The time has arrived for NJPW’s The New Beginning in Osaka.
Today (Feb. 10), Kazuchika Okada will defend his IWGP Heavyweight title against SANADA. The title bout will serve as the event’s headliner. Also, Hiroki Goto defends his NEVER Openweight championship against EVIL. IWGP Junior Heavyweight title holder Will Ospreay puts his gold on the line against Hiromu Takahashi.
There are a bevy of undercard matches before the three marquee bouts as well. The action begins at 3 a.m. ET. Keep refreshing this page for updated results below:
Singles Match: Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuya Kitamura
The two got into a grappling exchange early. Nagata applied a headlock, but Kitamura shoved him off. They engaged in a shoulder block battle, which Kitamura won. Nagata locked in the Fujiwara armbar, but Kitamura reached the ropes.
Kitamura landed some chops and Nagata responded with kicks. He put his opponent in the corner and landed some forearms, followed by knees to the head. Kitamura got the torture rack, but Nagata fought his way out.
The two traded slaps and Nagata urged the Young Lion to show more fire. Kitamura lost the battle off a forearm. He ate some big boots and caught a kick to slam Nagata.
Kitamura hit the spear, but Nagata kicked out. Nagata avoided the Jackhammer but countered into the armbar. Surprisingly, Kitamura reached the ropes. Nagata then hit the PK, but his opponent kicked out.
Kitamura pelted Nagata with chops. Nagata answered with a forearm and spinning wheel kick. He then connected with the high angle suplex for a three-count.
Winner: Yuji Nagata
Non-Title Match: Roppongi 3K (Sho & Yoh) vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Sho and El Desperado got things underway. Kanemaru knocked Yoh off the apron and the two double teamed Sho. Not long after, Sho ducked under El Desperado and speared Kanemaru. Yoh moved in an delivered a hurricanrana to El Desperado.
The action spilled to the outside and Sho was suplexed. Kanemaru threw Sho into the guardrail and mocked him as he tried to beat the 20-count. Yoh was able to break up a camel clutch. El Desperado and Kanemaru continued to work the back of Sho.
Finally, Sho landed a suplex and tagged in Yoh. Kanemaru and El Desperado received dropkicks. Yoh hit El Desperado with a double stomp clearing the top rope for a two-count. El Desperado landed a huge spinebuster and tagged in Kanemaru.
Sho and Yoh went for 3K on Kanemaru. Sho’s back gave out and El Desperadd nailed Sho with a flying uppercut. Kanemaru landed a superplex followed by a Boston Crab. El Desperado cut off Yoh and Sho, Rocky Romero inadvertently distracted the ref in favor of his team’s opponents. El Desperado cracked Sho with a chair in the back. Sho was forced to tap.
Winners: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
After the match, a chair was placed on Sho’s back and El Desperado whacked it with another chair. Rocky covered Sho and was dumped to the outside for his efforts. Kanemaru poured whiskey on Sho’s back, while El Desperado held the IWGP Junior tag titles.
Eight-Man Tag Match: Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA, Michael Elgin, & Togi Makabe vs. TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, Takashi Iizuka, & Minoru Suzuki
Makabe went right after Suzuki and the match was underway. Makabe went to town with forearms while the rest of the participants were on the outside. TAKA managed to get some brief commentary time to rant about being manhandled on the outside. Taguchi and Suzuki were in the ring, but the Intercontinental champion big booted Makabe and they brawled on the outside.
Iizuka nailed Taguchi with a chair to the back. He then took Elgin to the outside and blasted him with another chair. Meanwhile, Taichi choked Taguchi with a cable. Taguchi countered a roundhouse kick with the enzuigiri.
Elgin was in and he landed a forearm into a German suplex. Iizuka bit the head of Elgin. The former Intercontinental champion returned the favor. Makabe and Suzuki were tagged in.
Just as they’ve been doing on the Road shows, the two exchanged forearms. Of course, Suzuki landed the stiffer shots. Makabe was put in a sleeper hold, which allowed TAKA to tag in. Now it was four on one against Makabe.
iizuka went for the iron glove, but Elgin ripped him with a lariat. Makabe landed his knee drop from the top rope on TAKA for a three-count.
