2015.01.04 ~ Kenshiki Pride Festival Finals
Jan 4, 2015 21:10:12 GMT -7
Post by Kevin Elliott on Jan 4, 2015 21:10:12 GMT -7
Kenshiki Pride Festival ~ Finals
Korakuen Hall
2015.01.04
1,810 Fans
Nearly a full house at the historic Korakuen Hall are welcomed to the Kenshiki Pride Festival Finals by the commentary team of Shinpei Nogami and Milano Collection AT. Tonight's event is headlined by the Block B winner "the Phenomenal" AJ Styles versus the Block A winner "the Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada, but one has to wonder how Okada will fare after a brutal, unnecessary attack from Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's Rush just two nights ago. The winner will be crowned the inaugural NWA Pacific Heavyweight Champion and be Kenshiki's number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
The semi main event will see "the Ace of the Universe" Hiroshi Tanahashi face off against his long time rival, "the King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura, to determine the number one contender to the NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship, which again, the champion will be determined in the main event. Momentum could be key in the match as Tanahashi is coming off a disappointing loss to AJ Styles to lose Group B while Nakamura is coming off two big victories Daisuke Sekimoto and Katsuyori Shibata to take the second place spot in Group A.
The third big match of the night will see the aforementioned Rush face off against Daisuke Sekimoto. Had Rush attempted to beat Okada rather than foul him and take the disqualification loss, Sekimoto would have advanced to the number one contenders match over Nakamura. Now, Sekimoto is shut out and he wants to make Rush pay for his actions!
All of this plus two special announcements that will take place during intermission and it is going to be a wild night here at the Kenshiki Pride Festival Finals!
Cedric Alexander & Dolph Ziggler vs. Go Shiozaki & Yujiro Takahashi
Only Cedric Alexander can claim to have had a promising tournament as he finished with two victories in his seven matches with the current NWA Mid Atlantic United States Heavyweight Champion defeating Go Shiozaki on Night Two and Togi Makabe on Night Six. Ziggler, the former NWA North American Heavyweight Champion, disappointed with just one win over Yujiro Takahashi on Night Three. Shiozaki, the final recognized Global Honoured Crown Heavyweight Champion, was a major disappointment, with his only victory taking place on Night Four over Kazuchika Okada while Yujiro Takahashi went winless in the tournament.
Surprisingly, though, Shiozaki and Takahashi controlled most of the match, isolating Ziggler when they could. Alexander eventually made the hot tag and cleaned house, making way for Ziggler to hit Takahashi with the Zig Zag. Alexander hits a Split Legged Moonsault and Ziggler stops Shiozaki from breaking the pin and Alexander and Ziggler finish the tournament on a high note!
Bad Luck Fale & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito & Yuji Nagata
"The Stardust Genius" Tetsuya Naito had an awful start to the tournament with four straight losses, but he rebounded during the second half with wins over Dolph Ziggler, Yujiro Takahashi, and Bad Luck Fale. His partner, Yuji Nagata, had the opposite tournament, starting with three straight wins over Naito, Yujiro , and Fale. He lost his next three matches, but finished with a win over Ziggler. Shibata had an up and down tournament, finishing with an even record of three wins (over Cedric Alexander, Go Shiozaki, and Togi Makabe), one draw (versus Rush), and three losses. Bad Luck Fale had just two wins over Ziggler and Takahashi.
Naito and Nagata showed surprising chemistry in this match as they were able to isolate Fale. Despite Fale's size, his offence is really limited and he struggled to overmatch his opponents. However, eventually size does become the great equalizer, and he could tag Shibata in. Shibata nearly knocked Naito out with a sleeper hold, but his attempt at the Penalty Kick was stifled by Nagata. All helll eventually broke lose and Nagata forced Fale to submit to the Nagata Lock. After the match, Naito and Nagata shook hands . Could these two team up once more?
Before the next match takes place, a small video is displayed showing BUSHI using the Phoenix Splash to pin Katsuhiko Nakajima to win the NWA Pacific Jr. Heavyweight Championship in February's Junior Grand Prix Finals. The video transitions to show him use the MX to defeat Kota Ibushi in his V1 Defence.
1,810 Fans
Nearly a full house at the historic Korakuen Hall are welcomed to the Kenshiki Pride Festival Finals by the commentary team of Shinpei Nogami and Milano Collection AT. Tonight's event is headlined by the Block B winner "the Phenomenal" AJ Styles versus the Block A winner "the Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada, but one has to wonder how Okada will fare after a brutal, unnecessary attack from Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's Rush just two nights ago. The winner will be crowned the inaugural NWA Pacific Heavyweight Champion and be Kenshiki's number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
The semi main event will see "the Ace of the Universe" Hiroshi Tanahashi face off against his long time rival, "the King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura, to determine the number one contender to the NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship, which again, the champion will be determined in the main event. Momentum could be key in the match as Tanahashi is coming off a disappointing loss to AJ Styles to lose Group B while Nakamura is coming off two big victories Daisuke Sekimoto and Katsuyori Shibata to take the second place spot in Group A.
