recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Memorial Gate in Wakayama (2016)

The **Memorial Gate in Wakayama 2016** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and GAORA TV event promoted by Dragon Gate. The event took place on March 21 2016, in Wakayama at the Wakayama Prefectural Gym and was the third event under the Memorial Gate in Wakayama.

The event featured 7 matches with three of Dragon Gate's sixth championships on the line. The main event saw Shingo Takagi defeating Ryo "Jimmy" Saito to retain the Open The Dream Gate Championship. All in all, the events featured no title changes.

## Production

### Storylines

On March 5 Naoki Tanizaki attacked Yosuke♥Santa Maria and challenged Maria for the Open The Brave Gate Championship and Maria accepted the challenge and the match was set to be at the Memorial Gate later that night MONSTER EXPRESS (Masato Yoshino, T-Hawk and Akira Tozawa) retained the Open The Triangle Gate Championship, after the match VerserK attacked them and Naruki Doi, YAMATO and Kotoka challenged Monster Express for the Open The Triangle Gate Champions and the match was set for Memorial Gate. On the next day Shingo Takagi won the Open The Dream Gate Championship after the match Takagi insulted Jimmy Susumu and Ryo "Jimmy" Saito attacked Takagi and challenged him for the Open The Dream Gate Champion.

## References

* http://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=149394

## External links

* http://www.iheartdg.com/category/results/glorious-gate-2016/
Mashio Koma

###

Tokyo, Japan

**Hideo Koma** (駒 秀雄, *Koma Hideo*, May 18, 1940 – May 10, 1976), best known by his ring name **Mashio Koma** (マシオ駒, *Koma Mashio*), was a Japanese professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). He was the first Japanese to win Mexican based title in 1970 during EMLL tour. He would also travel to the United States where is former NWA United States and Westren States Tag Team Champion.

## Professional wrestling career

Hideo Koma joined JWA in June 1961 and had his debut match few months later. Besides his real name, the ring names **Atsuhide Koma** and **Kakutaro Koma.** He became the first attendent for Giant Baba during this time, and thier respect for each other would stay until his death.

In January 1970 he would travel for Mexico and work under the ring name **Mashio Koma**. On June 28, 1970 he would defeated El Solitario for the NWA World Middleweight Championship, becoming the first Japanese to win a Mexican based championship. After helding it for six months later he would loss the title to Anibal on December 6, 1970. Afterwards he would later mve to United States wresle in the golf coast area primarlly in Texas in the Amarillo area where he lead to Baba and Funk familly forming a strong relationship between them.

After his time in North America he would return to Japan where he co-founded with Baba All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1972. Eventualy he would become a coach and booker for the forgein and rookie talent alongside Joe Higuchi. Meanwhile Kotetsu Yamamoto who was his rival during his JWA early days was at the time the head coach of the NJPW Dojo although the promotions isolited themselfs from each other. The friendship between them would remain tight and they would exchange ideas about coaching younger wrestlers.

On March 10, 1976 Koma passed awy due to liver faliure at 35 years age.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Dropkick

## Championships and accomplishments

* **Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre**
	+ NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
* **Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling**
	+ NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Gulf Coast version) (2 times) – with The Great Ota
* **NWA Western States Sports**
	+ NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Motoshi Okuma
Salman Hashimikov

**Salman Alkhazurovich Hashimikov**, also spelled **Hasimikov** (Russian: **Салман Хасимиков**), is a prominent Soviet heavyweight wrestler. A Chechen from Russia, he won two European and four World Championship gold medals in freestyle wrestling (1979, 1981, 1982, 1983). He had also won European and World gold as a Junior in 1970-71. After an unsuccessful business career, Salman spent five years as a professional wrestler in Japan. There he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Big Van Vader in May 1989.

## Professional wrestling career

After a long career as an amateur wrestler Hashimikov and Victor Zangiev travelled to Japan training for a professional wrestling career in the NJPW Dojo, specifically by NJPW founder Antonio Inoki. Hashimikov made his debut against his friend Zangrief on February 22, 1989 in a five-minute exhibition match that ended in a draw between the two former amateur world champions. On May 25 of that year Hashimikov defeated Big Van Vader to become the first European to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. His reign was short lived as he lost the championship in his first defense only 48 days later, to Riki Choshu. Hashimikov was the first actual Russian-born to win a professional wrestling title in the capitalist countries before the Cold War ended, at the time most "Russians" in North America and Japan were in fact characters played by either Russian descendants or wrestlers with no Russian connection. In December, 1990 Hashimikov and Zangriev travelled to the United States for their first, and only wrestling show, the 1990 Starrcade. At Starrcade they participated in the Pat O'Connor memorial tag team tournament. In the first round they defeated the team of Danny Johnson and Troy Montour representing Canada. In the second round the Russian team lost to NJPW representatives Mr. Saito and The Great Muta. Upon his return to Japan Hashimikov began working for UWF International in 1993 and 1994.

