NJPW Royal Quest III live results: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Will Ospreay defends the IWGP United Kingdom/United States Championship against Zack Sabre Jr. today at Royal Quest III at the Copper Box Arena in London.
This will be the 16th career singles meeting between Ospreay and Sabre, and the first since the 2022 New Japan Cup when Sabre scored a win. Sabre has a 9-6 edge in the series.
Tomohiro Ishii faces Shingo Takagi in the semi-main event in their seventh career singles meeting. Shingo has a 5-1 record in their six prior matches.
Wrestle Kingdom 18 main event opponents SANADA & Tetsuya Naito will be on opposite sides of a tag team match on the undercard, with IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA & DOUKI teaming against Naito & BUSHI.
In another notable undercard bout, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles are on the line with Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defending against Cameron Khai & Leon Slater.
Ten matches in all are set for the show which begins at 1 p.m. Eastern time on RevPro’s streaming service.
**********
Taiji Ishimori defeated Robbie X
Nothing fantastic, but this was a fine opener. Robbie was given a lot, and, as you would expect, he utilized his time to show off for the crowd.
The match opened with Robbie getting the better of Ishimori with athletic offense. Ishimori struck back by shoving Robbie into an exposed corner, leading to an extended period of Ishimori control. Robbie’s rally was just as acrobatic as his opening but with more back-and-forth from Ishimori. Ishimori held on long enough to catch Robbie with a UFO and Bloody Cross to win the match.
El Desperado defeated Trent Seven
This was bad. They tried to have an intense fight, but it was much closer to a mild scuffle.
Before the match could begin, Seven entered the ring with a chair. Desperado answered by getting a chair of his own. The pair went back and forth with the chairs before spilling to the floor. Desperado gained an advantage on the outside, leaving him free to attempt a dive, but Desperado cut him off with a chair shot to the head.
Seven controlled Desperado for far too long with plotting holds before tearing away at Desperado’s mask. Desperado fired back up with a suplex, but Seven quickly responded with a piledriver.
Seven attempted a dive from the top rope but missed. Desperado hit Seven with a spear, but a now desperate Seven bumped the referee. Seven then landed a low blow and an emerald flowsion for a near fall. A frustrated Seven then lifted Desperado to his feet, only for Desperado to win the match with a quick trap pin.
Yota Tsuji defeated Luke Jacobs
Both guys looked good at times, but this match never became anything more than solid.
The match opened with a strike battle that Tsuji won, leading to an extended stint of control. Jacobs bounced back after a second strike exchange, reversing a suplex to gain a footing for the first time. From here, the pair went back and forth, but Jacobs maintained a slight lead before eating a Tsuji curb stomp.
Jacobs, now desperate, dropped Tsuji with a barrage of headbutts. A massive lariat scored Jacobs a nearfall, but he failed to follow up, dropping Tsuji from a powerbomb. Tsuji took advantage, landing a suplex to retake control. Tsuji then landed a Gene Blast to win the match.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney (Bullet Club War Dogs) (c) defeated Cameron Khai & Leon Slater
This was a very good match. The War Dogs maintained a traditional tag structure, while the challengers were firey babyfaces. Great stuff.
The War Dogs opened the match with a fierce attack on the challengers. As things slowed, the War Dogs maintained their control by isolating Khai. The War Dog pair were villainous, cutting off hot tags by any means necessary.
A sudden death valley driver from Khai led to a hot tag, allowing Slater to take control for the first time. Slater took on both War Dogs long enough for Khai to recover. Khai hit the ring, leading to a hot tandem sequence.
Moloney avoided a 450, buying him enough time to drill Slater with a superkick. Connors was quick in tow, landing a stunning spear and powerslam. The War Dogs then looked to close the match but were cut off on the top rope.
Khai caught Moloney with a sudden cutter, setting Slater up for a 450. Connors cut Slater off, leaving Moloney free to hit the driller killer. The War Dogs then hit Slater with their tandem suplex/top rope spear to win the match and retain their belts.
El Phantasmo, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (Guerrillas of Destiny) defeated Alex Coughlin, David Finlay & Gabe Kidd (Bullet Club War Dogs)
I thought this match had potential; I was wrong. The War Dog heat segments were beyond dry, and the babyface rallies weren’t much better.
This match opened with both teams meeting on the ramp and brawling. Once the match entered the ring, GoD took control. To stay in the match, the War Dogs pulled Loa to the floor, working to isolate him from the rest of his team. This lasted for quite some time.
Tama got the hot tag, wiping out all of the War Dogs with help from ELP. The pair landed dives to the floor, leaving Kidd and Coughlin on the floor. Back in the ring, GoD continued their advance, landing multiple moves on Finlay before Loa pinned Finlay after landing his reverse driver.
Ren Narita & Shota Umino defeated Francesco Akira & Great-O-Khan (United Empire)
This match was good, but was outshined by the junior tag from earlier in the night.
UE were first to strike, working to isolate Ren early. After an extended period of heel control, Ren reached Shota for a hot tag. Shota took on both of UE, with quite a bit of success, but they eventually retook the lead and returned to their isolation tactic.
This time, Ren hit the ring to save Shota, leading to a slick tandem sequence. O-Khan was forced to hit the ring but also fell to the babyface pair. Shota took off Akira’s head with an elbow strike before landing Death Rider to win the match.
After the match, Ren and Shota shook hands to celebrate their win.
BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated DOUKI & SANADA (Just 5 Guys)
This match was a total coast. If it got a single soul excited for the WrestleKingdom main event, I would be shocked.