Winners: Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA, Michael Elgin, & Togi Makabe
After the bout, Suzuki accepted Makabe’s challenge for the IWGP Intercontinental title. They exchanged shots and Suzki threw part of a guardrail on top of Young Lion Tomoyuki Oka.
Six Man Tag Match: Toa Henare, David Finlay, & Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, & “Switchblade” Jay White
Juice and Yano got things started. Yano went right after the corner padding. He swung it at Juice, but wound up in an airplane spin. Both men stumbled around the ring. Ishii and Henare traded shots in the ring.
White ran in and threw Juice into the ring post. Despite concerns within CHAOS, “Switchblade” showed solid teammwork with Ishii and Yano.
Juice got one back on White by planting his head on the exposed buckle. Finlay was tagged in and charged at White. After getting in some offenses, Finlay was hit with a Saito Suplex. Henare was able to land a spinebuster on White, but Yano broke up the pin.
Henare lifted White up, but ate a combo. White hit the Blade Runner and followed up with vicious elbows to the head for the KO win.
Winners: Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, & “Switchblade” Jay White
After the bout, White teased hitting the referee with elbows, but thought better of it.
A promo video aired and Rey Mysterio appeared. He laid out a challenge to Jushin Thunder Liger for Strong Style Evolved.
Singles Match: Gedo vs. Bushi
Bushi made his entrance with giant clippers to signal the end of Gedo’s beard. Bushi went to get the masks Gedo stole from him, but was cut off at the entrance.
Gedo went to unmask Bushi yet again. Instead, Bushi had his laces stuck in the corner. A Young Lion used the clippers to pry Bushi free.
At some point, Bushi looked to spray his mist at Gedo. With the referee down, Gedo nailed the low blow. He hit a kick to the head, but Bushi kicked out. Bushi was able to hit MX for the victory.
Winner: Bushi
After the match, Bushi grabbed the clippers and had to be held back. He calmed down once he retrieved the masks that were stolen from him.
Singles Match: Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Yoshi-Hashi attacked Naito as he was making his entrance. He ripped up Naito’s shirt. He hammered away at Naito. The action eventually spilled to the outside.
Yoshi-Hashi went to the top turnbuckle and landed a neckbreaker for the two-count. He went for the Butterfly Lock, but Naito reached the ropes. Naito was able to nail his opponent with a DDT. Naito went for Destino, but was countered and hit the canvas.
The two engaged in a slap battle. Yoshi-Hashi landed a kick followed by the western lariat for a near fall. He then hit a sitdown powerbomb. Yoshi-Hashi locked in the Butterfly Lock. Naito looked to be fading, but he got his foot on the bottom rope.
Naito hit a hurricanrana followed by a wheel kick. Yoshi-Hashi was hit with a half Destino and then a full one. He was not kicking out.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito
After the match, Taichi attacked Naito from behind and dragged him off the stage. If you recall, Taichi said in a backstage interview that he would make Naito pay for his words on being too lazy to move up to the heavyweight division.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: Will Ospreay (C) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
They charged at each other and traded shots. Hiromu landed a head scissors and faked a dive to the outside. Ospreay returned the favor and faked his own dive. He went for the Ospreay Special, but Hiromu caught him and landed a German suplex on the floor.
Ospreay charged at Hiromu, but was flung back first into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Hiromu landed a dropkick to the back of the head. Ospreay hopped on the guardrail and landed a forearm. Ospreay did a corkscrew off the top rope after countering Hiromu’s overhead throw in the corner.
Hiromu countered OsCutter into a German suplex. He then hit the sunset bomb to the outside. Hiromu hit a senton on the outside. In the ring, he connected with Dynamite Plunger for a near fall. He went for Time Bomb, but Ospreay countered and hit a lariat.
The two were perched on the top turnbuckle and Ospreay planted Hiromu’s head on the top of the corner. Ospreay went for the OsCutter, but Hiromu countered with a neckbreaker. They traded forearms and Ospreay unloaded. Hiromu responded with chops.
Ospreay landed Cheeky Nandos and an avalanche reverse hurricanrana. Hiromu kicked out at one, but hit the canvas from a wheel kick. Ospreay went for a Time Bomb, but was reversed into an incredible looking Canadian Destroyer for a near fall. Another OsCutter was reversed into a German suplex, but Hiromu ran into the C-4.