The third big match of the night will see the aforementioned Rush face off against Daisuke Sekimoto. Had Rush attempted to beat Okada rather than foul him and take the disqualification loss, Sekimoto would have advanced to the number one contenders match over Nakamura. Now, Sekimoto is shut out and he wants to make Rush pay for his actions!
All of this plus two special announcements that will take place during intermission and it is going to be a wild night here at the Kenshiki Pride Festival Finals!
Cedric Alexander & Dolph Ziggler vs. Go Shiozaki & Yujiro Takahashi
Only Cedric Alexander can claim to have had a promising tournament as he finished with two victories in his seven matches with the current NWA Mid Atlantic United States Heavyweight Champion defeating Go Shiozaki on Night Two and Togi Makabe on Night Six. Ziggler, the former NWA North American Heavyweight Champion, disappointed with just one win over Yujiro Takahashi on Night Three. Shiozaki, the final recognized Global Honoured Crown Heavyweight Champion, was a major disappointment, with his only victory taking place on Night Four over Kazuchika Okada while Yujiro Takahashi went winless in the tournament.
Surprisingly, though, Shiozaki and Takahashi controlled most of the match, isolating Ziggler when they could. Alexander eventually made the hot tag and cleaned house, making way for Ziggler to hit Takahashi with the Zig Zag. Alexander hits a Split Legged Moonsault and Ziggler stops Shiozaki from breaking the pin and Alexander and Ziggler finish the tournament on a high note!
Bad Luck Fale & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito & Yuji Nagata
"The Stardust Genius" Tetsuya Naito had an awful start to the tournament with four straight losses, but he rebounded during the second half with wins over Dolph Ziggler, Yujiro Takahashi, and Bad Luck Fale. His partner, Yuji Nagata, had the opposite tournament, starting with three straight wins over Naito, Yujiro , and Fale. He lost his next three matches, but finished with a win over Ziggler. Shibata had an up and down tournament, finishing with an even record of three wins (over Cedric Alexander, Go Shiozaki, and Togi Makabe), one draw (versus Rush), and three losses. Bad Luck Fale had just two wins over Ziggler and Takahashi.
Naito and Nagata showed surprising chemistry in this match as they were able to isolate Fale. Despite Fale's size, his offence is really limited and he struggled to overmatch his opponents. However, eventually size does become the great equalizer, and he could tag Shibata in. Shibata nearly knocked Naito out with a sleeper hold, but his attempt at the Penalty Kick was stifled by Nagata. All helll eventually broke lose and Nagata forced Fale to submit to the Nagata Lock. After the match, Naito and Nagata shook hands . Could these two team up once more?
Before the next match takes place, a small video is displayed showing BUSHI using the Phoenix Splash to pin Katsuhiko Nakajima to win the NWA Pacific Jr. Heavyweight Championship in February's Junior Grand Prix Finals. The video transitions to show him use the MX to defeat Kota Ibushi in his V1 Defence.
BUSHI & Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto & Kota Ibushi
The aforementioned video explains BUSHI and Ibushi's presence in the match while Makabe and Goto are here with excellent results in their respective groups. Makabe had a 3-4 record for six points, with a victory over Go Shiozaki capping two huge victories over Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura, the two Block A finalists. Goto finished third in Block B with a 5-2 record with his only two losses coming against his group's top two, AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
It was an interesting match with BUSHI and Ibushi providing the acrobatics while Makabe and Goto brawled with each other. Things got real exciting with Ibushi squaring off against Makabe and faring quite well, holding his own despite the obvious size advantage. Eventually, Makabe and Goto go toe to toe with Makabe using the King Kong Kneedrop to defeat Goto.
After the match, BUSHI claims he has not received his guaranteed NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Championship match as a result of winning the 2014 Junior Grand Prix and promises to cash in on that opportunity in February, whether it is against Daniel Bryan, the current champion, or his Starrcade opponent, Jay Lethal.
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Two big announcements took place during the intermission. The first announcement was the next batch of shows, which take place at the end of February. "Revenge in Kawasaki" takes place at the Kawasaki Gymnasium on February 20th, 2015. Two nights later, on February 22nd, 2015, "Revenge in Tokyo" happens at our home arena, the historic Korakuen Hall!
