NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka live results: Sabre vs. Goto, Young Bucks vs. LIJ
NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka streams live tonight with five title matches.
In the main event, Zack Sabre Jr. defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Hirooki Goto with the storyline being that this may be Goto’s last chance to win the World title, a belt that has eluded him throughout his career.
IWGP Global Champion Yota Tsuji puts his title on the line against Gabe Kidd in the semi-main event as the duo meet for the 22nd time in singles competition in their career, most of those coming in opening matches as Young Lions early in their careers.
The Young Bucks return to action on the show as they defend the IWGP Tag Team titles against Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi.
NEVER Openweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita defends against Oleg Boltin in another title match on the show.
Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) put their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles up for grabs against the Roppongi ReVice duo of Rocky Romero and YOH in the night’s other title bout.
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Pre-show
United Empire (Francesco Akira and Jeff Cobb) defeated El Desperado and Katsuya Murashima
Osaka rose to life as Akira and Desperado started the evening’s proceedings. Murashima took it from there, but couldn’t handle the speed of Akira, nor the strength of Cobb. Murashima employed a desperate dropkick to buy enough time to tag Desperado. Overwhelming the mighty Cobb, Desperado suffered a plancha and a flying top rope crossbody from Akira. On the precipice of a Tiger Driver on Cobb, Desperado’s last effort was thwarted by a leaping Akira’s roll-up pin for the victory.
— Post-match: Akira and Desperado had a staredown as they cemented a match for Desperado’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on March 3, at the NJPW 53rd Anniversary Event.
Cobb’s power and Murashima’s burgeoning young story were a nice backdrop to what’ll be an exciting match between Akira and Desperado. Some fine selling by the Junior Heavyweight champ.
Main card
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Togi Makabe
Makabe instantly got the advantage over the Ace, but Tanahashi powered through after a forearm exchange and a senton. Makabe nearly won after a scoop slam and a German Suplex, but missed on King Kong Kneedrop. Both competitors weakened, Tanahashi opted for a Slingblade and a High Fly Flow, the latter of which failed to put Makabe away. Tanahashi reversed Makabe’s King Kong Lariat into a bridged pin for the 3-count.
At their age, the experience of maximizing match time made this enjoyable. Moreover, with the story of Tanahashi’s body breaking down after such a long career keeps his story compelling until the bittersweet ending at the finale of his career. Not a glorious standout, but one I’d wager to be a revisit when all is said and done.
Drilla Moloney defeated Shingo Takagi
What started off as a standard feeling-out process quickly trancended into acrobatic and stiff territory as though both men had to win the match immediately and with hate. Takagi’s normally brutal chops were no-sold by Moloney, and his German Suplexes were no match for the Young War Dog’s. Reeling from a gnarly Spinebuster, Takagi rolled meekly to the outside, clutching his head. Moloney dragged his corpse to the outside, tossing him carelessly into some chairs; a fan in attendance left his seat amid the carnage looking mildly inconvenienced.
Back in the ring, Takagi evaded a Drilla Killa, instead striking with an elbow, chop, and lariat. A Vertical Suplex from the top rope crushed Moloney but couldn’t help land a Made in Japan. Moloney earned a reprieve with a gore that stopped the Last Dragon but could not slay him. Moloney used his own Made in England, but it wasn’t enough. Osaka roared after Takagi did a Sliding Lariat and a Pumping Bomber, but were left aghast as Moloney attempted a successful Drilla Killa for the win.
Moloney stood to gain so much from this and they pulled the trigger. Easily one of the top matches of the night. I firmly believe investing in these young talents can bring in another great period for NJPW, maybe another boom period. With performances like Moloney’s I’m confident in that. Moloney has the makings of a great NEVER Openweight Champion, possibly more.
Great-O-Khan defeated Shota Umino
Osaka’s dislike for Umino continues from 2024 as he made his way to the ring. Umino wasted little time, interrupting his own entrance by assaulting Khan. As Umino was wresting Khan to the barricades, the former KOPW champ thrust his colorful opponent into said barricades. Khan continued his comeback, crumpling his opponent with a Gut-wrench Suplex into the corner of the ring. Umino fought back with an enzuigiri and a DDT, and Osaka maintained their disdain for him.
Umino nearly secured the win with underhook Death Rider. Just as his opponent invoked Jon Moxley, Khan called upon the style of former United Empire leader Will Ospreay with elbows to the back of Umino’s skull. Khan quelled Umino’s uprising with an STO and stamped it with an Elminator for the pinfall.
— Post-match: Khan grabbed out shaving equipment, ready to shear Umino’s head; Umino instead grabbed it and did it himself before collapsing onto the mat.
If NJPW is planning to make Umino’s journey going forward interesting, keep it on this route. Shaving his head, unmaking who he is, and taking inspiration from the hate of the crowd can make him a compelling character. Khan was in excellent form tonight.
