Power Struggle (2017)

Promotional poster for the event, featuring Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and Kenny Omega

## Information

### City

Osaka, Japan

**Power Struggle (2017)** was professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on November 5, 2017, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Edion Arena Osaka. It was the seventh event under the Power Struggle name. The event featured ten matches (including one dark match), headlined by Hiroshi Tanahashi defending the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Kota Ibushi.

## Production

### Storylines

Power Struggle featured ten professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

Power Struggle was headlined by Hiroshi Tanahashi making his third defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Kota Ibushi. The match was set up during the 2017 G1 Climax, where Ibushi defeated Tanahashi on August 1 with his new finishing maneuver, the *Kamigoye*. Following the conclusion of the tournament, Tanahashi set out to avenge losses he had suffered during the tournament. After successfully defending his IWGP Intercontinental Championship on September 16 at Destruction in Hiroshima against Zack Sabre Jr., another wrestler who had defeated him, Tanahashi called out Kota Ibushi, offering him the next title opportunity. Ibushi accepted and the match was officially announced on October 10.

In the semi-main event of the show, Kenny Omega defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Beretta. The match was set up on October 29, when Beretta, having recently joined NJPW's heavyweight ranks, challenging Omega, who accepted, not taking the challenger seriously.

   In the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match, Will Ospreay would make his first title defense against Marty Scurll. On October 9 at King of Pro-Wrestling, Ospreay ended a four-match losing streak against KUSHIDA and defeated him to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, becoming the first British to win the title. After the match, Hiromu Takahashi entered the ring to seemingly challenge Ospreay, but before he could do so, Marty Scurll came out, "snapped" Takahashi's fingers and made his own challenge to his compatriot Ospreay, which was accepted by the champion. The match was officially announced the following day. Ospreay and Scurll faced off during the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, where Scurll was victorious in his NJPW debut match.

   The NEVER Openweight Championship would also be defended at Power Struggle with thee defending champion Minoru Suzuki making his fourth defense against challenger Toru Yano in a bullrope deathmatch. The two have been engaged in what has been called a "seemingly endless feud" since 2013, when Yano scored his first upset win over Suzuki in the 2013 New Japan Cup. Since then Yano has scored multiple wins over Suzuki with one long-term story involving Suzuki's inability to defeat his rival during NJPW's premier tournament, the G1 Climax. During the 2017 edition of the tournament, Yano again defeated Suzuki after tying him up with tape, which put him in line for a shot at Suzuki's NEVER Openweight Championship. At King of Pro-Wrestling, Suzuki teamed with his Suzuki-gun stablemate Zack Sabre Jr. to take on Yano and his CHAOS stablemate Hirooki Goto. After scoring a countout win over Suzuki, Yano took his rival's championship belt and fled the arena with it. Backstage, an irate Suzuki requested a bullrope deathmatch against Yano, which was officially announced the following day.

The event would also feature the finals of the 2017 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. The first round and semifinals of the tournament took place in October. Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh), the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, earned their spot in the finals by defeating Hirai Kawato and KUSHIDA and *Los Ingobernables de Japon* (BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi), while newcomer team Super 69 (ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi) advanced with wins over two Suzuki-gun teams; Taichi and Taka Michinoku as well as El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and his number one contender Tetsuya Naito, who will headline Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome, would meet at Power Struggle in a ten-man tag team match, where Okada would team with his CHAOS stablemates, while Naito teams with fellow members of *Los Ingobernabes de Japon*.

The event is also set to feature the debut of an individual dubbed "Switchblade", who has been featured in vignettes since the 2017 G1 Climax. The previous year, NJPW had done a similar deal with vignettes hyping "Time Bomb", who was revealed as Hiromu Takahashi at the 2016 Power Struggle.

## References

1. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed. How Pro Wrestling Works . *HowStuffWorks, Inc.*. Discovery Communications. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 ja:【11・5大阪カード決定!!】棚橋と飯伏がIC王座を懸けて再激突！ オスプレイはJr.初防衛戦で好敵手スカルと対決！ 矢野と鈴木の遺恨決着戦はブルロープデスマッチに決定！ (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro-Wrestling* (2017-10-10). Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Currier, Joseph 2017-10-10. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi to headline NJPW Power Struggle . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
4. ↑ Radican, Sean 2017-08-01. Radican's 8/1 G1 Climax 27: Night 11 report – Makabe-Sabre, Goto-Naito, Ibushi-Tanahashi . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
5. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2017-09-16. NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima results: Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 *ja:【新日】ＩＣ王者・棚橋が１１・５大阪で飯伏と激突* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-10-10). Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rose, Bryan 2017-10-08. NJPW King of Pro Wrestling live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Evil . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
8. ↑ *ja:【新日本】オスプレイがIWGPジュニアヘビー初戴冠* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-10-10). Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
9. ↑ Macklin, Matthew 2014-11-21. New Japan Primer: Minoru Suzuki . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
10. ↑ *ja:矢野がみのるに逆性悪要求* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2013-08-29). Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
11. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (August 21, 2017). "August 21, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Ric Flair in critical condition in the hospital, G1 Climax finals, more". *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Campbell, California: 10–16. ISSN 1083-9593.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `FullCard`
13. ↑ Namako, Jason 2017-10-09. 10/9 NJPW King of Pro Wrestling Results: Tokyo (Okada vs. Evil) . *Wrestleview*. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.
14. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-11-04. NJPW Power Struggle live results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay Lethal . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-10-10.

## External links

* The official New Japan Pro-Wrestling website