The New Beginning in Osaka (2019)

Promotional poster featuring various NJPW wrestlers

**The New Beginning in Osaka (2019)** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on February 11, 2019, in Osaka, Osaka, at Edion Arena Osaka. The event featured eight matches, two of which were contested for championships. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Jay White. This was the eighth event under the New Beginning name and the sixth under the New Beginning in Osaka name.

## Production

### Background

The event aired worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World, with English commentary provided by Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlaton, the latter of whom replaces Kelly's previous broadcast partner Don Callis.

### Storylines

The New Beginning in Osaka featured eight professional wrestling matches that involve 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.

The New Beginning in Osaka was main evented by Hiroshi Tanahashi making his first defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Jay White. On January 4, 2019, at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome, Tanahashi won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the record setting eight-time defeating Kenny Omega. After the match, White challenged Tanahashi to a match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship following the show's main event. The following day, at *New Years Dash*, Tanahashi and White faced each other in a six-man tag team match, where Tanahashi teamed with Kazuchika Okada and Yoshi-Hashi and White with his Bullet Club stablemates Bad Luck Fale and Gedo. White scored the win for his team by pinning Yoshi-Hashi. White would ask Tanahashi to the ring, only to attack him afterwards and lay him out with the *Blade Runner*. The main event was officially announced on January 7. In an interview prior to the match, Tanahashi claimed stated that he didn't need to worry, he was confident he would retain the title. White had previously been feuding with Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada since October 2017, leading a union between CHAOS and the NJPW Home unit. On January 29, following Tanahashi's match with KUSHIDA, White would attack him and target his leg, trying to injure him.

The Bullet Club against CHAOS and NJPW Home unit angle resulted in The New Beginning in Osaka also featuring other prominent matches featuring the stable. On January 5, 2019, at *New Years Dash*, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Taiji Ishimori successfully defended the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against Togi Makabe, Toru Yano and Ryusuke Taguchi, when Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi helped them retain the titles. After the match, Taguchi challenged Ishimori to a title match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Taguchi had previously held the title four years ago losing it to a member of Bullet Club. The title match was announced on January 7. The Osaka event would also feature a tag team match involving members of Bullet Club and CHAOS and the NJPW Home unit with the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) against Most Violent Players (Togi Makabe and Toru Yano).

## Event

In the first match saw Tencozy (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan) and Jushin Thunder Liger facing Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka and Taka Michinoku). The match ended when Iizuka hit the *Iron Finger from Hell* causing a disqualification at 12 minutes and 56 seconds. In the second match saw *Los Ingobernables de Japón* (EVIL and SANADA) facing Ayato Yoshida and Shota Umino. The match ended when EVIL and SANADA hit the *Magic Killer* on Umino with SANADA pinning him to win the match at 10 minutes and 9 seconds to win the match. In the third match saw, *Los Ingobernables de Japón* (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI) facing Suzuki-gun (Taichi, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru). The match ended when Naito hit Kanemaru with the *Destino* pinning him at 11 minutes and 6 seconds to win the match. Following the match, Roppongi 3K (Yoh and Sho),  came out on the ramp as Shingo and BUSHI were leaving the arena, attacked them and challenged them for the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships. In the fourth match saw Tomoaki Honma and Yoshi-Hashi facing Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens). The match ended when Owens hit Honma with the *Package Piledriver* pinning him at 9 minutes and 39 seconds to win the match. Following the match, Kota Ibushi made his return, thanking the fans for their concern about his injury, and announced to that he was going to stay in NJPW while announcing that he was going to participate in the New Japan Cup. In the fifth match saw the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) against Most Violent Players (Togi Makabe and Toru Yano). The match ended when Tonga hit Yano with a Kendo Stick followed by a *Gun Stun* pinning him at 9 minutes and 44 seconds. In the sixth match saw Taiji Ishimori successfully defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Ryusuke Taguchi. The match ended when Ishimori hit Taguchi with the *Bloody Cross* on Taguchi to win the match at 16 minutes and 11 seconds. Following the match, Ishimori called out Jushin Thunder Liger challenging Liger to a title match, Liger would accept but said that Ishimori will regret calling him out.

In the semi-main event of the show, saw Kazuchika Okada facing Bad Luck Fale. The match featured outside interference from Fale's Bullet Club stablemates Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens but Yoshi-Hashi would make the save. The match ended when Okada hit Fale with the *Rainmaker* pinning him at 18 minutes and 10 seconds. In the main-event saw Jay White defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for his first time. The match ended with White hitting Tanahashi with the *Blade Runner*, pinning him at 30 minutes and 28 seconds to win the match. After the match, White said that he had his last Young Lion match in Osaka two years ago. He thought that Osaka was his home, but he was wrong and told that fans didn't believe that he could beat Tanahashi, but he did. He said that doesn't wrestle for the people, he wrestles for himself, Gedo, and Bullet Club. White would close the show, telling the people to "Breathe with the Switchblade" and welcoming to his new era.

## External links

* The official New Japan Pro-Wrestling website