## In professional wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
* *Water Wheel Drop* (Double leg back body drop)

## Professional wrestling championships and accomplishments

* **New Japan Pro Wrestling**
* IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Michael Nakazawa

###

Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan

**Shoji Nakazawa** (中澤公胤, *Nakazawa Shoji*) (born October 8, 1975) better known by the ring name **Michael Nakazawa** (中澤マイケル, *Nakazawa Micheal*) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). He also appeared sporadically for Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Kaientai Dojo. Nakazawa studied in the United States and is a fluent speaker of English. He often acted as an interpreter for English-speaking foreign wrestlers in Japan and through this relationship he met Kenny Omega, with whom he has shared a ring with, both as an opponent and as a tag team partner.

## Early life

Nakazawa attended Tokai University before studying abroad in the United States were he obtained an MSc Sports Science at the United States Sports Academy (USSA) Graduate School. Nakazawa's father, Kazunari Nakazawa, is an associate professor at Tokai University and director of the American Football club.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Spear*
	+ Firebird Splash
* **Entrance Themes**
	+ Michael Jackson (Original Mix) by Fatboy Slim

## Championships and accomplishments

* **Dramatic Dream Team**
	+ DDT Extreme Division Championship (1 times)
	+ KO-D Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Tomomitsu Matsunaga (1) and Kenny Omega (1)
	+ UWA World Trios Championship (1 time) - with Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Hikaru Sato
	+ Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (14 times)
Memorial Gate in Wakayama (2012)

Promotional poster for the event, featuring various Dragon Gate wrestlers

The **Memorial Gate in Wakayama 2012** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and GAORA TV event promoted by Dragon Gate. The event took place on March 25 2012, in Wakayama at the Wakayama Prefectural Gym and was the second event under the Memorial Gate in Wakayama.

The event featured 7 matches with four of Dragon Gate's three championships on the line. The main event saw Jimmyz (Jimmy Susumu, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito and Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!) defeating Mad Blankey (BxB Hulk, Cyber Kong and Naoki Tanisaki) All in all, the events featured two title changes.

## Background

Last Gate featured professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines that played out on the Dragon Gate's television program. Wrestlers portrayed heroes or villains as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

## Results

### Three-way elimination six-man tag team match

 Winner:
New Japan Cup USA (2020)

The logo of 2020 New Japan Cup USA

**New Japan Cup USA (2020)** was a single-elimination tournament produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling's sub-brand New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA). The tournament started on August 7, 2020 and was concluded on August 21, 2020. The New Japan Cup USA was a spin-off of NJPW's annual New Japan Cup, with the 2020 version being the inaugural edition. The winner receives an opportunity at the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. The tournament matches were contested through NJPW's weekly television show, *NJPW Strong* series.

## Background

Since 2005, NJPW began holding the New Japan Cup, becoming NJPW's second most prominent tournament, after the G1 Climax, which is held in a round-robin format, being held usually in March or April. Since 2006, the winner, receives an opportunity at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. On March 10, 2020, NJPW announced that the remainder of the tournament would be canceled as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, under the recommendations of the Japanese Ministry of Health. On July 31, during an online press conference, NJPW of America CEO Takami Obari announced the New Japan Cup USA, the American version of the New Japan Cup, to be held between August 7 and August 21, featuring the foreign talent working in NJPW, with the winner receiving an opportunity for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. The following day, NJPW annnounced the participants for the tournament, an outside entrant included Brody King from Ring of Honor (ROH).

## Results

### Night 1

 2
 3
 4

### Night 2

 2
 3
 4

### Night 3

 2
 3

## Aftermath

After KENTA won the tournament on August 21, he was handed a contract, which gave him the right to challenge for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, in which he would have to defend it, similar to the Tokyo Dome IWGP World Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate. Following succesfull title defenses against Jeff Cobb, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay, Brody King, and Satoshi Kojima on February 26, 2021 at The New Beginning in USA, KENTA unsuccesfully challenged Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

## See also

* New Japan Cup
* New Japan Cup USA

## Notes

1. ↑ The tournament was held behind closed doors due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic in the United States.
New Japan Cup USA

The **New Japan Cup USA** (often abbreviated **NJCUSA**) is an annual single-elimination tournament held by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW)'s sub-brand New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America since 2020. The tournament is the counterpart of its Japanese version held in Japan by NJPW.

The tournament is considered the one of the most prominent tournaments in NJoA. In 2020, the winner, received an opportunity at the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. However, in 2021, the winner would be crowned the inaugural Strong Openweight Champion. Unlike the G1 Climax, the reigning IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion does not participate in the tournament. The tournament was originally related to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic with many wrestlers outside Japan not being able to participate in the New Japan Cup held in Japan. KENTA, is the inaugural winner of the tournament.

In 2020, the winner of the tournament was handed a contract, which gaves the right to challenge for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. The certificate is kept in a briefcase that the wrestler then has to defend until receiving the match, similar to the Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate and WWE's *Money in the Bank* contract. The tournament matches are contested through NJPW's weekly television show, *NJPW Strong* series.

