The NJPW WORLD TV Championship is New Japan’s tenth active title, and each match boasts two stipulations: 1) a 15-minute time limit, 2) aired for FREE on New Japan’s streaming service, NJPW World (capitalization style up for debate). It was first announced at 10/10’s Declaration of Power, and a few days later a tournament began – things move fast when you want things to happen. Eight New Japan talents in need of something to do entered, and here’s what I Thought about the first two rounds:
1. Round 1: Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. David Finlay (10/14/22)
Yoshinobu is still the one, and if he was up for it he’d make an ideal TV Champ in a few eras. He opened Round 1 doing what he can still pull off well, a quality match en route to letting a guy on the way up go over strong. Early on he kept Dave in a headlock then headscissors like a good TV Champion but once Dave found his way it was all Dave on offense which… varied: jumping back elbows, End of Days, a Cutter and Stunner and Blue Thunder Bomb and spear and Irish Curse backbreaker. ***1/2
2. Round 1: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Alex Zayne (10/14/22)
Friends, this was what we call technical wrestling: Zayne began the match with a dive and kept the pressure with a suplex on the apron before ZSJ grabbed his leg during another dive and slowed it down. Zayne fought through the pain to hit a big ‘rana and kick out of the Japanese leg roll clutch, but as the 15-minute time limit drew near he had to give up to a leglock. ***1/4
3. Round 1: EVIL vs. Aaron Henare (10/15/22)
No one really made the babyface case in this match of heels, even if EVIL used stuff like a chair and the lights going out to his advantage. It was ultimately an exposed turnbuckle that did Aaron in, which ended up being the finish for nearly half of these matches. ***
4. Round 1: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb (10/15/22)
YOSHI went at Cobb at the bell and tried to work his leg, then Cobb caught a pescado and suplexed him into the post (this got a tremendous “awwww fuck” out of YOSHI). YOSHI tried his darndest after that but seemed headed for disaster on a Tour of the Islands, until he countered it with a (kind of crap) cradle for 3. None of it was pretty but gosh dang it they told a story. ***1/4
5. Round 1: Hirooki Goto vs. KENTA (10/16/22)
It only hit me with this match that everyone was starting out hot because of the time constraints, and that’s on me. They went astoundingly hard at the start but after KENTA dropped a powerslam on the floor the momentum didn’t return. KENTA delivered some offense that was lacking, which led to Goto making a comeback that was lacking then someone getting shoved into an exposed turnbuckle. ***
6. NJPW World TV Title Tournament – Round 1: SANADA vs. Taichi (10/16/22)
Taichi’s mentor Toshiaki Kawada was on commentary so they really stepped up, from limiting the nipple flexing at the start of the match to just generally having a great match, filled with counters and head-drops and near falls all the way to the end. SANADA struggled to find control then rallied with an Axe Bomber and plancha, then Taichi’s pants came off. SANADA tried Cold Skull and they traded seemingly every big move in the book, the rolling elbow and gamengiri and a powerbomb and even a Tiger Driver. Taichi brings that extra spark out of SANADA… ***3/4
7. Round 1: Toru Yano vs. Great O-Khan (10/26/22)
They spent over 11 minutes of actual time, highlighted probably by O-Khan’s obscene effort to take a catapult into an exposed turnbuckle (can we install some reinforcements NJPW??), before getting to the point: O-Khan put on The Claw, the lights went out… GREAT MUTA!!! MUTA MISTS O-KHAN! Tremendous. **
8. Round 1: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Ren Narita (10/26/22)
He entered Korakuen Hall with a towel around his head as they chanted his name: NA-RI-TA. He went at Ishii right away and stayed on him, embodying the energy of Shibata and Murakami and KENTA and other thin angry and fired-up young men before him: won the first tackle battle, arrogant slaps, leaned into Ishii’s chops, hit Shibata’s back elbow and half-hatch suplex, Murakami’s corner choke, the Cobra Twist and sleeper and kicks – so many kicks.
Ishii relied on elbows and chops, disgusting chops that made it sweeter whenever Narita responded by just cracking back. Narita controlled most but Ishii was always waiting with a chop to the neck or insane shoulderblock. As they began to close they each brought a flurry of, well, everything: powerbombs, headutts, lariats, enzuigiris and counters and did I mention Korakuen Hall was allowed to cheer and going INSANE for ALL OF THIS?
The New Japan office cloned Shibata and announced it in a great match with Ishii. Incredible! ****1/2
9. Round 2: YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL (10/27/22)
YOSHI brought it to the EVILarchy with strikes and speed and a general passion; EVIL responded with Dick Togo and chairs. They managed some really great near falls before a goddamn exposed turnbuckle sent EVIL to the semis. ***1/4
10. NJPW World TV Title Tournament – Round 2: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. David Finlay (10/27/22)
They were trading holds and working arms. At one point ZSJ caught Dave off the top with a cross armbreaker. Dave rallied back with his grab bag of offense before Zack reversed the Acid Drop with a sleeper, then Dave managed a nice rollup near fall before ZSJ managed a cool backslide counter to win. Wrestling! ***1/2
11. Round 2: Ren Narita vs. Toru Yano (10/30/22)
Genius Narita attacked Yano during the entrances, but they still dragged 9 minutes of actual time out of this. I was impressed that Narita managed to maintain credibility during it all as well as Yano countering a triangle choke with a powerbomb. ***
12. Round 2: SANADA vs. KENTA (10/30/22)
They did a lot of stalling on the floor, then SANADA bumped KENTA off the guardrail before KENTA DDT’d him off the ropes. After that, they struggled to manage much energy as they went through the motions and had a passable match that ended with a Japanese leg roll clutch and… an exposed turnbuckle. Seriously, what— ***
Happy Thoughts: As a Ren Narita re-introduction project, this was brilliant. The rest was solid, but there wasn’t much else outside of The Norm unless Kawada was on commentary for it. 3.0 / 5.0