The second announcement was the debut of "NWA Kenshiki Main Event" on TV Asahi's analog Tokyo channels 45 and 57. The thirteen episode season, which debuts on June 6th, 2015, will air matches from Kenshiki's past and profile current fighters!
The aforementioned video explains BUSHI and Ibushi's presence in the match while Makabe and Goto are here with excellent results in their respective groups. Makabe had a 3-4 record for six points, with a victory over Go Shiozaki capping two huge victories over Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura, the two Block A finalists. Goto finished third in Block B with a 5-2 record with his only two losses coming against his group's top two, AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
It was an interesting match with BUSHI and Ibushi providing the acrobatics while Makabe and Goto brawled with each other. Things got real exciting with Ibushi squaring off against Makabe and faring quite well, holding his own despite the obvious size advantage. Eventually, Makabe and Goto go toe to toe with Makabe using the King Kong Kneedrop to defeat Goto.
After the match, BUSHI claims he has not received his guaranteed NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Championship match as a result of winning the 2014 Junior Grand Prix and promises to cash in on that opportunity in February, whether it is against Daniel Bryan, the current champion, or his Starrcade opponent, Jay Lethal.
______________________________
Two big announcements took place during the intermission. The first announcement was the next batch of shows, which take place at the end of February. "Revenge in Kawasaki" takes place at the Kawasaki Gymnasium on February 20th, 2015. Two nights later, on February 22nd, 2015, "Revenge in Tokyo" happens at our home arena, the historic Korakuen Hall!
The second announcement was the debut of "NWA Kenshiki Main Event" on TV Asahi's analog Tokyo channels 45 and 57. The thirteen episode season, which debuts on June 6th, 2015, will air matches from Kenshiki's past and profile current fighters!
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Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Rush
Daisuke Sekimoto started the tournament off with five straight victories over Go Shiozaki, Katsuyori Shibata, Rush, Cedric Alexander, and Togi Makabe, but his tournament came to a crashing halt with back to back losses to Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura. His tournament officially ended when Rush, who finished with seven points, decided he had no opportunity to beat Kazuchika Okada in his final match. Rather than competing and attempting to win, Rush fouled Okada with two straight kicks to the groin; the second caused referee Red Shoes Unno to award the disqualification win to Okada, eliminating Sekimoto in the process! The fans and Sekimoto were furious and demanded the match tonight.
Sekimoto dominates the match with Rush proving to be no match for his furious opponent. He then attempts to foul Sekimoto at nearly every chance, but Sekimoto awaits it and evades the illegal attack each time. With referee Tiger Hattori's back turned, Rush does catch Sekimoto with a low blow (using his arm, not his leg) to take advantage of the match. Sekimoto battles back and hits Rush with two lariats before calling for a German Suplex, but he is attacked from behind! Rush's tag team partner, Texano Jr., blasts Sekimoto with a lariat to the back of the head!
Los Hijos del Toros put the boots to Sekimoto as Hattori calls for the bell and the crowd once again blasts the CMLL stars with a chorus of boos. Sekimoto begins to fight back, knocking both men back with head butts, and then using a lariat to knock Texano down. He turns into a stiff kick in the groin from Rush, though, and the former NWA World Tag Team Champions take control of the post match beatdown. Texano hits the Tornado Texas and the duo drag Sekimoto over to the corner, placing his head on the mat near the ring post. Rush hops outside and drills Sekimoto's head into the corner post with La Lanza.
Los Hijos del Toros finally leave the ringside area, but the damage has been done!
Before the semi main event, "the King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura calls his opponent, Hiroshi Tanahashi, a disgrace for allowing a simple gaijin like AJ Styles to beat him to win the inferior block. Nakamura is the King of Strong Style, will win tonight and become the King of Kenshiki when he beats the new Champion, and Tanahashi will no longer be able to claim himself as "the Ace of the Universe." He finishes off his speech with ... "YeaOh!"
NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
These two have a major history together with Nakamura holding the edge in singles contests together. Both men finished runner ups in their group. Tanahashi had twelve points with a 6-1 record and his only loss was against the group winner, AJ Styles, on Night Seven. Nakamura had a 5-2 record for ten points, technically a tie for first, but he finishes second based on matches won against the tied opponents (win over Sekimoto, loss versus Okada). The winner of this match will be number one contender to the NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship, whose champion will be determined in the main event.
Tanahashi was still feeling the effects of Styles working on his leg two nights earlier and he has a noticeable limp, which Nakamura immediately takes advantage of. Tanahashi battles back, though, and the match ends up being quite even. Tanahashi thought he finished it with a High Fly Flow to a standing Nakamura, but Nakamura rolled through and knocked Tanahashi down and immediately hit a Boma Ye, but was too exhausted to make the pin. Later on, Tanahashi attempts a second High Fly Flow, this time to a downed Nakamura, but Nakamura gets the knees up to thwart the attempt, and he hits a second Boma Ye to win the match!
