHulkster]

NO LIMIT return to Japan full of confidence

The boys are back in town and ready to make an impact. “NO LIMIT” aka Yujiro and Tetsuya Naito re-landed in Japan today and made their way to New Japan offices to discuss what has been and what is to come. The 22nd generation IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions lost the belts to TNA Wrestling’s Motor City Machine Guns and pursued them back to the U.S., but their excursion turned out to be far more fruitful and lengthy than anticipated. After some time in TNA, they headed to CMLL in Mexico where they became not only heavyweights but two of the biggest heels in Mexico.

Their growth has not been unnoticed by New Japan, who always look to push their young wrestlers into stars. NO LIMIT now challenge Team 3D, along with Bad Intentions, for the IWGP Tag Team Title at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. Both are now bigger, stronger, and cockier, and spoke at the press conference after President Sugabayashi explained that their place in the three way match is a response to their demands.

Naito said they had reached the top of the mountain in Mexico to the extent that they couldn’t walk into town without being recognized. He said that four young men well known in Japan who have previously been to CMLL - Nakamura, Tanahashi, Goto, and Taguchi - had nothing on their level of stardom in Mexico and are obscure compared to them. Naito called himself a “super-celebrity” and said it would be a natural result if they win the IWGP Tag Team Title and show the effects of their expedition. Yujiro claimed that winning the title would raise the commercial value of NO LIMIT more worldwide and turn them into a famous tag team.

When answering questions, both men made it clear that they love being in Mexico and may even head back there even if they do win the belts. Naito said that everything after the Dome is a blank slate but that he hopes to return to CMLL. Yujiro also said that Mexico is very comfortable for them. President Sugabayashi admitted that their attitudes had changed and wordplay had improved a lot and that he wants them to win the tag belts in order to show they aren’t all talk.

[nWoHulkster]

Two final matches and full card order for the biggest show of 2010 in Japan, “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, have been announced. Apollo 55, after doing so well in the J-CUP, face two assassins from CMLL in the form of Ultimo Guerrero & Averno with the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title on the line. And Aogi-gun’s Machine, Wataru & Hirasawa battle Liger, Kanemoto & Okada in NJ’s first match of 2010.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/10 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Dome

1. New Japan Pro-Wrestling 2010 Beginning: Super Strong Machine, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuchika Okada

2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title ~Amistad combativa~: Apollo 55 (Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt) © vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Averno

3. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match ~Victim and Greed~: Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) © vs. Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) vs. NO LIMIT (Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito)

4. Wrestle Kingdom Special Tag Match ~Blood Stream Blue~: Yuji Nagata & Akebono vs. TAJIRI & Masato Tanaka

5. Wrestle Kingdom Special 8 Man Tag Match ~The legend never rots~: Terry Funk, Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Abdullah The Butcher, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii

6. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Wilderness~: Togi Makabe vs. Mohammed Yone

7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title ~Highest sky~: Tiger Mask © vs. Naomichi Marufuji

8. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Radiance~: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Go Shiozaki

9. GHC Heavyweight Title - NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Blast~: Takashi Sugiura © vs. Hirooki Goto

10. IWGP Heavyweight Title - The newest, The strongest: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

[Macho Man]

Малеее. Ебаси якия кард!!! Кви имена има... Само ме е яд, че КЕНТА се контузи, щотото ако и той беше там щеше да е още по-неероятно. И Мисала, бог да го прости, ако не беше починал сигурно щеше да е там. Ко яко щеше да е натакова гоялмо шоу него и Кобаши да ги видим... Ако и AJPW бяха включени тук щяхме да видим и Keiji Mutoh (The Great Muta) сигурно. А пък и Импакта ако не беше тогава колко други можеха да вземат (включително някои които ще са изненади тогава). И въпреки толкова други възможности този Кард е мега мощен и ще се получи много голямо шоу. Terry Funk, Riki Choshu, Masa Chono и Abdullah The Butcher в един мач! Танака, Нагата, Таджири и Акебоно в друг. Лайгър е там! Мачовете за двете отобрни тили ще са много добри. Tiger Mask и Марифуджи трябва да е мега як. Nakamara и Takayama ще е много голям мач. Ама мача който най-много очаквам и мисля, че ще е най-добър, е Tanahashi и Go Shiozaki.

[nWoHulkster]

41,500 fans flocked to the Tokyo Dome today to see “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV”, an exciting show with many memorable moments. “Strong Style” was the theme as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura, met the returning Yoshihiro Takayama in a rematch from the same show six years before. As expected, this was quite physical and a very tight match, with Nakamura proving his strength again to begin the New Year and pinning Takayama after his Boma Ye, a more decisive victory than in 2004. Takayama is supposedly on the next tour poster and while I haven’t seen it, if so it would confirm continuing participation by the big man. To the surprise of some, it was Manabu Nakanishi who confronted Nakamura after the match and declared his candidacy to be Nakamura’s fifth challenger.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH did battle in an exciting four match series that, to the surprise of few, ended in a stalemate. Takashi Sugiura again defeated Hirooki Goto in their closest match yet over the GHC Heavyweight Title. Sublimely close, fans at one point were convinced that Sugiura would tap out but he didn’t, persisting and winning with his ankle hold. The biggest match of the 4 vs. 4 was right underneath, as the ace of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi, battled the ace of NOAH, Go Shiozaki, in a blockbuster match that is earning early “Best Bout” candidacy in Japan. This was an action-packed match with Shiozaki coming close to victory, but Tanahashi’s experience giving him the edge as the MVP marched to a win with his High Fly Flow.

