The New Beginning in Niigata

**The New Beginning in Niigata** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on February 14, 2016, in Nagaoka, Niigata, at the Aore Nagaoka. The event featured nine matches, four of which were contested for championships. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi took on Kenny Omega to determine the new IWGP Intercontinental Champion, following previous champion Shinsuke Nakamura's departure from NJPW. The New Beginning in Niigata was the tenth event under the New Beginning name and the first to take place in Niigata.

## Production

### Storylines

The New Beginning in Niigata featured nine professional wrestling matches that involved 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.

The first matches for The New Beginning in Niigata were announced on January 12, 2016. The event would be main evented by a match for the vacant IWGP Intercontinental Championship. On January 4, 2016, at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome, Shinsuke Nakamura successfully defended the title against Bullet Club member A.J. Styles. However, only hours later it was reported that Nakamura, along with Styles, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, had given his notice to NJPW and would be leaving the promotion to join the WWE. The following day, Nakamura was pinned in a tag team match by another Bullet Club member, Kenny Omega. Afterwards, the rest of Bullet Club turned on Styles with Omega taking over the leadership of the stable, while also stating that he was moving from the junior heavyweight division to the heavyweight division and challenging Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. On January 6, Nakamura confirmed he was leaving NJPW at the end of January, which led to NJPW announcing they were stripping him of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and that at The New Beginning in Niigata Omega would face a mystery opponent to determine the new champion. On January 30, Omega confronted Nakamura following his final NJPW match, claiming that he was afraid to face him, which led to Hiroshi Tanahashi appearing and announcing that he was going to be Omega's opponent at The New Beginning in Niigata. NJPW formally announced the match between Omega and Tanahashi two days later. In the week leading up to the announcement, it was reported that Tanahashi had dislocated his shoulder on January 24, but would continue to work through the injury. The legitimate injury led to an angle at The New Beginning in Osaka on February 11, where Omega led a Bullet Club assault on Tanahashi's shoulder.

The New Beginning in Niigata would also feature a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome, where G.B.H. (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma) were set to defend their newly won IWGP Tag Team Championship against previous champions, Bullet Club representatives Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson. Gallows and Anderson worked the event as free agents, with Anderson's NJPW contract having expired at the end of January 2016. Though Anderson publicly denied he was leaving the promotion, The New Beginning in Niigata was expected to be one of his and Gallows' last NJPW appearances before leaving for WWE. Also on the card, KUSHIDA was set to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against BUSHI. This match stemmed from events taking place at a show the day after Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome, where Bushi attacked Kushida and challenged him to a title match.

The rest of the matches were announced on February 1. Among the matches added was a six-man tag team match, where the CHAOS stable's Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and Yoshi-Hashi were set to take on Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson and Katsuyori Shibata, coming off The New Beginning in Osaka, where Goto unsuccessfully challenged Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, while Ishii unsuccessfully challenged Shibata for the NEVER Openweight Championship. NJPW promoted the match as an opportunity for Chaos to demonstrate their cohesion in the wake of the stable's leader Shinsuke Nakamura's departure from the promotion.

On February 12, the day after The New Beginning in Osaka, where Bullet Club's Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe and Toru Yano to become the new NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, NJPW announced that the previously scheduled non-title match between the two teams in Niigata, would now be contested for the title.

## Event

The first title match of the show saw Bullet Club's Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi defend their newly won NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe and Toru Yano. In the finish of the match, after the Briscoes had pulled Fale and Tonga out of the ring, Takahashi attempted to low blow Yano like he had done when Bullet Club won the title at The New Beginning in Osaka, but was stopped by the referee of the match. Yano then used the distraction to low blow Takahashi and then pinned him with the *Urakasumi* to regain the title. The following match saw Chaos' Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and Yoshi-Hashi defeat Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson and Katsuyori Shibata with Okada pinning Robinson for the win. After the match, Okada repeated his offer from The New Beginning in Osaka by offering Goto a spot in Chaos. Goto, however, walked off without answering. The second title match of the show saw Kushida defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Bushi. The match featured repeated outside interference from Bushi's *Los Ingobernables de Japón* stablemates EVIL and Tetsuya Naito, before they were eventually stopped by Jay White and Ryusuke Taguchi, allowing KUSHIDA to submit Bushi to win the match and retain the title.

In the eighth match of the show, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma successfully defended the IWGP Tag Team Championship against Bullet Club's Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson. After the match, Tama Tonga entered the ring and challenged Makabe and Honma to a title match, stating that his partner would be a new Bullet Club member. The challenge was accepted by the champions. Meanwhile, Anderson and Gallows bowed to the crowd ahead of their impeding departure from NJPW. In the main event of the show, Hiroshi Tanahashi took on Kenny Omega for the vacant IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Early in the match, Omega sent his Bullet Club stablemates Cody Hall and Yujiro Takahashi away from ringside, stating that he wanted a clean win. However, when Tanahashi had the match won, Hall came back out and distracted the referee of the match as The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) entered the ring and attacked Tanahashi. Eventually, Michael Elgin came out, attacked The Young Bucks and carried them backstage. In the ring, Omega avoided Tanahashi's finishing maneuver, the *High Fly Flow*, hit him with the *V-Trigger*, his version of Shinsuke Nakamura's *Bomaye* finisher, and then pinned him with the *Katayoku no Tenshi* to win the match and become the new IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

