NJPW announces matches for Long Beach shows

[cero2k]

Source: f4wonline.com

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced many of the matches for the shows in Long Beach on July 1st and 2nd.

The July 1st live show on AXS TV will be headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. Cody for the IWGP Heavyweight title and will also feature first round matches in the United States Heavyweight title tournament. Those are: Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito, and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Juice Robinson.

The semifinals and finals of the tournament will be on July 2nd, plus a weird match with Hiroshi Tanahashi defending his Intercontinental title against Billy Gunn.

The card for July 1st is --

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Cody
Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega in a US title first round match
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito in a US title first round match
IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny defending against War Machine
David Finlay, Jay White, KUSHIDA & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu, Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn
Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in a US title first round match
Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page in a US title first round match
Titan, Dragon Lee, Volador Jr. & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA
Roppongi Vice, Will Ospreay & The Briscoes vs. The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale


July 2nd will have (with more matches to be announced) --

The semifinals and finals of the US title tournament
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defending against Billy Gunn
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks defending against Roppongi Vice
Before Long Beach, three Kizuna Road shows will air live on New Japan World. The June 20th card has a NEVER Six-Man tag title match pitting KUSHIDA, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi against champions BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA. Davey Boy Smith Jr. will also make his return to NJPW in a six-man Suzuki-gun vs. Chaos tag match.

Minoru Suzuki will defend his NEVER Openweight Championship against YOSHI-HASHI on June 26th.

The final Kizuna Road show on June 27th will have KUSHIDA defending his newly won IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against BUSHI, who attacked him at Dominion.

Announcements for the G1 (participants, blocks, and matches) will be made across the three shows.

[cero2k]

Alvarez and Meltzer were thinking that Cody sneaking in the win before Omega now that Okada is weakened is a real likely scenario

[Big Red Machine]

Alvarez and Meltzer were thinking that Cody sneaking in the win before Omega now that Okada is weakened is a real likely scenario

I sure hope not.

I'm pretty shocked that Dragon Lee isn't getting a shot at the Jr. Heavyweight Title. They're right next door to Mexico and he did beat the champ in BOSJ, so it would make perfect sense.

[cero2k]

Alvarez and Meltzer were thinking that Cody sneaking in the win before Omega now that Okada is weakened is a real likely scenario

I sure hope not.

I'm pretty shocked that Dragon Lee isn't getting a shot at the Jr. Heavyweight Title. They're right next door to Mexico and he did beat the champ in BOSJ, so it would make perfect sense.

at first i just figured that would be BUSHi's title shot, but now that you mention it, it does seem weird that KUSHIDA is not defending. Day 2 only has 3 matches confirmed, so they may add it there later

[Big Red Machine]

Alvarez and Meltzer were thinking that Cody sneaking in the win before Omega now that Okada is weakened is a real likely scenario

I sure hope not.

I'm pretty shocked that Dragon Lee isn't getting a shot at the Jr. Heavyweight Title. They're right next door to Mexico and he did beat the champ in BOSJ, so it would make perfect sense.

at first i just figured that would be BUSHi's title shot, but now that you mention it, it does seem weird that KUSHIDA is not defending. Day 2 only has 3 matches confirmed, so they may add it there later

That's not their style, though (much to their detriment, as booking more than one defense per title per tour would actually allow them to pay off the G1/BOSJ losses that champions must inevitably suffer. Okada has been champ for almost a year now but has only defended his title six times, and Ishii, who beat him in the G1 STILL hasn't gotten a title shot yet. And I doubt we'll see anyone who beat Hiromu in BOSJ actually get one, either).

[Big Red Machine]

Alvarez and Meltzer were thinking that Cody sneaking in the win before Omega now that Okada is weakened is a real likely scenario

The more that I think about this, the more possible it seems:
1. Cody tried to throw the towel in for Omega, perhaps knowing that he would get the next title shot and not wanting to have to face his stablemate.

2. Okada is theoretically weakened (although the match is in three weeks so maybe that's a little silly)

3. Omega was the one that did the weakening, which could be used to create even more friction between them.

4. Okada not having the belt does set up for him to win the G1 and get it back at the Tokyo Dome.

Hmmm...