J5G took control early and maintained it for quite some time. SANADA and Naito shared a lot of time in the ring, going through slow sequences of strikes and holds.
Eventually, BUSHI hit the ring and helped Naito run off SANADA. Naito was then free to hit DOUKI with Destino, winning the match.
After the match, Naito and SANADA had a stare-down. As SANADA tried to leave BUSHI sprayed him with a mouth full of mist. Naito then threw SANADA from the ring and stood tall with BUSHI.
Eddie Kingston, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Oku defeated HENARE, Jeff Cobb & TJP (United Empire)
Tanahashi and TJP opened the match with a standard exchange. Once Tanahashi gained an upper hand, the rest of UE hit the ring to take control. Once the UE trio had Tanahashi on the back foot, they kept him there by isolating him from his team.
Eddie eventually tagged in, leading directly to a strike exchange with HENARE. UE tried taking their lead back by rushing Eddie again, but Oku was quick in tow, landing a flop to the floor to keep his team ahead.
Once Oku was legal, UE rushed the ring again. This led to a match breakdown with both teams trading moves. In the chaos, Oku hit Eddie with a knee strike, allowing TJP to capitalize. With only TJP and Oku in the ring, TJP attempted to close. Oku reversed into a quick pin, which won his team the match.
Shingo Takagi defeated Tomohiro Ishii
The exact match you expect from this pair–a ridiculously intense crowd-pleaser that’s worth seeking out if you’re a fan of either guy. They played the hits, but they’re hits for a reason. For a ton of people, this will be a MOTY contender.
From the opening bell, these two beat the breaks off of each other. When Shingo gained advantage, Ishii fought back with strikes. When Ishii gained advantage, Shingo fought back with strikes.
As the match escalated, both guys tried out doing each other by any means. Already late in the match, Shingo landed a superplex to a chorus of “fight forever” chants. Ishii answered with a backdrop. Shingo bounced back to his feet, leading to a sequence of suplex trading. By the end, both men were left grounded.
After returning to their feet, Ishii hit Shingo with a superplex of his own. The follow-up powerbomb left Ishii with a nearfall. Shingo held on, landing a GTR to put Ishii behind. Shingo then hit a pumping bomber and Made in Japan; Shingo kicked out.
On their last legs, these guys traded strikes again. Ishii landed a pumping bomber of his own, but Shingo kicked out at one. After eating a second lariat from Ishii, Shingo dropped him with a stiff punch.
Once both men made it back to their feet, they traded headbutts. Shingo won out and hit another pumping bomber, but Ishii kicked out again. Shingo hit Ishii with a brainbuster; Ishii kicked out at one.
Ishii floored Shingo with a nasty headbutt. Ishii tried for his brainbuster, but Shingo reversed, leading to a prolonged rally. Shingo finally closed the match with Last of the Dragon.
Even after the match, the pair continued to go at it, trading a couple more headbutts before finally calling it quits.
Once Ishii left the ring, Tama Tonga came to the ring, holding his NEVER belt. The crowd responded to Tama’s presence with chants of “F*ck him up, Shingo.” Tama then cut a promo that I couldn’t hear; thankfully, the announce team filled us in. Tama Tonga vs. Shingo Takagi is set for October 28th in Las Vegas for the NEVER title.
IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
This match opened with a prolonged feeling-out sequence, with neither guy getting a clear upper hand for some time. As the match progressed, Ospreay would gain small leads with a strike, but ZSJ would answer with a hold. In order to break through ZSJ’s defense, Ospreay approached with springboards and handsprings. ZSJ still caught Ospreay time after time, not letting him get through with more than a move or two.
After a prolonged struggle, Ospreay was able to prop ZSJ onto the top rope, where he delivered three beautifully shot kicks. Ospreay was able to capitalize, building the first substantial offensive sequence of the match. Ospreay landed a falcon arrow and twisting press from the top rope for a nearfall.
Ospreay attempted a second falcon arrow, but ZSJ reversed and turned his attention to Ospreay’s arm. ZSJ’s lead was cut short by a sudden Spanish fly, which reset the match.
A few seconds of rolling on the mat allowed ZSJ to retake his lead. ZSJ landed a tiger driver for a nearfall. Ospreay tried to answer with an OsCutter, but ZSJ caught him in an armbar. Ospreay powered through, turning the submission into a powerbomb.
Ospreay hit an OsCutter, a hidden blade, and a Stormbreaker, but ZSJ kicked out. Both men then fought to the top rope, where ZSJ used headbutts to rock Ospreay. From the top, ZSJ pulled Ospreay into an armbar, hitting a Zack driver once Ospreay wiggled free.
To follow up, ZSJ kicked Ospreay in the head. Ospreay managed to catch a kick, leading to a quick back-and-forth that ended with a hidden blade. Ospreay then hit an OsCutter from the top rope.
Ospreay ran at ZSJ, getting caught in another armbar. Again, Ospreay powered through, hitting a powerbomb to break the hold. Ospreay hit another hidden blade and a Stormbreaker to win the match and retain his title.
After the match, Ospreay cut a long promo, but production issues made it close to impossible to understand. He asked for a challenger and Shota Umino walked out from the back. Ospreay asked Shota who the best wrestler in the world is, Shota answered Jon Moxley. O-Khan stepped up to the plate; he’s scheduled to face Moxley on November 4th. Shota and Ospreay are also scheduled to wrestle on the same day for the IWGP UK Championship.