## Results

### 2020

On July 31, during an online press conference, NJPW of America CEO Takami Obari announced the New Japan Cup USA, the American version of the New Japan Cup, to be held between August 7 and August 21, featuring the foreign talent working in NJPW, with the winner receiving an opportunity for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. The tournament matches were contested through NJPW's weekly television show, *NJPW Strong* series. The winner of the tournament, KENTA was handed a contract, which gave the right to challenge for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, in which it had to be defended until receiving his match, similar to the Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate.

### 2021

On February 28, NJPW announced the the second edition of the tournament. In March, NJPW held various qualifying matches to determine the participants for the tournament, with the bracket being revealed on March 28. The tournament itself took part in April. The tournament matches were contested through NJPW's weekly television show, *NJPW Strong* series. The winner of the tournament would be crowned the inaugural Strong Openweight Champion.

## See also

* New Japan Cup
* NJPW Strong

## Gallery

* Gallery
* Winners

New Japan Cup USA trophyNew Japan Cup USA trophy alongside Strong Openweight ChampionshipKENTA with his briefcaseKENTA with his briefcase after being repaired

KENTATom Lawlor
Ryoya Tanaka

Tanaka in December 2023

###

Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan

**Ryoya Tanaka** (田中良弥, *Tanaka Ryoya*, born January 16, 1999), is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Dragon Gate (DG).

Tanaka was trained in the Dragon Gate Dojo and made his debut in May 2023 working as a rookie, being placed on Dragon Gate's mid-card for under a half-year, before joining D'Courage in November 2023.

## Professional Wrestling Career

### Dragon Gate (2023–Present)

In 2023, Yanagiuchi earned a training spot in the Dragon Gate Dojo dojo being inserted in the Dragon Gate Future class, being introduced by Dragon Gate's General manager Ryo Saito on May 15. He made his official debut facing former Open The Dream Gate Champion YAMATO, in a losing effort on May 28. As is customary for most professional wrestlers, Yanagiuchi spent most of his matches losing to other, more experienced wrestlers, which would help put over other wrestlers while at the same time give Watanabe some in-ring, televised, experience. On October 15, Dragon Gate held the Royal Sambo battle royale, which was won by Genki Horiguchi after he pinned Tanaka for the win. Afterwards, reigning Open The Brave Gate Champion ISHIN came out to evaluate the field and proclaimed the winner would not necessarily be his opponent. Horiguchi offered the choice between himself or Ryoya Tanaka, with ISHIN chosing the rookie Tanaka, who had only 5 months in his career to his name, to be his next challenger. On October 29, despite being defeated by ISHIN in a tag team match, Tanaka claimed that he would win the Open The Brave Gate Championship and become the fastest to ever do so following their debut. On November 5 at Gate of Destiny, Tanaka unsuccessfully challenged ISHIN for the Open The Brave Gate Championship. Four days later, Tanaka was accepted into D'Courage.

## In wrestling

* **Entrance themes**
	+ **"Future Dreams"** by Yatsuka Nakagawa
Nemesis (2022)

Promotional poster featuring various NJPW wrestlers

**Nemesis (2022)** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling's sub-brand New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA). The event took place on December 9, 2022 at The Vermont in Hollywood, California, United States. This was the first show under the Nemesis name. The show was also part of the *NJPW Strong* television series.

## Storylines

The event featured 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.

## Results

### Night 1

 2
 3

* (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
* – refers to the video of that match

### Night 2

 2
 3

* (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
* – refers to the video of that match

### Night 3

 2
 3

* (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
* – refers to the video of that match

### Night 4

 2
 3

* (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
* – refers to the video of that match
O-40 Championship

The **O-40 Championship** (O-40王座, *ōbā fōtī ōza*) is a professional wrestling championship in the Japanese promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling. The title was established in 2019 during the 2019 Wrestle Peter Pan, which Sanshiro Takagi became the inaugural champion. The O-40 Championship was created by Super Sasadango Machine to provide a title for wrestlers over the age of 40.

## History

### Background

In June 2019, Sanshiro Takagi and Super Sasadango Machine were putting together their match for the 2019 Wrestle Peter Pan, Sasadango felt a championship was needed to make it important, but he also wanted to inspire the DDT fans of their age and tell them they could still perform. The idea was a parody of NJPW's IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship that existed during the mid 2000s.

## Gallery

* Gallery
* Champions

Sanshiro Takagi and Super Sasadango Machine posing with DDT Assistant Producer Hisaya Imabayashi before the inaugural championship match

Sanshiro TakagiGorgeous MatsunoToru Owashi
Princess of Princess Championship

## Tokyo Princess Of Princess Championship

The **Princess Of Princess Championship** (プリンセス・オブ・プリンセス王座, *Purinsesu Obu Purinsesu Ōza*) is the top singles championship in Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on October 12, 2015, and the inaugural champion was crowned on January 4, 2016, when Miyu Yamashita defeated Shoko Nakajima to become the inaugural champion.

