[Results] New Japan, 7/20/09

Professional Wrestling NOAH's dangerous assassin Takashi Sugiura could not put a stopper in the runaway momentum of Hiroshi Tanahashi today in Sapporo. 5,300 fans attended the Tsukisamu Alpha Court Dome (formerly the Tsukisamu Green Dome) for the first ever New Japan vs. NOAH match over the IWGP Heavyweight Title and it was described as quite a memorable match, with exciting action and heartstopping moments, as Sugiura came within a whisker of lifting the title on several occasions. But he joined Keiji Muto, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kurt Angle, Hirooki Goto, and Manabu Nakanishi as big names having fallen to the High Flying Superstar in 2009, succumbing to the High Fly Flow.

Tanahashi pointed out in his post-match interview that this was the very building where, three years ago, he won his first IWGP Heavyweight Title in a thrown together tournament after Brock Lesnar's disappearing act. That night was perhaps the start of New Japan's revival to its current stable position and three years later the same man, now the biggest young superstar in the Japanese industry, is at the top. Former WWE and ECW star, now Hustle mainstay, TAJIRI, appeared after the match, having bought a ticket to watch the show. He appealed for Tanahashi to join the Hustle army but it was just a ploy as he blindsided Tanahashi with a poisonous mist attack! Hustle's TAJIRI joins NOAH's Sugiura and ZERO1's Tanaka in wanting a piece of Tanahashi, apparently the most wanted man in wrestling nowadays, and it seems logical that TAJIRI could be the last man in the G1 Climax.

Togi Makabe achieved sweet revenge over former tag partner Toru Yano in the semi final, pinning him in a rematch from last month's big Osaka show. Yano beat Makabe last time with some help from Nakamura but no such luck this time as Makabe won what was said to be a far better match than anticipated with his King Kong kneedrop from the top rope, heading into the G1 with some much needed momentum after having little in recent months. Tiger Mask made a successful V4 defense of his IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title over long-time friend and rival, and recent Best of the Super Jr. winner, Koji Kanemoto. This was a largely uninspiring match without much crowd response and Tiger Mask won it in just 11 1/2 minutes with his deadly Destroy suplex hold. It would appear that Tiger Mask has little in the way of serious competition at the moment and has had a strangle hold on the belt since lifting it from Low Ki at the Tokyo Dome in January.

It was a long time in coming but Hiroyoshi Tenzan finally acquired revenge for his humiliating Chain Death Match last October, knocking out Takashi Iizuka close to a year later today. Another grueling match saw Iizuka suffer a defeat in his preferred environment, Tenzan getting his first big win since returning from a lengthy injury and possibly the right momentum heading into the tournament he won in 2003, 2004, and 2006, the G1 Climax. After bringing home the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title from the Motor City Machine Guns at the beginning of the tour, Apollo 55 today defended against a team they have been feuding with for months, Unione. This was an entertaining opening to the show, the finish seeing Taguchi roll up Milano to secure a successful V1 defense.

IWGP Tag Team Champions, Team 3D, made what - if officially recognized by New Japan - was their V4 defense of the belts at TNA Wrestling's Event Victory Road PPV. They defeated the "British Invasion" tandem of Doug Williams, who many fans of Japanese pro wrestling will know as a regular in NOAH, and Brutus Magnus, when they hit the 3D on Magnus (thanks to Exequiel for that information). New Japan has yet to mention this defense but did recognize Team 3D's V2 defense in TNA, so may do likewise with this one.