Sanada defeated Taichi
Sanada wore a jacket to the ring, with shoulders padded with something reminiscent to Y2K-era stereos. He cut Taichi’s music short. Taichi, his entrance gear still on, toppled his former ally with a Big Boot. He teased using Sanada’s acoustic guitar against him, but thought better of it, perhaps because music and its instruments are sacred to him. Taichi battered Sanada on the outside, tossing him to the barricade and cracking him with whatever weapon he could find. Taka Michinoku appealed to his better senses; Taichi began to play fair. Bullet Club intercepted Michinoku as Sanada dropped Taichi with a Magic Screw.
Taichi kept his stiff offense, despite a glimpse of comeback potential. Sanada avoided Taichi’s best-laid plans by grabbing the referee to distract Taichi and capitalizing with a Shining Wizard. Taichi dropped Sanada with an enzuigiri. Sanada opted for another referee distraction, and resorted to feigning a suffered low-blow. Taichi’s anger grew, leading him to lose focus with repeated referee spots, a low-blow, and a Dead Fall for the win.
— Post-match: Bullet Club War Dogs ganged up on the prone Taichi, saved at the last moment by a returning Yuya Uemura.
I missed Uemura after his injury in the G1 Climax. He’s one of NJPW’s promising new stars and heading up against Bullet Club should quickly put him back in the ranks. I geeked out. As for the match itself, it was excellently paced. Taichi clutched hope yet fell to his own emotions. The referee and low-blow spots were a bit much, but it’s hard to be mad at their chemistry and the post-match angle.
Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) (c) defeated Chaos (Rocky Romero & YOH) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Eagles & Fujita isolated YOH in the early goings, but Romero helped turn the tide. Romero neutralized Eagles with a Suicida, leaving Fujita to take to the skies; Chaos caught him and double-suplexed him on the outside. Fujita leveraged Romero’s presence in the ring to send him into YOH’s superkick but failed; they succeeded on Eagles. YOH set a top rope-perched Romero up for a finisher on Fujita, but Eagles interjected with a Hurricanrana.
Romero avoided Chaos’s combined effort on him with a Double-Hurricanrana but suffered a Sweet Buster for his troubles. Eagles assisted Fujita with a flying enzuigiri and German suplex combination, followed by an Abandon Hope to at last retain the titles.
— Post-match: Taiji Ishimori challlenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with the aid of Robbie X in the future.
Fine match. Romero’s a great ring general and everyone followed his lead to a satisfying degree. Eagles and Fujita continue to make for appropriate champions, with Chaos being another notch in their belt-er, belts. Nothing game-changing, but an entertaining watch.
Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Boltin Oleg for the NEVER Openweight Championship
A standoff begat this championship bout. Takeshita’s merciless approach whittled at the normally indomitable Oleg. Takeshita plummeted Oleg with a top-rope suplex that shook the whole ring; the challenger could only scream in agony. Miraculously, Oleg made a spirited comeback, going so far as to throw Takeshita across the ring as though he were a plush teddy bear. A Fireman’s Carry earned Oleg a breather, leading to another standoff, this time with exchanged lariats. Takeshita reeled from a Boltin Shake, nearly falling to a Boltin Bomb.
Takeshita’s trusty Blue Thunderbomb couldn’t put the Kazakh wrestler away. Trading elbows, Oleg quickly gained the upper-hand, folding Takeshita like a bad hand at poker whilst maintaining wrist control. Desperately, Takeshita threw all the deadliest strikes and finishers he could muster. Even a sleeper couldn’t extinguish his flame. A Raging Fire made that flame mere embers, as Takeshita got the pinfall victory.
— Post-match: Ryohei Oiwa greeted Takeshita after the latter shook hands with Oleg. A NEVER Openweight Championship match is set for the future.
Narratively, this was executed perfectly. Oleg is normally presented as an unstoppable force. Putting him through the woes of Takeshita only to have him come back with a more prepared strategy made this a test of wills that nearly destroyed Takeshita’s reign. Fortunately for his hometown, AEW’s International Champion walked away victorious. Another match of the night.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi) defeated The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson) (c) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship
Following an uneasy handshake, Takahashi used a suprise attack on the Young Bucks and Naito followed his lead. Slowing down the otherwise high-speed action, Nicholas almost had control had Naito not moved out of the way to hurt Matthew. Takahashi, filled with gremlin energy, ran like a locomotive train and toppling both of the Jackson brothers. After a Superkick Party, Nicholas nearly pinned Naito. An EVP Trigger failed to connect to the LIJ leader a first time, but a second one hit.
Thwarting a Meltzer Driver, Naito and Takahashi went full throttle, with the former nailing a series of Destinos on the brothers. One final Destino in particular put away Nicholas for the victory.
