NJPW, 3/23/13 (WPW/iPPV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,015 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Yuji Nagata, Super Strong Machine & BUSHI (10:07) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on BUSHI.
2. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI (11:13) when Kojima used a lariat on YOSHI-HASHI.
3. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Hirooki Goto beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. (8:14) with the Goto Shiki.
4. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada beat Toru Yano (10:42) with the Red Ink.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado beat Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku Kaientai Dojo (14:04) when Ishii used a brainbuster on TAKA.
6. Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Captain New Japan, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (13:22) when Devitt used the Bloody Sunday on Captain.
7. New Japan Cup – Final: Kazuchika Okada beat Hirooki Goto (23:52) with the Rainmaker.
* The incredible Kazuchika Okada has done it! In little more than 14 months after returning from his overseas excursion he has now won the IWGP Heavyweight Title, G1 Climax, and New Japan Cup! Okada today completed the hat-trick by winning the 2013 New Japan Cup, first defeating CHAOS comrade Yano in the semi final while Goto beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. Then the two native big guns collided in the final with Okada overcoming Goto (the winner in 3 of the last 4 NJC tournaments before today) using his Rainmaker! And so destiny draws Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada back together and they faced off after the match with their fourth big match since Okada’s return now set for 4/7 at Sumo Hall. Tanahashi is 2-1 going into it having beaten Okada in the Tokyo Dome main event… will Okada continue to make history and defeat the man who took the title from him last June?
* IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title co-holder Alex Shelley challenged Prince Devitt to a match for his IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title on 4/7 at Sumo Hall after the semi final.
* Tomoaki Honma returned to New Japan after the second match to save former GBH pal Togi Makabe from a CHAOS beatdown. Honma was fired by New Japan for some allegedly dodgy reasons looks to have been allowed back.
* Nakamura & Ishii challenged the Killer Elite Squad for a match for the IWGP Tag Team Title with Archer & Smith accepting but at the same time Davey Boy Jr. challenged Shinsuke for a match for his IWGP Intercontinental Title! Ishii’s improved results on this tour look to have been rewarded if he’s given a shot at the tag belts.
* It was announced that the NWA will send an “assassin” to the 4/7 Sumo Hall (
video) and he is NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Rob Conway, who wrestled in the WWE for 7 years and held the WWE Tag Team Title three times with Sylvain Grenier as La Résistance. Kojima has requested a title match and looks to be the first line of defense against the NWA “invasion”.
* Yuji Nagata has requested a singles match with Kazushi Sakuraba on 4/7 after they collided in a tag match on 3/17 in Amagasaki. These two were youngsters during the legendary New Japan vs. UWFi feud and first met around 18 years ago.
* So after all those challenges “INVASION ATTACK” on 4/7 is shaping up very nicely with a possible card of Tanahashi vs. Okada (IWGP Heavyweight), Nagata vs. Sakuraba, Conway vs. Kojima (NWA World Heavyweight) Nakamura & Ishii vs. KES (IWGP Tag) OR Nakamura vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. (IWGP IC), and Devitt vs. Shelley (IWGP Jr.).