Ospreay landed a 450 splash and a reverse DDT for a two-count. The champion finally hit the OsCutter to retain his gold.
Winner And STILL IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: Will Ospreay
NEVER Openweight Title Match: Hiroki Goto (C) vs. EVIL
EVIL kicked Goto in the midsection and applied a headlock. Goto countered with one of his own. He landed an elbow on the top of EVIL’s head. Goto then fired off chops in the corner. The momentum was halted when he was hit with a lariat.
With a chair around Goto’s neck, EVIL rammed his opponent into the ring post. The challenger hit a sidewalk slam for a two-count. He hit a chop and senton combo for another near fall. Goto was able to connect with a lariat.
Goto hit a Saito suplex on his opponent. EVIL’s signature use of the ref came into play, as Red Shoes caught a leg of Goto and the challenger kicked the champion. EVIL grabbed three stacks and stacked them. He went for Darkness Falls, but Goto countered with a suplex onto the chairs.
Goto and Evil were perched on the top rope. The challenger raked Goto’s eyes and shoved him into Red Shoes. He then used Goto’s entrance accessory to choke him. EVIL ran into Ushigoroshi. Goto wanted the GTR, but EVIL countered into the fisherman buster suplex.
The two exchanged stiff lariats. Finally, Goto brought EVIL down. He went for another one, but EVIL hit one of his own. He connected with Darkness Falls for a near fall. The challenger hit a German suplex and another lariat for a two-count.
Goto hit what looked to be a front GTR with EVIL’s feet on the top rope. Goto reversed Everything is EVIL with the GTR for the pin.
Winner And STILL NEVER Openweight Champion: Hiroki Goto
IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: Kazuchika Okada (C) vs. SANADA
They rolled on the mat early and SANADA went for the arm. Okada got the upper hand and went for a pin. SANADA kicked out and the two were back to standing.
Okada landed a shoulder block, followed by a hip toss. SANADA went for a springboard, but Okada delivered a forearm. With both men on the apron, Okada was shoved into the ring post. SANADA drove Okada’s face into the guardrail.
The challenger took the champion to the ramp and landed a piledriver. When Okada got back in the ring, SANADA targeted the neck. He then connected with an elbow followed by a standing moonsault. SANADA landed another piledriver.
SANADA ran into a flapjack. The champion did a kip up and went on the attack. He landed a DDT for a two-count. SANADA went for his trademark springboard dropkick, but Okada countered with one of his down. The champion used the guardrail to elevate SANADA and then dumped him down with the DDT.
Okada slapped the challenger with his boot. SANADA landed some forearms, but they were no match for Okada’s shot. The champion landed the neckbreaker. SANADA took Okada to the outside and hit a slingshot splash. The challenger leaped over the top rope to crash into Okada again.
SANADA landed on his feet off a German suplex attempt. The challenger went for Skull End, but was countered into a pin attempt. Okada was able to avoid another Skull End but reaching the ropes before his opponent could fully lock it in. They exchanged forearms again, but this time SANADA had the upperhand.
Okada’s Rainmaker was reversed into the TKO for a near fall. The two reversed submission attempts. SANADA did a springboard into Skull End. The challenger got both hooks in numerous times as the champion fought to break free. Okada eventually reached the ropes.
A tiger suplex couldn’t keep Okada’s shoulders pinned. SANADA tried Skull End from the top turnbuckle. He settled for slamming Okada down by crashing his neck into the knee. SANADA reversed the Rain Maker into his own. Okada locked in Skull End and then his signature dropkick.
Okada hit the Tombstone. He went for the Rain Maker again but SANADA reversed and found another way to lock in Skull End. SANADA hit the moonsault, but Okada barely kicked out. The challenger went for it again, this time Okada got the knees up and hit a half Rain Maker.
A German suplex was there for the champion. He went for Rain Maker, but SANADA countered. Okada caught the challenger going for another Skull End and hit the jumping tombstone. The champion hit the Rain Maker and that was all.
Winner And STILL IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada
After the match, Okada mentioned beating all Los Ingobernables de Japon heavyweights. He also said he wanted to compete in the New Japan Cup despite being the heavyweight champion. Okada then said he’d like to face his fellow CHAOS member Will Ospreay on March 6 at the next anniversary show.
