IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles change hands at New Japan Road
The United Empire has added a new championship to their ranks.
In the main event of Monday’s New Japan Road show in Tokyo, the United Empire team of TJP & Francesco Akira defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles. Taguchi & Wato had held the titles since this February.
Akira pinned Wato to win the titles after he and TJP hit their double-team Leaning Tower finisher.
TJP & Akira’s United Empire stablemates The Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb are also the current IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, while United Empire’s Will Ospreay holds the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.
Akira made his NJPW debut as a participant in this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament. With his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title win, Akira is the first Italian champion in IWGP history.
Here are the full results from Monday’s New Japan Road event:
- TJP & Francesco Akira defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles
- Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru to advance to AEW All-Atlantic Championship qualifying match (Ishii will face Clark Connors in the qualifying match at Tuesday’s New Japan Road show)
- Clark Connors defeated Tomoaki Honma to advance to AEW All-Atlantic Championship qualifying match
- Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI defeated Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
- Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada, Yuto Nakashima & Ryohei Oiwa
- EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & YOH
- Aaron Henare defeated Kosei Fujita