## Reception

The *Wrestling Observer Newsletter* praised the main event as a "masterpiece" in terms of storytelling and accomplishing the goal of making Omega a "superstar" without hurting Tanahashi as he was "more important than ever" following the departures of A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. The publication's editor Dave Meltzer later added the main event to a list of eight matches over the past 35 years that he felt "made a new superstar instantaneously at a time when one was needed". He gave the match four and three quarter stars out of five, while also praising the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and Tag Team Championship matches, giving them four and a quarter stars and four stars, respectively.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `TheNewBeginninginNiigata`
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 ja:【2月14日（日）新潟大会の主要カード決定！】ケニーvs“X”がIC新王者決定戦！ 真壁＆本間がタッグ王座防衛戦！ KushidavsBushiも実現！ (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-01-12). Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
3. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed. How Pro Wrestling Works . *HowStuffWorks, Inc.*. Discovery Communications. Retrieved on 2015-10-13.
4. ↑ Macklin, Matthew 2016-01-12. Nakamura stripped of IWGP Intercontinental Championship . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Caldwell, James 2016-01-12. Tons of NJPW News – Nakamura’s final match & title status, big title matches, more . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
6. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2016-01-03. Wrestle Kingdom 10 live results: Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
7. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-01-04. NJPW stars Nakamura, AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson headed to WWE . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
8. ↑ Caldwell, James 2016-01-04. PWTorch Report – Four big names leaving New Japan, heading to WWE . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Archived from the original on 2016-01-05. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
9. ↑ Johnson, Mike 2016-01-05. AJ Styles & Nakamura-New Japan updates . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Namako, Jason 2016-01-05. 1/5 NJPW Results: Tokyo, Japan (Bullet Club turns on Styles) . *Wrestleview*. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
11. ↑ *ja:インターコンチ王者・中邑が新日プロ退団！WWE入り* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-01-07). Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
12. ↑ NJPW to WWE Update – Tokyo Sports reports Nakamura’s exit . *Pro Wrestling Torch* (2016-01-06). Archived from the original on 2016-01-07. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
13. ↑ *ja:中邑真輔選手、退団のお知らせ* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-01-12). Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
14. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2016-01-12. New Japan strips Shinsuke Nakamura of the Intercontinental Title . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-01-12.
15. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-01-30. NJPW Road to New Beginning report: Nakamura bids farewell to New Japan . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-01-30.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 ja:【2.14長岡大会・全カード決定！】メインは棚橋vsケニーの“IC新王者”決定戦！ IWGP3大選手権！ 桜庭vsオライリーがタッグで初対決！ ブリスコ兄弟も登場！ (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-02-01). Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved on 2016-02-01.
17. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2016-01-25. Hiroshi Tanahashi dislocates shoulder at Fantastica Mania event . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-01-30.
18. ↑ Johnson, Mike 2016-01-29. Tanahashi injury update, signings and more: Ring of Honor news & notes . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-01-30.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Meltzer, Dave 2016-02-11. NJPW Beginnings live results: IWGP Heavyweight championship Kazuchika Okada vs Hirooki Goto . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-02-12.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 *ja:アンダーソンＷＷＥ入り否定もいまだ新日と契約更新せず* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-02-06). Retrieved on 2016-02-06.
21. ↑ Johnson, Mike 2016-01-08. Balor talks Bullet Club & WWE . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-02-06.
22. ↑ Macklin, Matthew 2016-02-01. Bullet Club, Young Lions, Will Ospreay & more: New Japan Pro Wrestling news & notes . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-02-01.
23. ↑ New Japan’s Big Feb. shows – Full Line-ups for "New Beginning" PPVs, plus ROH in Tokyo roster . *Pro Wrestling Torch* (2016-02-01). Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved on 2016-02-01.
24. ↑ ja:【緊急決定】2月14日（日）新潟・アオーレ長岡大会のファレ＆裕二郎＆タマvs矢野＆ブリスコ兄弟が、“NEVER無差別級6人タッグ選手権”に変更！ (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-02-12). Archived from the original on 2016-02-12. Retrieved on 2016-02-12.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 Meltzer, Dave 2016-02-13. NJPW New Beginnings: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega for the IWGP IC Title . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-02-14.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Macklin, Matthew 2016-02-14. Gallows & Anderson depart NJPW, title changes and more: NJPW New Beginning in Niigata report . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-02-14.
27. ↑ *ja:オカダ　「Chaos」に洋央紀勧誘の真意とは* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-02-18). Retrieved on 2016-02-18.
28. ↑ *ja:＜ＩＷＧＰジュニア＞Kushida鮮やか逆転Ｖ１* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-02-15). Retrieved on 2016-02-15.
29. ↑ *ja:＜ＩＷＧＰタッグ＞真壁、本間組が初防衛* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-02-15). Retrieved on 2016-02-15.
30. ↑ *ja:棚橋まさかのタイトル戦連敗でエース失格* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-02-15). Retrieved on 2016-02-15.
31. ↑ Daily Update: NJPW New Beginnings, Tanahashi vs. Omega MOTY . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter* (2016-02-14). Retrieved on 2016-02-14.
32. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (February 22, 2016). "Feb 22, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE 2015 Financial Report, Kevin Randleman passes". *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Campbell, California: 11–21. ISSN 1083-9593.
33. ↑ 2/14 New Japan "New Beginning in Niigata" Results – Tanahashi vs. Omega for vacant IWGP IC Title, Bullet Club everywhere . *Pro Wrestling Torch* (2016-02-14). Retrieved on 2016-02-14.