[cero2k]

2. Okada is theoretically weakened (although the match is in three weeks so maybe that's a little silly)

it's not the being weak because of the match, but because of the title run. He's gone through hell to defend this title. In January, he was still strong enough to put Kenny down, now he went 60 minutes and he wasn't strong enough to put him down, and it's not even like Kenny was in a roll, he himself said that he didn't deserve a title shot, but Okada challenged him anyway. The Rainmaker as a move has become weak because of Okada, he hit like 5 yesterday and couldn't get the job done.

[Big Red Machine]

2. Okada is theoretically weakened (although the match is in three weeks so maybe that's a little silly)

it's not the being weak because of the match, but because of the title run. He's gone through hell to defend this title. In January, he was still strong enough to put Kenny down, now he went 60 minutes and he wasn't strong enough to put him down, and it's not even like Kenny was in a roll, he himself said that he didn't deserve a title shot, but Okada challenged him anyway. The Rainmaker as a move has become weak because of Okada, he hit like 5 yesterday and couldn't get the job done.

He's only defended the belt six times. I don't care how grueling the matches have been. That's not enough to be worn down three weeks after your last match. He's not Bryan Danielson in ROH in 2006.
Only one Rainmaker got kicked out of. The others didn't get the pin because Okada was too weak to follow up.

[cero2k]

He's only defended the belt six times. I don't care how grueling the matches have been. That's not enough to be worn down three weeks after your last match. He's not Bryan Danielson in ROH in 2006.
Only one Rainmaker got kicked out of. The others didn't get the pin because Okada was too weak to follow up.

it's not just defenses, it's the overall life of a world champion

The whole G1
Marafuji
Fale
Omega at wk
Suzuki
Tiger Mask W
Shibata
Omega II
plus having to put up with Gedo in tag matches

[Big Red Machine]

He's only defended the belt six times. I don't care how grueling the matches have been. That's not enough to be worn down three weeks after your last match. He's not Bryan Danielson in ROH in 2006.
Only one Rainmaker got kicked out of. The others didn't get the pin because Okada was too weak to follow up.

it's not just defenses, it's the overall life of a world champion

The whole G1
Marafuji
Fale
Omega at wk
Suzuki
Tiger Mask W
Shibata
Omega II
plus having to put up with Gedo in tag matches

It's one big match a month and a bunch of tag matches. Doesn't feel anywhere near as impressive as Danielson or Nigel as ROH World Champion. He needs to be defending the title more.

[cero2k]

It's one big match a month and a bunch of tag matches. Doesn't feel anywhere near as impressive as Danielson or Nigel as ROH World Champion. He needs to be defending the title more.

then the roster needs to get their shit together to become worthy to share the ring with Okada

[Big Red Machine]

It's one big match a month and a bunch of tag matches. Doesn't feel anywhere near as impressive as Danielson or Nigel as ROH World Champion. He needs to be defending the title more.

then the roster needs to get their shit together to become worthy to share the ring with Okada

You mean like Ishii did when he pinned him in the G1? Hell... Fale pinned Okada in the G1, too, and they gave him a singles match main event against Okada on the next tour, but it still wasn't a title match.

[cero2k]

You mean like Ishii did when he pinned him in the G1? Hell... Fale pinned Okada in the G1, too, and they gave him a singles match main event against Okada on the next tour, but it still wasn't a title match.

Ishii is a team mate, it be a dick move to challenge Okada. Fale had to get a proper win over Okada, he has lost way to many times. His pin got him the Proving Ground match

[Big Red Machine]

You mean like Ishii did when he pinned him in the G1? Hell... Fale pinned Okada in the G1, too, and they gave him a singles match main event against Okada on the next tour, but it still wasn't a title match.

Ishii is a team mate, it be a dick move to challenge Okada.
Why is it a dick move? If they both respect each other (which they should as babyface teammates) and the title (which they should as babyfaces) then they'll WANT to find out who the better man is.


Fale had to get a proper win over Okada, he has lost way to many times. His pin got him the Proving Ground match
That's not how it works. If you beat the champ in a non-title match, you get a title shot. That's just plain logic.

[cero2k]

thinking about it, this is Cody's Lethal vs Naito match. I think Cody is right now like Lethal was at that point where he had been featured in the midcard and then he got the chance to either put up or shut up. Lethal particularly failed and hasn't been brought back, so now it's Cody's.

or maybe they just take the risk and put the title on him so Okada can win the G1