If only there were more defenses that the Young Bucks could have had. Their performances as the EVPs in this tour of New Japan Pro Wrestling were refreshing. Their quips and their style provided something special in the company. However, tag team gold suits Takahashi and Naito at this point. Sharing the ring with their bodies in their state gives them time to put in just enough effort without punishing them.
Yota Tsuji (c) vs. Gabe Kidd for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship ended in a draw
Tsuji, sporting shorts this time, locked up with Kidd, but the challenger was several steps ahead. Brawling on the outside, Kidd once again remained in control against the barricade and onto the padding outside. The pair took turns echoing chops throughout the arena and again with thudding elbows. One chop from Tsuji was so loud, so unpleasant, that it caused a veign to be visible in Kidd’s head.
The wear-and-tear of this exchange saw Tsuji collapse after superkicking Kidd to the ground. A Boston Crab hold tortured Kidd, but did not deter him from crawling for a rope break. Fighting his way from the top rope, Kidd dropped Tsuji and struck him with a hard lariat. Tsuji quelled this momentum by flipping Kidd through the air before falling himself. A frenetic exchange saw Tsuji lariat Kidd to the mat, succeeded by a powerbomb. Kidd aimed for an exposed running knee, but Tsuji met it with a Gene Blaster. Kidd could not stand back up in time, Tsuji couldn’t stay on his.
— Post-match: Kidd and Tsuji checked on one another before headbutting each other. Kidd slapped Tsuji to the mat. House of Torture emerged, attacking Tsuji and then Kidd. EVIL and Dick Togo made a surprise appearance, seemingly to defend Tsuji and Kidd before striking both. EVIL then declared that the House of Torture would no longer be affiliated with War Dogs moving forward. As EVIL saw it, House of Torture kicked the War Dogs out of the Bullet Club. Clark Connors, who was on commentary, met the same fate as Kidd and Tsuji.
The match itself was gruesome. The red welts on Tsuji and Kidd’s chests are exactly the thrill I look for in intense NJPW matches. Regarding the post-match, as much as I’m not a fan of House of Torture, this separation was sorely needed. If making a more combined effort in cohesing the two wasn’t in the cards, then bringing both groups apart helps for the Bullet Club’s overall identity.
Main event
Hirooki Goto defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (c) for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Sabre and Goto locked up, with the latter switching to his power-based style. Though his arm had been targeted by the champion, Goto found the strength to down him with an Ushigoroshi. Throwing Sabre about the ring, Goto maintained a pace built on hope and determination. Twisting and contorting Goto’s arm, the Brit sought a Sabre Driver which bore no fruit until later when the challenger couldn’t drop him.
Osaka, having given Goto a warm reception upon his entrance, made their voices heard in favor of the hopeful challenger. A Reverse-GTR failed and gave way to another Sabre Driver and an arm hold. Hope turned to dreadful agony for Goto as Sabre wrenched his arms back further and further until a rope break saved him. In Sabre’s clutches, Goto nearly succumbed to a sleeper hold and a Penalty Kick before rising with a lariat and a GTW which couldn’t stop the champion.
Rageful, Sabre sent a flurry of slaps across Goto’s face, but he would not falter. A series of headbutts and a lariat led a chorus of inspired Osaka cheers. They would be further elated with each subsequent GTR. One final GTR gave Goto the three seconds needed for the pinfall victory.
— Backstage promo/commentary notes: Goto thanked the fans and his family and announced that he would like to give Hiroshi Tanahashi a title match at the NJPW 53rd Anniversary Event. Yuji Nagata approached Goto, wanting to be the next challenger after Tanahashi. Walker Stewart announced that Chris Charlton would be back from suspension in March.
Consider me moved. I felt no way or another going into this match during the build, but the press conference, the entrance, and the performance changed ALL of that. I could feel Goto’s late father beckoning him to fight through each hold to survive. Goto employing the styles of Katsuyori Shibata and Kazuchika Okada as YOSHI-HASHI cheered him on made this something special. If I wasn’t already having enough trouble keeping my eyes dry, seeing the catharsis on his face helps me even less. This deserved the main event spot.
Overall thoughts
Overall, The New Beginning in Osaka was a blast. The city itself became as important a factor as the wrestlers themselves. I’d recommend watching Moloney vs Takagi, Taichi vs Sanada, Takeshita vs Oleg, Kidd vs Tsuji, and especially the main event. The stories flowed beautifully and the action matched it as needed. An almost perfect card, the future is looking exciting. Yuya Uemura is back, Ryohei Oiwa takes on Konosuke Takeshita soon, younger stars are becoming bigger deals, and Hirooki Goto has finished the story. This is a new beginning I hope doesn’t end anytime soon.