January 6th, 2022 (Strong Kobayashi died, NOAH, NJPW, DDT, Doutonbori, Colega)

It was publicly announced that Strong Kobayashi had died at the age of 81 on December 31st of 2021. Kobayashi primarily competed in the 1960's and 1970's that even became one of the first major Japanese wrestlers to become world-known competing in both the USA and Europe. After his retirement in 1984, he would be known as "Strong Kongo" as he turned to acting in both film and tv. You may even recognize him in "Takeshi's Castle", or MXC in the USA, as he was the big burly man who actively harassed the competitors. The last 25 years of his life were spent in Ome City, just outside of Tokyo, where he eventually passed away with his family present.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ 

NOAH

 

N Innovation "U-CUP DAY 1", 1/6/2022 [Thu] 18:00 @ Yokohama Radiant Hall in Kanagawa
109 Spectators

(1) Super Crazy & Ikuto Hidaka vs. Kai Fujimura & Yasutaka Yano
◆Winner: Crazy (9:59) with the Tapatia on Fujimura.
(2) Tag Match - NOAH vs. PERROS DEL MAL DE JAPON: Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge vs.
NOSAWA Rongai & Eita
◆Winner: Eita (5:56)  with the Biblia on Harada.
(3) Tag Match - STINGER vs. Kongo: HAYATA & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Nioh & Haoh
◆Winner: HAYATA (9:20) with a School Boy on Nioh.
(4) Tag Match - NOAH vs. Kongo: Hajime Ohara & Junta Miyawaki vs. Tadasuke & Aleja
◆Winner: Tadasuke (14:07) following a Jidanda Lariat on Miyawaki.
(5) Tag Match - STINGER vs. PERROS DEL MAL DE JAPON: Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu vs. YO-HEY & Kotaro Suzuki
◆Winner: Yoshioka (15:25) with a Crash Driver on YO-HEY.
(6) Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Daiki Inaba
◆Winner: Kiyomiya (12:52) with a Stretch Plum style Cross Face Lock.
(7) Junior Rumble : Winners earns right to challenge for the GHC Jr. on 1/10.
~ Order of elimination: Eita, NOSAWA, Ogawa, Susumu, Tadasuke, Aleja, Nioh, Miyawaki, Kotoge, Ohara, Haoh, YO-HEY, Yoshioka ...
◆Winner: Harada (24:30) with a Kitamiya German Suplex Hold on Kotaro.

~ Harada will challenge for the GHC Jr. belt on 1/10.

N Innovation "U-CUP DAY 2", 1/7/2022 @ Yokohama Radiant Hall in Kanagawa 

(-) Yasutaka Yano vs. Kai Fujimura
(-) 6 Man Tag Match - NOAH vs. STINGER: HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa & Yuya Susumu vs. Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge & Junta Miyawaki
(-) 6 Man Tag Match - PERROS DEL MAL DE JAPON vs. Kongo: Tadasuke, Aleja & Haoh vs. NOSAWA Rongai, YO-HEY & Kotaro Suzuki
(-) 4WAY Match - NOAH vs. STINGER vs. Kongo vs. PERROS JAPON: Hajime Ohara vs. Seiki Yoshioka vs. Nioh vs. Eita
(-) Kaito Kiyomiya & Daiki Inaba vs. Super Crazy & Ikuto Hidaka
(-) U-CUP Championship Decision Match: 1st Point Team vs. 2nd Point Team

N Innovation "U-CUP DAY 3", 1/10/2022 @ Yokohama Radiant Hall in Kanagawa 

(-) U-CUP Unit Shuffle Tag Match: (featuring the first 4 eliminated from the junior rumble on 1/6)
(-) GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [46th Champion] HAYATA vs. [Challenger] Daisuke Harada
~ 9th title defense.

NOAH "BUMPER CROP 2022 in SENDAI", 1 1/16/2022 [Sun] 15:30 @ Sendai Sunplaza Hall

(-) King Tani & Muhammad Yone vs. Masakatsu Funaki & Masato Tanaka
(-) Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura vs.  Takashi Sugiura, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kazuyuki Fujita & Kendo Kashin

(-) GHC Tag Championship Match: [57th Champions] Keiji Muto & Naomichi Marufuji vs. [Challenger] Kenoh & Manabu Soya
~ 2nd title defense.

