It is a rarity that I find two stars from New Japan celebrating their birthdays on the same day, but low and behold it had to happen once. As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.​

Nerd Note: Hiroyoshi Tenzan is one of only a handful of wrestlers to have held the NWA World Tag Team & IWGP Tag Team Titles. Tenzan actually would win both sets of tag titles with the same partner both times and in many cases is considered a legend of New Japan. 

First order of business is that Minoru Suzuki is one crazy ass mother-fucker like he is the stuff nightmares are made of and this post match interview Minoru proved my point. Moxley vs Suzuki wasn't a match it was a fight and fight that fit the reputation both men have developed over the years. Since arriving in New Japan last year it has been a bumpy ride for Moxley, but after finding his footing in Japan it seems like New Japan has found themselves another star in there IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley. 

However, it doesn't seem like Moxley's feud with Suzuki-Gun is over yet with Zack Sabre Jr attacking Jon Moxley after the match not giving him a chance to breath. It was interesting hearing Sabre explain his history with Jon Moxley going all the way back to when Moxley would tour in Europe. I've always been a fan of Sabre's in ring ability, but this was really the first time I've heard him talk. Hearing him speak you can hear a sense of entitlement and ego in his voice it seemed like he knows he is amazing and doesn't have to hide it. In my opinion, Sabre has seen his stock rise loads in probably the last two years almost like New Japan told him we pick you to push just as a random person on the roster. Imagine Sabre Jr make a move over to AEW for a dream match in America which could be possible if New Japan and All Elite still have a positive relationship. 

For the full results of New Beginning take a look here!!

At the start of 2019 wrestling got a face lift of the All Elite variety which saw The Elite leave Ring of Honor and New Japan to start All Elite Wrestling with the help of Tony Khan. One person that was left out of AEW was Marty Scurll who was still contractual obligated to Ring of Honor and couldn't leave ROH. Marty would become one of the top stars in ROH setting up his own faction with Brody King and PCO together they formed Villain Enterprise. Marty would become the talk of wrestling this time individually when his Ring of Honor contract expired at the end of November last year. 

Fast forward to December 14 when Marty Scurll returned to the NWA to confront current Worlds Champion Nick Aldis at the end of the Into the Fire PPV. Early on in the new year it was reported that Marty had officially resigned with Ring of Honor and would be given the book of ROH as well. Marty took control from Hunter Johnson who had been the booker for almost a decade, but wanted to scale back his responsibilities. 

Upon the news of his resigning with ROH I thought of course that meant he was done with NWA or would stay to fight Nick Aldis and then would return full time to ROH. However, it seems that with the announced working agreement the NWA and ROH have it is possible that Marty will be in NWA for the foreseeable future. One return I didn't expect was Marty returning to New Japan, but I guess the old WWE saying is more true about wrestling outside WWE now then it is for inside WWE. Anything can happen in the world of professional wrestling. Much like when the "Painmaker" returned to fight Hiroshi Tanahashi who really expected the return of the "Villain" and for him to challenge Jay White. Dream match? 

It has been a long time since I gave this series another try and we find ourselves back in New Japan to another star who has called both New Japan and WWE home. Matt Bloom debuted with WWE in 1999 as the bodyguard of Darren Drozdov and later the protege of Big Bossman. In late 2000 Albert would join the tag team ranks with Test as T & A and would be managed by Trish Stratus. Following the ending of his team with Test he would hover around the upper mid-card as a complimentary character adding depth to WWE during a time when they were changing eras. After six years though Matt "Albert" Bloom would leave WWE and in 2006 would begin touring in New Japan. 

Upon his arrival now known as Giant Bernard would begin teaming with a fellow former WWE stars in Travis Tomko and later teaming with Karl Anderson. On both occasions Bernard would and his chosen partner would dominate the tag team division holding the IWGP Tag Titles for 343 days with Tomko and 564 days with Karl Anderson respectively. A main difference in Japan though is that a tag team performer could headline the show and in some cases be a bigger or more recognizable star then the man wearing the World Title. II wouldn't call everyone equal in Japan as far as the championship picture, but I would call there booking strong and point to that being the main reason any champion could main event. New Japan has a way of making their champions strong and keeping an aura around every championship in the company. 

