By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Battle Autumn”
October 26, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
New Japan — apparently believing they don’t have enough titles — has started a 16-man single-elimination TV title tournament. This show features the final two first-round matches. This show only had Japanese commentary.
1. Aaron Henare and Gideon Grey defeated Yuto Nakashima and Kosei Fujita at 9:43. While Oiwa is clearly the best Young Lion, I like Yuto’s height and size, and he stood toe-to-toe with Henare. Henare worked over Fujita, and the cowardly Grey tagged in to land a few blows when Fujita was down, then quickly tagged back out. Yuto finally made the hot tag at 4:00 and brawled with Henare. Gideon re-entered; if there was ever a time for a Young Lion team to win, it would be here against Grey. Yuto pounded him with stiff forearm shots and a bodyslam.
Fujita tagged back in and hit a dropkick on Grey, and he applied a Boston Crab. However, Henare made the save. Henare hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, then his running football tackle for the pin. I like that Henare changes up his finisher, as he also uses the Full Nelson for a submission. Henare looked dominant here.
2. David Finlay, Alex Zayne, and Tiger Mask defeated Taka Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr., and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at 9:16. Sabre and Finlay started with mat reversals; they both have advanced to the quarterfinals in the TV title tournament. Zayne entered to battle Kanemaru. Zayne sold landing awkwardly on a springboard move and his knee buckled. Tiger Mask tagged in. The heels began working over Tiger Mask.
Finlay re-entered at 6:00 and traded more good offense with Sabre, with Sabre tying him in a knot. Zayne made the hot tag and battled Taka. Kanemaru and Taka hit some team moves on Zayne, and Taka applied an STF. Suddenly everyone was brawling. Tiger Mask hit a butterfly powerbomb on Taka, and Zayne immediately hit a top-rope Phoenix Splash on Taka for the pin. Decent match. Sabre and Finlay jawed on the floor, and it turned into trading stiff blows and they needed to be separated.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hikuleo defeated EVIL and Dick Togo at 5:30. They all brawled immediately. EVIL worked over Tanahashi on the floor, and dragged him back in the ring. Like the first match, Togo tagged in when Tanahashi was down. Tanahashi finally hit a dragon screw leg whip and tagged in Hikuleo at 4:30. Hikuleo hit some big shoulder tackles, a double noggin-knocker and a double clothesline. He hit a swinging powerslam on Togo and a chokeslam for the pin. That was a dominating performance from Hikuleo; he and Tanahashi needed this win after losing in their efforts to win the six-man tag titles on the previous show.
* Hikuleo got on the mic and said (verbatim): “Karl Anderson, look what you did. New Japan wants to take the belt off you. No, no, no, that’s not how we do it. New Japan, keep the belt on him. Karl Anderson, when you are done running, come back to New Japan Pro Wrestling. I’ll be waiting. Bring back the title, and I’ll be here waiting.” Well, that was newsworthy!
4. Kenta and Taiji Ishimori beat El Desperado & Taichi at 10:03. This is a heel-heel matchup, with Taichi’s squad the default babyfaces. Ishimori and Desperado started with an intense lockup and standing reversals. Ishimori applied a Crippler Crossface on the mat. Ishimori struck him with a chair on the floor, and Desperado grabbed his shoulder in pain. Ishimori hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker at 5:00. Kenta tagged in for the first time and continued working over Desperado.
Taichi made the hot tag and he choked Kenta. They began trading spin kicks to each other’s thighs. Kenta hit a DDT at 8:30 and went for an STF, but Desperado broke it up. Ishimori distracted the ref, allowing Kenta to first strip off Taichi’s breakaway pants, then he hit a low-blow uppercut for the pin. For whatever reason, Taichi sold this as a shame that his pants were removed, when he usually removes them himself mid-match. I sure hope this doesn’t turn into some special stipulation match involving the pants.
5. Sanada and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Master Wato and Togi Makabe at 9:55. Wato and Hiromu started and traded overhand chops. Wato hit a head-scissors takedown, so Hiromu hit one too. Togi tagged in and worked over Hiromu with some punches. Sanada entered and tied up Togi’s left arm. Wato tagged back in at 4:30, and he traded quicker offense with Hiromu. Wato hit a leg lariat on Sanada, and they were both down at 8:00. Togi re-entered and hit a running clothesline in the corner on Sanada, then a powerslam for a nearfall. Togi hit a double clothesline. However, Sanada got an O’Connor Roll with a nice bridge to pin Togi.
