Power Struggle (2023)

Promotional poster featuring multiple title matches and its contestants for the event

## Information

### City

Osaka, Japan

**Power Struggle (2023)** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on November 4, 2023, in Osaka, Japan, at the Edion Arena Osaka. It was the twelveth event under the Power Struggle name. The event was headlined by Will Ospreay defending the IWGP United States (United Kingdom) Heavyweight Championship against Shota Umino.

## Background

### Storylines

Power Struggle featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storyline. 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.

Power Struggle was main evented by Will Ospreay defending the IWGP United States (United Kingdom) Heavyweight Championship against Shota Umino. On October 14 at Royal Quest III, after successfully defending the IWGP United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship against fellow compatriot Zack Sabre Jr., Ospreay threw open a challenge to anyone in the locker room to challenge him. Afterwards, Shota Umino confronted Ospreay indicating to be his next challenger. Ospreay granted Umino the title shot at Power Struggle under the condition that O-Khan, would face Jon Moxley, which Umino accepted, but he had one more condition of his own to counter with. Having been defeated by Ospreay IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at Historic X-Over on November 20, 2022, Umino wanted Ospreay to bring both the UK and the US Championship with him at the event.

In the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match, Hiromu Takahashi made his seventh title defense against Taiji Ishimori. On October 9 at Destruction in Ryogoku, Takahashi made his sixth successful title defense against Yoh and Mike Bailey in a three-way match. Afterwards, Ishimori made his return from injury attacking Takahashi after he had successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, before challenging him to a title match. Takahashi had previously injured Ishimori in May during their match in 2023 Best of the Super Juniors. Shortly after, on October 22, Takahashi won DDT's Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, despite losing and regaining the title on October 29, Ishimori began trying to catch Takahashi by surprise and win the title. On November 2, during a backstage interview, Ishimori surprisingly attacked Takahashi and won the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship from him.

Also at Destruction in Ryogoku, after Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii successfully defended the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against Impact Wrestling's Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and Josh Alexander, in a post-match interview, Ishii who had previously suffered two losses to Zack Sabre Jr., during the *Road to Destruction*, challenged TMDK to a match with the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, as Sabre had been previously show is interest of challenging for the titles.

The event also featured the finals of the 2023 Super Jr. Tag League. The tournament matches took place during the Road to Power Struggle tour between October 21 until November 2. On November 2, Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira and TJP) defeated Jet Setters (KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight) and House of Torture (Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated El Desperado and Master Wato to finish the tournament with a record of six wins and three losses, setting up the finals of the tournament. Both teams had previously faced each other during the tournament with Catch 2/2 facing House of Torture in a winning effort.

At Destruction in Ryogoku, David Finlay lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Tama Tonga. Ten days later, at Royal Quest III, following a loss against Tonga's brother Tanga Loa in a tag team match, a frustrated Finlay challenged him to a match at Power Struggle.