In 2012, Brock Lesnar returned to WWE the night after Wrestlemania and so did Matt Bloom under a new gimmick. Now called Tensai, but looked more like a knock off of Hakushi twenty pounds heavier. Admittedly, the gimmick was a flop from the start partially due to timing and just the fact that the fans didn't believe it. Albert went from being box office gold to being a complimentary piece again, but this time on a very weak roster. In my opinion, the main reason for the difference is that in Japan they saw the best way to make Matt a star was to place him in a tag team and take advantage of his strengths. On the other side WWE just saw his weaknesses, but liked his size which gave them reason enough to keep him strong similarly to Luke Harper they just couldn't figure out the right thing to do for him. 

Starting in the spring of 1984, the wrestling world would change when Keichi Yamada would step into a ring for the first time. Unlike most of his fellow young lions Yamada would leave New Japan on a high after winning the Young Lions Cup. It would be two years before Yamada would be sent on excursion to All Star Wrestling in Europe and Stampede Wrestling. Upon his return Yamada would be repackaged as Jushin Thunder Liger which was taken from a very popular Japanese anime called Jushin Liger. For the next thirty years all over the world Jushin Liger would cultivate a career for himself as the most legendary junior heavyweight. It wouldn't take Liger very long to become the measuring stick of the junior heavyweight division for New Japan. 

Liger would set the world on fire with Tiger Mask, Black Tigers, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Naoki Sano, and others over the years. In December 1991, Liger would make his return to the United States to feud with Brian Pillman over the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship. The feud would end in February at Superbrawl, but it would only be the beginning for Liger and his trips back to North America. Since then Liger has spent time with ROH, WWE, TNA, and CMLL perfecting an imagine of a legend. 

Last weekend Jushin Liger wrestled his the final matches of his career lacing up the boots one more time for another Wrestle Kingdom. Liger will go down as a legend and one of the greatest performers in the history of New Japan. Even blessing the new generation of the junior division in his last match taking the pin fall against the team of Dragon Lee & Hiromu Takahashi. His commitment to the gimmick and ability to embrace the anime side of the character never really needing to change with the times Liger is by far one of the best ever. Thank you for all you did for wrestling, New Japan, and the Junior Heavyweight division!! You deserve the rest now after 30 plus years of giving us your body, mind, and soul. 

It's that time of year again as a new year beckons we await the first major event of the calendar and like always it is from New Japan. This year wrestling fans will be treated to a very special event with this years event stretching across two days instead of the traditional one day event. Doing this prevents burnout from fans and also allows New Japan to maximize the Wrestle Kingdom banner. Another reason this year's event is very special is due to the "Double Title Match" set for the January 5 event. 

For months there has been a focus placed on showing how important this "Double Title Match" will be coming on January 5 for everyone involved. The "Double Belt Dash" is one of the more intriguing aspects of the new year as most times wrestling companies try and prevent talent from holding two titles at one time, but right now it seems like it's being encouraged. In my opinion, New Japan should seize this chance to really put someone on Okada's level, because right now he's on a level all his own. 

On January 4, the "Painmaker" returns to fight Hiroshi Tanahashi it another dream match we didn't know we wanted until it was announced. Jericho is riding a hot ticket right now by starting off the decade in the drivers seat. Jericho and his Inner Circle are the hottest ticket in wrestling right wrapped in a developing feud with Jon Moxley and then he promises Tanahashi a shot at the AEW World Title if he can beat Jericho. Last time I checked AEW and NJPW weren't on the same page, but could things have changed or maybe at least soften. Seeing AEW expand overseas even a little bit with the help of New Japan will benefit both promotions equally as it could help each of them develop a foot hold in the US and Japan respectively. 

For the last couple of weeks I have been providing updates on the final tournament of the year in New Japan the World Tag League Tournament. The World Tag League tournament is the way that New Japan determines who will challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Titles at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4. Back in 2017 and 2018 the tournament was won by Los Ingobernables de Japon members Evil and Sanada. These two men also made it to the finals this year, but came up short against the winner David Finlay Jr & Juice Robinson. Now I don't know a lot about this team, but to me this is exactly what New Japan needed to do this year after losing so many stars earlier in the year. This means that on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome the IWGP Champions Guerrilla's of Destiny will fight FinJuice for the Tag Titles. 

Another surprise video appeared as the "Painmaker" graced us with his presence further building his match with Hiroshi Tanahashi on Wrestle Kingdom Day 2. For the first time Wrestle Kingdom will be split up over the course of two days with one day being headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs Kota Ibushi and another day being headlined by a match between IWGP Heavyweight Champion and Intercontinental Champion. 