6. TJP, Francesco Akira, and Jeff Cobb defeated Tetsuya Naito, Titan, and Bushi at 10:35. Naito and Cobb jawed before the bell. TJP and Bushi started. TJP and Akira hit some quick team offense on Naito. Cobb entered and surfed on Naito’s back at 3:30. TJP hit a running facewash. Naito fired back with an enziguri, and they were both down at 5:30. Titan made the hot tag and hit a springboard crossbody block on TJP.
TJP hit a high back suplex on Titan. Bushi tagged in to face Akira. Akira hit a plancha to the floor. Bushi nailed a lungblower. Akira hit a doublestomp to the chest. Titan hit a springboard frogsplash. Akira hit a superkick on Bushi; Akira and TJP hit simultaneous running kicks to the front and back of Bushi’s head and Akira scored the pin. Good match.
* A reminder that TV title matches have a 15-minute time limit. Luckily we haven’t had a draw, as the tie-breaker is a coin flip.
7. Toru Yano defeated Great-O-Khan in a first-round NJPW TV Title tournament match at 11:19. I recall Yano beat O-Khan in a previous tournament a year ago and I was shocked at that loss. O-Khan immediately tied him up on the mat. They fought to the floor, with Yano tugging on O-Khan’s braid. Yano used tape to tie the braid to a guardrail, and O-Khan barely avoided being counted out at 3:00. In the ring, O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops and got a nearfall. Yano hit a belly-to-belly suplex at 6:30. Yano got a series of rollups for nearfalls; Yano matches can end at any time, more than any other wrestler.
Yano hit a chop block for a nearfall. O-Khan hit a spear and they were both down at 9:00. O-Khan applied his “sheep-killer” submission hold, bending Yano’s back over his knee. The lights suddenly went out! When they came back on, a masked figure was at ringside, and Yano was down on the mat. O-Khan walked tentatively over to the masked man. The person removed his mask, revealing to be the Great Muta! Muta sprayed green mist in O-Khan’s face; Yano immediately got a schoolboy rollup for the pin. The crowd LOVED the Muta surprise.
8) Ren Narita defeated Tomohiro Ishii in a first-round NJPW TV Title tournament match at 14:29. They immediately traded stiff forearms and chops, with Ishii getting the better of the exchange. The crowd was hot. Narita hit a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall at 3:30. Narita tied him in a knot mid-ring, then he hit a back suplex. Narita switched to a cross-armbreaker on the mat. He laid in some stiff Yes Kicks to the chest at 6:00. Ishii powered up and hit some more stiff chops in the corner.
Narita hit a leg lariat and they were both down at 8:00. They traded openhand slaps to the face. Narita tied him in a Gresham-style Octopus. Narita hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. They traded more forearm shots, and Ishi hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 11:00. Ishii hit a clothesline but Narita popped up. Ishii hit another hard clothesline for a nearfall. Narita applied the cross-armbreaker again, but Ishii reached the ropes at 13:00.
Ishii hit a ‘thud’ of a headbutt that dropped Narita. Narita fired back with an enziguri and a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall. Ishii hit an enziguri and they were both down at 14:00. Ishii set up for the brainbuster but Narita escaped. Narita whipped Ishii to the ropes and hit a belly-to-belly head-capture suplex with a high bridge for the pin. That was fantastic.
Final Thoughts: The main event was exactly what I thought it would be. It was stiff and just a believable fight. As much as Iove Ishii, Narita needed this win. A loss here would have defined Narita down. Ishii is teflon; he can take a loss and still be seen as a credible threat to anyone at any time.
No one comes out looking better in an exchange with Yano. I just am not a fan of his matches. That said, the Great Muta surprise made a dull match a pleasant finish.
TJP and Akira really click as a tag team, and their six-man tag match was easily the highlight of the undercard.
The show clocked in at about two-and-a-half hours.
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