(-) GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: [36th Champion] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. [Challenger] Masa Kitamiya
~ 4th title defense.

NOAH "HIGHER GROUND 2022", 1/22/2022 [Sat] 17:30 @  EDION Arena Osaka 2nd Stadium

(-) GHC National Champoionship Match: [7th Champion] Kenoh vs. [Challenger] Masakatsu Funaki
~ 4th title defense.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ 

~ The full card was announced for the NJPW vs. NOAH show on January 8th in Yokohama. 

 "WRESTLE KINGDOM 16 in Yokohama Arena", 1/8/20222 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa

(0-1) Kosei Fujita vs. Yasutaka Yano
(0-2) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. King Tani, Muhammad Yone & Akitoshi Saito

(1) Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Daisuke Harada, Hajime Ohara, Daiki Inaba, Yoshiki Inamaura & Kinya Okada
(2) SHO vs. Atsushi Kotoge
(3) Taiji Ishimori & Gedo vs. HAYATA & Seiki Yoshioka
(4) El Desperado & DOUKI vs. YO-HEY & NOSAWA Rongai
(5) Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku vs. Takashi Sugiura, Kazushi Sakuraba & KENTA
(6) EVIL & Dick Togo vs. Go Shiozaki & Masa Kitamiya
(7) Naomichi Marufuji & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
(8) Double Main Event I: Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh, Manabu Soya, Tadasuke & Aleja
(9) Double Main Event II: Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Keiji Muto & Kaito Kiyomiya

_______________________________________________________________________________________ 

DDT Pro-Wrestling

 ~ DDT announced that Yusuke Okada and Yukio Naya both tested positive for the corona virus and will miss the upcoming shows on 1/9 & 1/10 in Osaka. Currently no other staff or wrestlers were stated as being in close contact with the two.

~ Below are the announced cards for the shows...

DDT "Sweet Dreams！2022 TOUR in OSAKA", 1/9/2022 [Sun] 17:30 @ 176BOX in Osaka

(1) Akito vs. Yuki Ishida
(2) Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Po vs. Yuji Hino & Yuya Takashika
(3) Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino vs. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata vs. Antonio Honda & MAO
(4) Konosuke Takeshita vs. Toui Kojima
(5)  HARASHIMA & Chris Brookes vs. Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
(6) Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Bodyguard vs. Naomi Yoshimura, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okaya

DDT "Sweet Dreams！2022 TOUR in OSAKA", 1/10/2022 [Mon] 13:00 @ 176BOX in Osaka

(1) Shunma Katsumata vs. Yuya Takashika
(2) HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi vs. Antonio Honda & Toui Kojima
(3) Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Po vs. Naomi Yoshimura & Hideki Okatani
(4) Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama vs. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
(5) Danshoku "Dandy" Dino & Yuki "Sexy" Iino vs. The Bodyguard & Kazuki Hirata
(6) Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO vs. Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & Akito

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 Doutonbori Pro-Wrestling

~ It was announced that Orochi will be defending the WDW belt against Harutoki on 2/27 in Osaka.

Doutonbori Pro-Wrestling, 2/27/2022 [Sun] 13:00 @ Suminoe Maikon Hall in Osaka

(1) Ryuya Matsufusa vs. Ra-pid
(2) WDW Women's Championship Qualifying Tournament Match: Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru vs. Hibiscus Mii
(3) Kinryu, Osamu Suganuma & Momoka Hanazono vs. Taiyoto Kamen, Mikiya Sasaki & Mede Tiger Mask
(4) Yuto Kikuchi vs. Billyken Kid
(5) Thhe Bodyguard & Hideaki Sumi vs. Takashi Tachibana & Shigehiro Irie
(6) WDW Championship Match: [Champion] Orochi vs. [Challenger] Harutoki

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Colega Pro-Wrestling STARSNIGHT, 1/6/2022 [Thu] 18:30 @ Colega Studio in Osaka

(1) So Daimonji vs. Masamune vs. Azul Dragon
◆Winner: No Contest (4:42)
(2) Bambi vs. Momoka Hanazono
◆Winner: Bambi (10:31) following a Lariat.
(3) Billyken Kid vs. Hora-chan
◆Winner: Billyken (13:47) following the Komoritsuri-Otoshi.