## Overview

On October 12, 2015 Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling announced that they were going to have their first championship, with the inaugural champion being crowned at the Korakuen Hall on January 4, 2016. It was also announced that it was going to have two battle royals with the winners moving to a decision match on January 4, 2016 to crown inaugural champion. On January 3 the name of the title was revealed to be **Tokyo Princess Of Princess Championship** (TOKYOプリンセス・オブ・プリンセス王座, *Tōkyō Purinsesu Obu Purinsesu Ōza*). The following day Miyu Yamashita defeated Shoko Nakajima to become the inaugural champion. On July 16, 2019, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling announced, via their Twitter account, that they would drop the name **Tokyo** of the title.

## Gallery

* Gallery
* Champions

Original belt design

Miyu YamashitaYuuYuka SakazakiReika SaikiShoko NakajimaRika Tatsumi
Poison Sawada Julie

###

Tokyo, Japan

**Atsuo Sawada** (澤田 篤男, *Sawada Atsuo*, born February 5, 1964) is a professional wrestler, best known for his work in Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) under the ring name **Poison Julie Sawada** (ポイズンJULIE澤田, *Poizun JULIE Sawada*). Initially trained by New Japan Pro Wrestling, Sawada found prominence after making his debut for DDT in 1999. He worked for the promotion for over thirteen years, becoming a two-time KO-D Openweight Champion and a seven-time Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion, before retiring in November 2012 only to return in 2017.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Moai of Easter/Poison Fantasia* (Union) (Sitout inverted suplex slam)
* **Signature moves**
	+ Asian mist
	+ Bridging grounded double chickenwing - Innovated
	+ Chokeslam
	+ Cobra clutch
	+ Falcon arrow
	+ Figure four leglock
	+ Guillotine choke
	+ High knee
	+ *Mamushi Vice* (Anaconda vice)
	+ Spinning heel kick
	+ *Yamato no Orochi* (Inverted facelock takeover, sometimes while applying a sleeper hold)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **Dramatic Dream Team**
	+ KO-D Openweight Championship (2 times)
	+ Jiyugaoka Six-Person Tag Team Championship (2 times)
	+ KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with MIKAMI, Tanomusaku Toba,GENTARO and Takashi Sasaki
	+ Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (7 times, inaugural)
	+ King of DDT (2004)
* **Pro Wrestling Crusaders**
	+ PWC Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **Other titles**
	+ CMA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cagematch profile .
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 WrestlingData profile .
NJPW Kizuna Road

The **Kizuna Road** is a professional wrestling event held annually since 2012 by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Kizuna Road is a series of six to ten shows usually held in July, but recently in June. The first tour was to celebrate NJPW's 40th Anniversary. The tour took a hiatus in 2015, but returned the following year. The Kizuna Road tour is held after Dominion and before the G1 Climax. Since 2016, the event has aired worldwide on NJPW's Internet streaming site, NJPW World.

Since the beginning of the Kizuna Road that features title matches for most of NJPW championships titles including the IWGP Heavyweight and Junior Heavyweight and the NEVER Openweight and 6-Man Tag Team Championships. Also in the beginning until the last of the tours are usually held in the Korakuen Hall.
Pro Wrestling Masters

**Pro Wrestling Masters** is list of shows created by Keiji Mutoh. That shows will featured puroresu legends and wrestlers from other promotions and freelancers. Due to the success of the first show it was announced a second show to be held on July 26, 2017.

## History

On December 7, 2016 Keiji Mutoh announced a special show that would be held on February 8, 2017 at the Korakuen Hall. This will be a new project helmed by Mutoh which featured masters (legends) of the pro-wrestling ring. Mutoh also announced the match card of the match with the main event being a Eight-Man Tag Team Match featuring Mutoh, Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami and Jushin Thunder Liger against Shiro Koshinaka, The Great Kabuki, Akira and Akitoshi Saito. On February 8 during the first show Mutoh announced due to the success of the first show that a second show that will be held on July 26, 2017. This show also featured a one night only return match of the japanese legend Hiroshi Hase.

## Pro Wrestling Masters I

**Date:** February 8, 2017
**Venue:** Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan
**Attendance:** 1,589

 2
 3
 4
 5

## Pro Wrestling Masters II

**Date:** July 26, 2017
**Venue:** Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan
**Attendance:** 1,589

Single Match
 2
 3
 4
 5

## Pro Wrestling Masters III

**Date:** February 16, 2018
**Venue:** Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan
**Attendance:** 1,639

 2
 3
 4
 5

## Pro Wrestling Masters IV

**Date:** August 21, 2018
**Venue:** Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan
**Attendance:** 1,382

 2
 3
 4
 5

## Pro Wrestling Masters V

**Date:** February 15, 2019
**Venue:** Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan
**Attendance:** 1,759

 2
 3
 4
 5

## Pro Wrestling Masters VI

**Date:** August 30, 2019
**Venue:** Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan
**Attendance:** 1,760

 2
 3
 4
 5

## Pro Wrestling Masters VII

**Date:** February 28, 2020
**Venue:** Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan
**Attendance:** 1,328

 2
 3
 4
 5
Princess Tag Team Championship

The **Princess Tag Team Championship** (プリンセスタッグ王座, *Purinsusu Taggu Ōza*) is the top tag team title Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 26, 2017, making the second ever title in Tokyo Joshi Pro despite only having the Tokyo Princess of Princess Championship.