Day 1:
* Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Kota Ibushi (IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match)
* Jay White (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match)
* Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi ( IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match)
* Lance Archer vs. Jon Moxley (IWGP United States Championship Match)
* The Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Dave Finlay and Juice Robinson (IWGP Tag Team Championship Match)
* YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, and KENTA
* BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, EVIL, and SANADA vs. El Desperado, Taichi, Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr.
* Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke, and Tiger Mask (with El Samurai) vs. Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa, and Ryusuke Taguchi (with Kuniaki Kobayashi)

Day 2: ​
IWGP Champion vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion (Title vs. Title Match)
* Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho
* Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship Match)
* Loser of Okada vs. Ibushi vs. Loser of White vs. Naito
* KENTA (c) vs. Hirooki Goto (NEVER Openweight Championship Match)
* Winner of the Lance Archer/Moxley Match (c) vs. Juice Robinson
* Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. SANADA (RevPro British Heavyweight Championship Match)
* El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. SHO and YOH (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match)
* Jushin Liger and Naoki Sano vs. Ryu Lee (Dragon Lee) and Hiromu Takahashi (Jushin Liger's Final Wrestling Match)

Around a week ago I was writing a match of the week article and after seeing that the World Tag League was underway I thought why not check that out. I was impressed by David Finlay and Juice Robinson holding the first place in the round robin tournament so far. For those who don't know or are unsure the World Tag League is basically the tag equivalent to the G1 Climax including the winners of the Tag League earning a title shot against the IWGP Tag Team Champions at the following years Wrestle Kingdom. The only way the winners don't receive a title shot is if the champions win the tag league. The teams included earn two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss. 

The tournament normally runs for about two weeks from the middle of November to the first of second of December depending on when the company wants to run the event. This year the Tag League started on November 16 and will run until December 8 when the finals will be determined. It is all about the rankings in New Japan and the top two teams are the ones that matter on the final day as they will fight for the trophy. Check out the updated standings: 

To check out the cards for the four remaining for shows that include tournament matches click here!

One of the biggest parts of New Japan's calendar is their yearly tournaments starting with the New Japan Cup in March then Best of the Super Juniors in June to the busy month of August with both the G1 Climax and Super J Cup both taking place in this month. Following that things are quite until November which is where we are at now with the last tournament of the year being World Tag League. The tournament actually started last weekend and it is by far one of the most unique tournaments in wrestling as there is nothing like anything we see in American wrestling. Check below who was included in the tournament: 

The amount of talent in this tournament is incredible and just shows how deep the New Japan is for one and how serious they take these tournaments. Remember in WWE when was the last time you saw a main event talent in a King of the Ring it's been a while, but yearly the IWGP World Champion is in the G1 Climax. In this case Guerrillas of Destiny are the IWGP Tag Team Champions and are in the tournament and currently aren't leading in the standings with four points. Even though some might question the booking in reality they have the least amount to prove in the tournament and could help improve the tag scene in NJPW. Either way keep an eye out for any news about this years tournament which comes to an end on December 6. 

For the longest time I've been thinking about this series and never got around to doing it even though I thought it would be a great series. Basically the extent of this series is comparing the booking styles of wrestlers from one company to another and attempting to try and figure on why they were booked so different. Starting right out with an interesting wrestler to talk about is Scott "Flash" Norton. Norton would get his first big break in the early 1990's in New Japan. In his first run Norton would just be a tag team wrestler partnering up with both Tony Halme and Hercules, and would gain exposure through the WCW/NJPW working agreement. 

Fast forward to late 1995 when Scott Norton would return to WCW on a more semi full time basis. Norton would eventually become the muscle of the New World Order after the stable formed in 1996. Though he would be apart of the hottest stable in wrestling his stock never really changed in WCW. Realistically his stock may not have rose in WCW, because he would only be in the company in between tours of Japan. However, the NWO did help his stock in New Japan during the height of the NWO in 1998 after winning the IWGP World Title from future NWO member Yuji Nagata. 

A year later Norton would leave WCW and head back to New Japan full time winning the World Title again in 2001. Norton is one of only nine gaijn to hold the IWGP World Title joining names like Brock Lesnar, Vader, Bob Sapp, Kurt Angle, and others. In my opinion, Scott Norton didn't have the charisma to make it big in America, because he wasn't the best promo and with managers becoming a thing of the past it would've been hard to get him over. In New Japan though talent doesn't need to talk they just need to be able to fight and that's why Norton is a legend in New Japan and just another name in America.