Naomichi Marufuji followed up on his SUPER J-CUP victory by facing the “end game” boss, Tiger Mask, in a dream match over the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. This was said to be an excellent match with many spectacular moves and moments. Marufuji had to unleash his Tiger Frosion finisher to become the champion, achieving a junior title grand slam, and becoming the top junior in Japan. It will be a difficult task for New Japan’s juniors to bring home the title but the chase begins now. The series began with a short sprint as Togi Makabe made short work of GHC Tag Team Champion, Mohammed Yone. Yone jumped Makabe on the ramp, setting the pace in a short but eventful match. Makabe won overwhelmingly in the end with his top rope King Kong kneedrop and will look to get another over Yone when he and Honma enter the Global Tag League shortly, in the same block as Rikio & Yone, NOAH’s tag kings.

Legends assembled in one of the most entertaining matches of the night, as Terry Funk, Choshu, Chono, and Nakanishi beat Abdullah The Butcher, Yano, Iizuka & Ishii. The turning point came when Abby turned against Iizuka, leading to Nakanishi racking the CHAOS man for the submission win. TAJIRI vs. Aogi-gun picked up steam as he and Masato Tanaka defeated the dream tandem of Nagata & Akebono. Some tricks led to TAJIRI pinning Nagata after his Buzzsaw kick, raising the possibility of a singles match in the near future.

NO LIMIT, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito, left Japan about a year ago as young lions in hunt of junior belts. Today, they returned with the big boys, in the form of the world famous Team 3D and G1 Tag League ‘09 winners, Bernard & Anderson. Team 3D fought Bad Intentions to a non-finish late last year setting up this natural rematch but in an attempt to convince NO LIMIT to return home, President Sugabayashi slotted them into this three way hardcore match. And what a return, as the two had people in shock, having bulked up to heavyweights and having completely changed their image. Comparisons to the legendary TenKoji were raised as NO LIMIT outsmarted both American tandems to capture the IWGP Tag Team Title, Yujiro pinning Anderson after the Limitless Evolution. In addition to the young stars that now lead New Japan, a potential “franchise” tag team emerged today.

Apollo 55 made a successful V4 defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title against CMLL assassins, Ultimo Guerrero & Averno, in an exciting match. Taguchi sealed the win, pinning Averno after his and Devitt’s Black Hole Vacation. They nominated Jado & Gedo as their next challengers, wanting to finally exceed the “wrestling masters” and win the delayed decision match to see who New Japan’s top junior team is.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/10 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Dome

41,500 Fans

1. New Japan Pro-Wrestling 2010 Beginning: Super Strong Machine, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuchika Okada (4:59) when Inoue used the Triangle Lancer on Okada.

2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title ~Amistad combativa~: Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt © beat Ultimo Guerrero & Averno (9:07) when Taguchi pinned Averno after the Black Hole Vacation (4th defense).

3. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match ~Victim and Greed~: NO LIMIТ (Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito) beat Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) © and Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) (13:28) when Yujiro pinned Anderson after the Limitless Emotion to become the 55th champions.

4. Wrestle Kingdom Special Tag Match ~Blood Stream Blue~: TAJIRI & Masato Tanaka beat Yuji Nagata & Akebono (9:37) when TAJIRI used a Buzzsaw kick on Nagata.

5. Wrestle Kingdom Special 8 Man Tag Match ~The legend never rots~: Terry Funk, Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi beat Abdullah The Butcher, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii (8:52) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Iizuka.

6. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Wilderness~: Togi Makabe beat Mohammed Yone (5:39) with a top rope King Kong kneedrop.

7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title ~Highest sky~: Naomichi Marufuji beat Tiger Mask © (14:14) with the Tiger Frosion to become the 59th champion.

8. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Radiance~: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Go Shiozaki (19:04) with the High Fly Flow.

9. GHC Heavyweight Title - NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Blast~: Takashi Sugiura © beat Hirooki Goto (20:54) with an ankle hold (1st defense).

10. IWGP Heavyweight Title - The newest, The strongest: Shinsuke Nakamura © beat Yoshihiro Takayama (15:51) with the Boma Ye (4th defense).

[Shawn_Michaels]

Трябва да се гледа това,както всяка година вероятно и тая си струва гледането.Доста са наблегнали на битки между различните федерации,което може само да ме радва,макар че съм виждал и по-стабилни кардове :)

[G]

Като цяло нищо кой знае колко интересно за голяма моя ИЗНЕНАДА! Hiroshi Tanahashi & Go направиха скучен и кратък мач.. Танахаши в скучен мач, не мислех, че скоро ще го кажа. Sugiura запази срещу Goto в един от най-силните мачове за целият евент с обичайният stiffness & close тушове/submission-и в края. Nakamura-Tokayama, какво да кажа за този bout.. като за Main Event съкваше, но както и MMA кариерата на Tokayama.. изяде много бой и завършека с Running Knee-я ставаше! Marufuji-Mask направиха добър мач, както и се очакваше, но завършека бе леко прибързан според мен.. общо взето можеше КЪДЕ КЪДЕ по-добре да се буукне (от към фактора качество) този евент.. "NJPW vs NOAH"... Wrestling Kingdom.. само предразполагащи фактори.

Edited January 23, 2010 by G

[nWoHulkster]

^ Are you f'n kidding me?! Шоуто си беше екстра, особено последните 4 мача, които бяха точно това, което трябваше да бъдат. Всъщност, в интерес на истината, нямаше мач на шоуто, който да не беше това, което трябваше да бъде.

[G]

^ Лично мнение.. явно останах разочарован в сравнение с минали години иначе относно частта, че мачовете са се получили точно както е трябвало, да прав си.. но това не се отнася пряко за качеството, което в някои сблъсъци бе под очакванията ми.