## Championship tournament

The tournament to crown the inaugural Tokyo Princess Of Princess Tag Team Champions takes place between September 30 and December 2. The title was first revealed on August 26, 2017. Four days later, the title was officially announced in a press conference with the teams taking part of the tournament were also announced. On July 16, 2019, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling announced, via their Twitter account, that they would drop the name **Tokyo** of the title.

Participants
* Muscle Strikers (Reika Saiki and Miyu Yamashita)
* Miracle Apricots (Yuka Sakazaki and Shoko Nakajima)
* BRAVE☆MATES (Yuu and Nodoka-oneesan)
* Dragon Bombers (Rika Tatsumi and Maho Kurone)
* Ito Respect Army (Maki Itoh and Mizuki)
* Konkatsu-gun (Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko)
* trick student (Yuna Manase and Marika Kobashi)

## Gallery

* Gallery
* Champions

Participants of the inaugural Championship tournament

Yuka Sakazaki and Shoko NakajimaSaki-sama and Azusa ChristieReika Saiki and Marika KobashiYuka Sakazaki and MIZUKISaki-sama and MisaoRika Tatsumi and Miu WatanabeNodoka Tenma and Yuki AinoSaki-sama and Mei Saint-MichelSaki Akai and Yuki AraiPrincesstag-wastelandwpc.jpgHeidi Howitzer and Max The Impaler
Rumble on 44th Street

Promotional poster featuring various wrestlers

**Rumble on 44th Street** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling's New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA). The event took place on October 28, 2022, in New York City at the Palladium Times Square. The event was preceded by a Halloween inspired event named *The Night Before Rumble on 44th Street* on October 27.

## Storylines

Rumble on 44th Street featured professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

### Event

A supplemental show, entitled *The Night Before Rumble on 44th Street: A Halloween Special*, as the name implies, was held the night before the main show on October 27, 2022. No matches were deliberately announced in advance to keep the show a mystery for fans. The show featured many surprises, such as a reunion of the Forever Hooligans tag team as Alex Koslov came out of retirement for one night only, Strong Openweight Champion Fred Rosser facing off against former World Championship Wrestling wrestler Crowbar, and a 12-man elimination tag team match in the main event, featuring the likes of IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Homicide, and wrestlers from All Elite Wrestling, such as Eddie Kingston and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.

The event hosted the presence of several World Wonder Ring Stardom wrestlers. The pre-show of the event saw Cosmic Angels unit members Mina Shirakawa and Waka Tsukiyama unsuccessfully challenging Kylie Rae and Tiara James. STARS unit leader Mayu Iwatani successfully defended the SWA World Championship against KiLynn King. In the second match, Yujiro Takahashi and Sho defeated Rocky Romero and Yoh. After the match, Lio Rush showed up to help the Chaos members. Alex Coughlin returned after the second match and announced his participation in the World Tag League. Ken Shamrock escorted Clark Connors to the ring. A staredown ensued between the two Pancrase legends following Suzuki's win. In the end, however, the two hugged.

## Results

The Night Before Rumble on 44th Street

Rumble on 44th Street
NWF Heavyweight Championship

The **NWF Heavyweight Championship** is a professional wrestling championship used as part of the National Wrestling Federation and later New Japan Pro Wrestling.

## History

The NWF (National Wrestling Federation) Heavyweight Championship was created by wrestling promoter Pedro Martinez for his NWF promotion in New York in 1970. The title was mainly defended in the New York/Canada area, until then-champion Johnny Powers took the belt with him on a tour of Japan with Tokyo Pro Wrestling. Powers would lost the title to Antonio Inoki, who would take the belt with when he found New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Inoki became the wrestler most associated with the title due to his high profile defenses of the title, beating the likes of Stan Hansen, André the Giant, Tiger Jeet Singh and Ernie Ladd while champion. Recognized as a four-time NWF Heavyweight champion, between the years of 1973 and 1983, Inoki was champion for all but six months. Inoki's fourth reign was actually due to the decision to hold up the championship, following a defense against Stan Hansen on April 17, 1981 that ended in a no contest. Inoki later regained the title on April 23, 1981 by defeating Hansen in a rematch. He retired the NWF title immediately after the match due to his desire to enter the 1983 IWGP League.

As part of a NJPW storyline, the NWF Heavyweight championship was revived in August 2002. Mixed martial arts fighter Kazuyuki Fujita held a tournament to crown a new champion to rival the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The tournament participants were announced to be wrestlers with a background in MMA, including Fujita, Yoshihiro Takayama, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, and Tadao Yasuda. Takayama won the tournament on January 4, 2003, beating Kosaka with a knee kick in the finals to become the first champion in over two decades. Takayama later lost the NWF Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura exactly a year later to unify the NWF and IWGP titles. Nakamura formally announced his vacating of the NWF Heavyweight title on January 5, 2004, retiring the belt for a second time during its history.

