January 4, 2022 Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night 1

Chase Owens, Cima, Suzuki, and Yano win the Rambo for 2022 NJPW Interim KOPW Championship – 26:50

• This is a 19 Person Rambo where the final four qualify to wrestle in a fatal four way for the KOPW Interim Championship.
• Chase Owens and Aron Henare are numbers 1 and 2.
• Kosei Fujita is out at number 3.
• Yuto Nakashima is out at number 4.
• Ryohei Oiwa comes out number 5.
• Master Wato is out at number 6.
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan is out at number 7.
• Minoru Suzuki is out at number 8.
• Suzuki quickly eliminates Fujita and Nakashima with submissions.
• Satoshi Kojima comes out at number 9.
• Suzuki chokes out Oiwa.
• Taka Michinoku comes out at number 10
• Cima of Strong Hearts comes out at number 11.
• Cima uses a meteora to get a pinfall elimination of Taka Michinoku.
• Tomoaki Honma comes to the ring as entrant number 12.
• Cima suckers Wato into flying over the top rope for an elimination.
• Douki takes number 13.
• Yuji Nagata is number 14.
• Yoshinobu Kanemaru comes to the ring drinking his whiskey at number 15.
• Kanemaru and Douki work together to double team Tenzan.
• Togi Makabe comes out at number 16.
• Yuji Nagata went for a side suplex with a bridge on Kojima. Kanemaru and Douki piled on to make sure the pinfall was successful.
• Bad Luck Fale comes out at number 17.
• Bad Luck Fale tossed Douki, Kanemaru, Honma, and Nagata in rapid succession.
• Tatsumi Fujinami comes out as number 18. Fun fact that Fujinami was in the very first New Japan pro wrestling match in 1972.
• Makabe clothesline Bad Luck Fale over the top rope.
• Toru Yano is the final entrant at number 19.
• Yano eliminates Henare with a low bridge.
• As Fujinami held Makabe in a figure four, all the other wrestlers piled on top of them to pin their shoulders.
• The final four come down to Toru Yano, Cima, Minoru Suzuki, and Chase Owens.

Show resumes at 3AM Eastern Time

Yoh defeats Sho – 12:33

• Yoh used an O’Connor Roll with a bridge for the pinfall victory.
• After the match, Sho attempted to blindside Yoh with a wrench, but Yoh saw it coming and connected with a superkick.

Kenta, ELP, and Taiji Ishimori defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi, Rocky Romero, and Ryusuke Taguchi – 08:33

• Kenta broght a kendo stick into the ring, but Tanahashi is the one who used it. The referee called for the bell ending the match in a disqualification.

Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay v. Sanada, Bushi, Tetsuya Naito – 09:25

• Will Ospreay used the Hidden Blade on Bushi to get the pinfall victory.

Katsuyori Shibata defeats Ren Narita – 11:47

• The match was meant to be held under “Catch Wrestling” rules. Before the bell, Shibata took the microphone and announced that the rules have changed. It is going to be a regular wrestling match.
• Shibata used a PK to get the pinfall victory.

New Japan Announces New TV Show to Debut on March 3

• Thursdays right after Impact on ASX TV

Evil defeats Tomohiro Ishii (c) – NEVER Openweight Championship – 12:05

• Evil’s House of Torture was heavily involved in the match. Eventually Evil managed to hit Ishii over the head with the NEVER belt. Evil followed up with “Everything is Evil” to get the pinfall victory.
• Evil wins the NEVER Title.

Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi defeat Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi (c) – IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles – 15:25

• Goto and Yoshi-Hashi dominated the match and eventually hit their double team finisher for the pinfall victory.
• Goto and Yoshi-Hashi win the IWGP Tag Titles.

El Desperado (c) defeats Hiromu Takahashi – IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title – 16:16

• El Desperado used two Pinche Loco’s to get the pinfall victory and to retain the IWGP JR Title.

Kazuchika Okada defeats Shingo Takagi (c) – 35:44 – IWGP World Championship Match

• Okada uses the rainmaker to get the pinfall victory.
• With the win, Okada is the new IWGP World Champion.

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