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4/14/24 Results from New Japan’s Wrestling World in Taipei, Taiwan:
This is the first New Japan event in Taiwan.
The arena was very dark and you could not see the fans very well.
1 - Tournament for the NEVER Openweight 6-man Championship: Boltin Oleg, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano vs. Great O-Khan, Callum Newman and Francesco Akira
Yano pins Newman with a school boy roll up.
Oleg, Tanahashi and Yano advance to the main event for the NEVER Openweight 6-man Titles.
2 - Tournament for the NEVER Openweight 6-man Championship: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO and EVIL vs. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI and Yota Tsuji
SHO cuts a heel promo on the crowd which had to be translated into Chinese.
Takagi came out with a clean NEVER Openweight Championship belt.
Wild match which is typical of House of Torture. BUSHI trapped SHO in a modified figure four. SHO tapped but the referee was distracted. Kanemaru hit BUSHI with the Suntory Surprise. SHO hits BUSHI with the wrench. SHO drops BUSHI with Shock Arrow.
SHO pins BUSHI.
House of Torture moves into the main event to crown new NEVER 6-man Champs.
3 - El Desperado and Shoma Kato vs. Satoshi Kojima and Tiger Mask
Tiger Mask pins Kato with a Tiger Driver.
Kojima and Tiger Mask celebrated with the fans. Very cool to see the fans so happy.
4 - Stardom Match: HANAKO vs. Starlight Kid
HANAKO is a huge woman and towered over Starlight Kid. This was HANAKO’s power and height against Kid’s speed. Good back and forth match.
Kid misses a moonsault and HANAKO kicks her in the head. HANAKO hits a lariat and a huge suplex. Two count. HANAKO hits a high back drop, almost like an Electric Chair. Two count. Kid countered out of a Torture Rack and went for a roll up. Two count. HANAKO hits a splash on the ropes. Kid counters with a hurricanrana and a cradle.
Kid pins HANAKO.
5 - DOUKI vs Kosei Fujita
DOUKI comes to the ring with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight belt which he stole from SHO.
DOUKI pins Fujita with Suplex de La Luna.
This was a good match. With Best of Super Juniors coming soon, I hope DOUKI gets a push at the top of the division.
SHO attacks DOUKI after the match. SHO tries to hit DOUKI with the belt but DOUKI hits a backbreaker and steals the belt back.
6 - IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Yuya Uemura and SANADA
Another good match.
SANADA hits a Shining Wizard on YOSHI-HASHI. Uemura hits a double underhook suplex. Goto breaks up the count. Uemura with a cross body off the top rope. Two count. Uemura goes for the Deadbolt but YOSHI-HASHI blocks it and hits a lariat.
They trade chops. YOSHI-HASHI goes for Karma but Uemura blocks it. YOSHI-HASHI reverses into a cradle.
YOSHI-HASHI pins Uemura
Bishomon retains IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
7 - NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Championship: Boltin Oleg, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano vs. SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and EVIL
SHO comes to the ring being helped by EVIL and Kanemaru. SHO sits in a chair in their corner.
EVIL and Kanemaru attack and tosses Tanahashi to the floor. SHO hits his leg with the chair. EVIL and Kanemaru tape up Yano with his wrist tape. Oleg is laid out on the floor. Tanahashi is beaten down by House of Torture. Yano gets free and it is a wild match. Referee cannot control House of Torture.
Yano and Tanahashi fight back. Oleg fights off EVIL. Oleg hits a Kamikake Slam on SHO. Tanahashi hits a High Fly Flow.
Tanahashi pins SHO.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg are the new NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Champions.
They thank the fans for coming and pose with Taiwanese officials for photos.
The win makes sense if they are building a market in Taiwan. The crowd was into everything and they cheered and booed properly. Having President Tanahashi winning sends the crowd home happy.
Big win for Boltin Oleg. He is still a young lion and now holds a major title. New Japan must see a lot in him and are willing to invest in him. He was the only non-Asian wrestler on this show.
Quick thoughts on the IWGP World Title:
It is known that New Japan is in a rebuilding phase and have lost some big names recently.
Tetsuya Naito was the one massive star on the level of Kazuchika Okada for whom the Japanese fans will chant for. Naito has had great matches since winning at Wrestle Kingdom and was carrying this company on his back.
New Japan is doing the best they can to elevate other talent to replace those who are gone. Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino, Yota Tsuji and Kosei Fujita are getting there, but they cannot main event Wrestle Kingdom yet.
Jon Moxley beat Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title in Chicago on a New Japan Strong card. Moxley had two tag matches on New Japan World in 2024, from a Japanese fan’s perspective, and then won the top Title. If I was a fan in Japan, I would be disappointed. Especially from a wrestler who works for another company that took away our top stars in Okada and Ospreay.
The Japanese fan may not follow all things AEW but if they read about the current events they may not want their World
Champion surrounded by that mess. Hopefully, Moxley drops the belt to someone like Shota Umino who Moxley helped train.
Wrestling Dontaku 2024 is the next big event. Best of The Super Juniors in May and June. July will be G1 Climax. My guess is Moxley will lose the belt prior to G1 Climax because the Champion usually competes. I do not see Moxley handling that brutal schedule away from home for over a month. Many wrestlers from states compete in it once and never return again because it is a tough schedule.
Thanks for reading.
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