## Title history

*An (n) indicates that a title changes occurred **no later than** the listed date.*

## Gallery

* Champions

Johnny PowersAntonio InokiStan HansenTiger Jeet SinghYoshihiro TakayamaShinsuke Nakamura
New Sunrise (2021)

Promotional poster for the event, featuring a match between Kenoh and Go Shiozaki

## Information

### Sponsor(s)

The Reeve
OSG
water\*net

### City

Tokyo, Japan

The **New Sunrise (2021)** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). The show took place on January 4, 2021 at the Koruaken Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The event was broadcasted live on AbemaTV online linear television service and CyberFight's streaming service Wrestle Universe and Fighting TV Samurai! as a pay-per-view (PPV). This was the second event under the New Sunrise name.

## Production

### Background

On September 9, 2019, Noah announced they would run the *Korakuen Hall* for two nights; the *New Sunrise* on January 4 and the second night the *Reboot* on January 5 of 2020, which coincided with NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome, which was also on both nights, as part of LIDET Entertainment's plan to relaunch the promotion as the second largest promotion in Japan.

In November 2020, Noah announced that event would be returning on January 4, 2021 to coincide with first night of the NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 15 in Tokyo Dome. On December 16, it was announced the event would be broadcasted on AbemaTV and Wrestle Universe and Fighting TV Samurai! as a pay-per-view's (PPV) after Noah was acquired by CyberAgent in January 2020.

### Storylines

New Sunrise featured 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.
Shachihoko Machine

**Shachihoko Machine** (しゃちほこマシーン, *Shachihoko Mashīn*) is a gimmick character that began in Toryumon 2000 Project and crossed over into Toryumon Japan then Dragon Gate. It is generally a comedy act competing on the undercard for virtually all shows it participates in.

On the Toryumon Japan vs T2P Event there were four individuals dressed has Shachihoko Machine, two by the side of T2P, and two by the side of Toryumon Japan.

## Known Identities

* Kei Sato
* Shu Sato
* Shachihoko BOY
* Masato Yoshino
King of Pro-Wrestling

**King of Pro-Wrestling** is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held every October since 2012 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also aired internationally as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV) until 2015, when it was moved to NJPW's worldwide internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World. King of Pro-Wrestling was created by Bushiroad, a card game company, which had bought NJPW in January 2012. The event became NJPW's main show of October, a spot previously held by Destruction, which was instead moved back to September. The event takes place annually on the second Monday of October, the day of the Japanese public holiday known as the Health and Sports Day (体育の日, *Taiiku no hi*). Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed "Autumn Showdown at Ryōgoku" (秋の両国決戦, *Aki no Ryōgoku Kessen*). King of Pro-Wrestling is also the name of a collectible card game, created by Bushiroad.

## References

1. ↑ Caldwell, James 2012-01-31. NJPW News: New Japan sold to new owners, change-over taking effect February 1 . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2013-10-23.
2. ↑ *ja:【10.13両国全カード決定!】年内最後の“IWGPヘビー選手権”AJvs棚橋！“権利証戦”オカダvs内藤！勝者同士が1.4東京ドームで激突!!* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2014-09-24). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.
3. ↑ *ja:【10.12両国全カードが決定！】メインはオカダvsAJ！棚橋vs内藤！真壁vs石井！ケニーvsサイダル！ジュニアタッグ戦！本間vsYoshiも実現！* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2015-09-29). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.
4. ↑ *ja:新日本プロレスのトレーディングカードゲーム「キング オブ プロレスリング」概要決定!! 8月の『G1』で先行発売!!* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2012-02-29). Retrieved on 2013-10-23.
PWF United States Heavyweight Championship

The **Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) United States Heavyweight Championship** is a former secundary championship defended in All Japan Pro Wrestling.

## Overveiw

The title was established in 1970 when The Destroyer, who held the Hawaii version of the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship, had the belt which would become the PWF United States Championship made to replace the original North American title belt, which had fallen into disrepair. The Destroyer then embarked on a world tour, on which he was billed as United States Champion. The title ended up becoming an official PWF title later on, and was retired in 1979 when Destroyer decided to return to the United States.

## Gallery

* Champions

The DestroyerAbdullah the Butcher
Pro Wrestling Wave

***Pro Wrestling Wave***

**Pro Wrestling Wave** (プロレスリングWave, *Puroresuringu Wave*), is a women's professional wrestling, or Joshi Puroresu, promotion created in 2007 after the dissolution and closure of JDStar. The company was formed by Mikiko Futagami, or Gami, former JDStar wrestler Yumi Ohka, and former JDStar booker Tatsuya Takeshi, who assumed the role of President for the new company. The company has had a very slow growth and grassroots rise, and is one of the few women's promotions in Japan to do shows on weekdays.

2010 was the biggest year for Wave, which saw them run Tokyo's Korakuen Hall for the first time, along with their first television broadcast by Samurai! TV, which was also a first. Prior to the show, Wave's shows were (and still are) primarily sold as DVDs.

Gami wrestled her retirement match on December 30, 2013, but remains with the promotion behind the scenes, running it through Zabun, Co., Ltd.

On May 3, 2016, Wave announced it was launching its own internet streaming site, Wave Network, the following month.

## Roster

### Staff

* Atsushi Ishiguro (referee)
* Michiko Nonaka (Announcer)
* Kiri Yoshino (Announcer)
* Mikiko Futagami (executive producer)
* Toshie Uematsu (trainer)

## Championships

 Wave Tag Team Championship | galaxyPunch!(Hikari Shimizu and Saki) | 2(2, 2) | August 13, 2022
 World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana World Championship | Nagisa Nozaki | 1
Rocky Lobo

###

Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico

**Rocky Lobo** is a Mexican *luchador enmascarado* or masked professional wrestler. In addition to working for promotions such as Desastre Total Ultraviolento (DTU), Lobo is also known for his work in the Japanese Dragon Gate promotion, where he was part of the stable Millenials. He his also worked in Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan where he was part of the 2014 NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League with Jinzo as La 4a Dimension. His real name is not a matter of official record as he is an enmascarado, which by lucha libre traditions means that his personal life is kept secret from the general public.

## Personal Life

Lobo trained for three years to be a professional wrestler and he was trained by his uncle Super Crazy and his father Taz El Feroz.

## Professional wrestling career

### Dragon Gate (2013)

In October 2013, it was announced that Rocky Lobo, along with fellow Mexican Flamita, had been signed by the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. He made his debut for the promotion on October 26, 2013, as part of the Millenials unit. Lobo stayed in Dragon Gate until December. On December 22 Lobo and his Millenials stablemates U-T and Yosuke♥Santa Maria defeated Jimmyz (Jimmy Kagetora and Jimmy Kanda) and Ryotsu Shimizu since that match Lobo was not seen in Dragon Gate and returned to Mexico.

### Pro Wrestling Noah (2014)

On June 21, 2014 Lobo made his debut at Pro Wrestling Noah when he lost to Kenoh. On July 19 to August 2 Lobo and Jinzo participated at the NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League and they finished the tournament with only 2 points winning only one match and lost the rest of their matches.

## References

1. ↑ cagematch profile  (in Japanese). *cagematch*. cagematch. Retrieved on 2016-07-15.
2. ↑ Millennials  (in Japanese). *cagematch*. cagematch. Retrieved on 2016-07-15.
3. ↑ Noah  (in Japanese). *cagematch*. cagematch. Retrieved on 2016-07-15.
4. ↑ Ruiz Glez, Alex 2013-10-15. ¡Flamita y Rocky Lobo firman con Dragón Gate!  (in Spanish). *Superluchas*. Retrieved on 2015-07-27.
Omori Dream Fair Championship

The **Omori Dream Fair Championship** s a secondary singles championship in  DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) promotion. The first champion was crowned on September 29, 2006. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won as a result of a scripted match. Since 2014, the title has been defended anually and it was made a #1 contendership battle royal and winner would recieve his chance in the following year.

## Gallery

* Champions

Makoto Oishi
Oskar Leube

Oskar in March 2023

###

Hamburg, Germany

**Oskar Münchow** (born 14 July 1998) is a German professional wrestler, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name **Oskar Leube**.

## Professional wrestling career

### Early Career (2019-2022)

In January 2019, Münchow began training at the Fale Dojo in New Zealand. Two months later, on March 3, Münchow had his pro-wrestling debyt. In November 2021, Münchow returned to Germany, where he began to compete in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) under the ring name Oskar. On November 13, in his wXw debut, Oskar defeated Norman Harras by pinfall. On March 5, 2022, at wXwNOW & Friends, he won the wXw Academy Trophy Championship defeating Goldenboy Santos.

### New Japan Pro Wrestling (2022–Present)

On November 20, 2022, at Historic X-Over, Leube made his NJPW debut, as a Young Lion, where he, Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita and Yuto Nakashima lost to Alex Coughlin, Gabriel Kidd, Clark Connors, and Kevin Knight. Three days later, at night two of the Super Junior Tag League, Leube had his first win in NJPW when he teamed up with Fujita to defeat Oiwa and Nakashima.

## In wrestling

* **Signature moves**
	+ Boston crab
	+ Dropkick
Peter Pan

**Peter Pan** (ピーターパン, *Pītā Pan*) is an annual major professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, held by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). The event is usually held in summer and is DDT's biggest, and arguably the most important, event of the year, equivalent to the Dragon Gate's Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival and the NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom and it is regarded as DDT's flagship event.

Since 2009, the attendance began to grow over the years and the event was usually in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, leading DDT to change the venue to the Nippon Budokan in 2012, in which the event, surpassed DDT's attendance records with 10,124 records. However, over the years the attendance began decreasing, leading DDT to announce they would change the venue to the Saitama Super Arena in the summer of 2020. The 2019 show had the lowest attendance in the event's history with 3,798 fans. Since 2009 has aired domestically on Fighting TV Samurai. In 2017, all events became available in their streaming service DDT Universe. The 2020 edition of the event, would be postponed, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, following Japan's declaration of State of Emergency. On May 16, it was announced that Peter Pan, set to take place on June 6 and June 7, the event was previously scheduled for Saitama Super Arena in Saitama would instead be moved to the DDT TV Show Studio in Tokyo, without an audience on AbemaTV and Wrestle Universe.

DDT often invites other promotions from Japan to participate in their Peter Pan shows such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Dragon Gate, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Kaientai Dojo, Pro Wrestling Noah, Pro Wrestling Freedoms, Michinoku Pro Wrestling, and Wrestle-1. The shows have regularly featured wrestlers from all over Japan including Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji, Masahiro Chono, The Great Kojika, The Great Sasuke, Taka Michinoku, Tatsumi Fujinami and Shuji Kondo.

## Footnotes

1. ↑ The event was moved, rescheduled and held behind closed doors due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Shinichi Suzukawa

**Wakakirin Shinichi** (若麒麟 真一, *Wakakirin Shin'ichi*), born September 21, 1983 as **Shinichi Suzukawa** (鈴川真一, *Suzukawa Shin'ichi*), is a former sumo wrestler from Hyōgo prefecture in Japan. His highest rank was *maegashira* 9. He was thrown out of the sport in February 2009 after being arrested for cannabis possession. In 2010 he became a professional wrestler.

## Professional wrestling career

In 2010, Wakakirin, still using his sumo name returned to the ring as a professional wrestler, training in Antonio Inoki's Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) stable. His first match was on the IGF-13 card in December, when he defeated Mark Coleman by referee stop. The match was controversial, and Coleman's colleague, Phil Baroni accused Wakakirin of shooting on Coleman in what was supposed to be a worked match. He made his comments on this on the Nightmare of Battle website.

Wakakirin's next fight was scheduled for December 31 against Bob Sapp, but the match never took place as Sapp refused to leave his dressing room. He was also scheduled to face Kimbo Slice on February 5 in Fukuoka, but that fight never took place as Kimbo went down with an injury. In 2011 he was named the sport's rookie of the year by *Tokyo Sports*.

## Championship and accomplishments

* ***Tokyo Sports***
	+ Newcomer Award (2011)
One Night Dream

Promotional poster featuring Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kento Miyahara

**One Night Dream** was a professional wrestling event promoted by CyberFight's sub-brand Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). The event took place on July 15, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Korakuen Hall. The event aired on CyberAgent's AbemaTV online linear television service and CyberFight's streaming service Wrestle Universe. The event was main event by Katsuhiko Nakajima facing All Japan Pro Wrestling's Kento Miyahara.

## Production

### Background

One Night Dream was officially announced on June 17, 2023. The event aired live on AbemaTV online linear television service and CyberFight's streaming service Wrestle Universe, with English commentary being provided by Mark Pickering and Stewart Fulton. Tickets sold out before the day of the event.

### Storylines

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

   The One Night Dream was main evented by Katsuhiko Nakajima facing All Japan Pro Wrestling's Kento Miyahara. On June 17, Katsuhiko Nakajima said that he was going to do something interesting, and this led to Nakajima challenging All Japan Pro Wrestling's Kento Miyahara to a singles match at One Night Dream. Their match was made official on June 21 in a press conference, with Miyahara slapping Nakajima to the floor. To Nakajima, Miyahara's behavior stemmed from jealousy, which he said was a "hindrance", to Miyahara it was a sense of incompatibility and a battle to overcome his senior for the position in wrestling he had seen Nakajima hold for so long. This was their first singles match in ten years, with Nakajima winning the first match. Their rivalry dates back when Miyahara joined the Kensuke Office (later Diamond Ring). There he met Nakajima, who he felt had different values, Nakajima had been scouted as a Karate champion, while he himself got into wrestling as he loved it. Over the following years, after Diamond Ring closed Miyahara eventually went to AJPW and Nakajima to Pro Wrestling Noah. The two faced each other for the first time in ten years at the Keiji Mutoh Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last-Love" on February 21, where both faced each other in a six-man tag team match.
Sakura Genesis

**Sakura Genesis** was an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Originally known as **Invasion Attack**,  The event has been held since 2013 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event aired internationally as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV) and since 2015, it has aired worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World. The event was renamed in 2017. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed "Spring Showdown at Ryōgoku" (春の両国決戦, *Haru no Ryōgoku Kessen*). In 2019, the event was replaced by G1 Supercard. In 2020, NJPW planned to return the event, following recommendations by the Japanese Ministry of Health regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, NJPW decided to cancel the 2020 edition, as a result of the pandemic.

## References

1. ↑ ja:【年間スケジュール発表！】6月11日大阪城ホール！『G1』両国3連戦！ 現地時間・7月1日、2日にロサンゼルスで初のビッグマッチ！『G1 Special in USA』決定!! (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2017-01-04). Archived from the original on 2017-01-04. Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
2. ↑ *ja:【4.6両国全カード!!】棚橋vs中邑! 後藤＆柴田がタッグ挑戦! 石井vs内藤! デヴィvs田口! グレイシーvsクレイジー! 桜庭vs鈴木が初遭遇!* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2014-04-01). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.
3. ↑ *ja:4月5日（日）両国でAJvs飯伏が決定! オカダvsファレ！ 棚橋＆柴田vs矢野＆桜庭! ケニーvsドラダなど4大IWGP選手権が実現!!* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2015-03-16). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.