Nakamura is the number one contender to the Pacific Heavyweight Championship!
Kenshiki Pride Festival Finals
NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match
Daisuke Sekimoto started the tournament off with five straight victories over Go Shiozaki, Katsuyori Shibata, Rush, Cedric Alexander, and Togi Makabe, but his tournament came to a crashing halt with back to back losses to Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura. His tournament officially ended when Rush, who finished with seven points, decided he had no opportunity to beat Kazuchika Okada in his final match. Rather than competing and attempting to win, Rush fouled Okada with two straight kicks to the groin; the second caused referee Red Shoes Unno to award the disqualification win to Okada, eliminating Sekimoto in the process! The fans and Sekimoto were furious and demanded the match tonight.
Sekimoto dominates the match with Rush proving to be no match for his furious opponent. He then attempts to foul Sekimoto at nearly every chance, but Sekimoto awaits it and evades the illegal attack each time. With referee Tiger Hattori's back turned, Rush does catch Sekimoto with a low blow (using his arm, not his leg) to take advantage of the match. Sekimoto battles back and hits Rush with two lariats before calling for a German Suplex, but he is attacked from behind! Rush's tag team partner, Texano Jr., blasts Sekimoto with a lariat to the back of the head!
Los Hijos del Toros put the boots to Sekimoto as Hattori calls for the bell and the crowd once again blasts the CMLL stars with a chorus of boos. Sekimoto begins to fight back, knocking both men back with head butts, and then using a lariat to knock Texano down. He turns into a stiff kick in the groin from Rush, though, and the former NWA World Tag Team Champions take control of the post match beatdown. Texano hits the Tornado Texas and the duo drag Sekimoto over to the corner, placing his head on the mat near the ring post. Rush hops outside and drills Sekimoto's head into the corner post with La Lanza.
Los Hijos del Toros finally leave the ringside area, but the damage has been done!
Before the semi main event, "the King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura calls his opponent, Hiroshi Tanahashi, a disgrace for allowing a simple gaijin like AJ Styles to beat him to win the inferior block. Nakamura is the King of Strong Style, will win tonight and become the King of Kenshiki when he beats the new Champion, and Tanahashi will no longer be able to claim himself as "the Ace of the Universe." He finishes off his speech with ... "YeaOh!"
NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
These two have a major history together with Nakamura holding the edge in singles contests together. Both men finished runner ups in their group. Tanahashi had twelve points with a 6-1 record and his only loss was against the group winner, AJ Styles, on Night Seven. Nakamura had a 5-2 record for ten points, technically a tie for first, but he finishes second based on matches won against the tied opponents (win over Sekimoto, loss versus Okada). The winner of this match will be number one contender to the NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship, whose champion will be determined in the main event.
Tanahashi was still feeling the effects of Styles working on his leg two nights earlier and he has a noticeable limp, which Nakamura immediately takes advantage of. Tanahashi battles back, though, and the match ends up being quite even. Tanahashi thought he finished it with a High Fly Flow to a standing Nakamura, but Nakamura rolled through and knocked Tanahashi down and immediately hit a Boma Ye, but was too exhausted to make the pin. Later on, Tanahashi attempts a second High Fly Flow, this time to a downed Nakamura, but Nakamura gets the knees up to thwart the attempt, and he hits a second Boma Ye to win the match!
Nakamura is the number one contender to the Pacific Heavyweight Championship!
Kenshiki Pride Festival Finals
NWA Pacific Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match
AJ Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada
AJ Styles went undefeated in the Block B side of the Kenshiki Pride Festivals, defeating Dolph Ziggler, Bad Luck Fale, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito, Yujiro Takahashi, Yuji Nagata, and finally Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the group. Kazuchika Okada had a slightly tougher affair, defeating Katsuyori Shibata, Cedric Alexander, Shinsuke Nakamura, Daisuke Sekimoto, and Rush to slightly edge Nakamura and Rush in Block A. However, the story of tonight's match is Okada's health, as he was viciously assaulted in his final match versus Rush.
Okada enters the match wearing a tensor bandage on his head, selling the La Lanza he took that knocked his head into the ring post two nights ago. Styles' offence was rounded in this fight, but it obviously focused on the head of Okada, as he used a spinning back fist to gain control early on. Okada battles back, but Styles stops his comeback with a springboard forearm smash, which could probably have been heard in Gainesville! Okada eventually takes control with a back suplex and calls for the Rainmaker, but Styles ducks and hits a Pele, kicking Okada in the head. Styles finishes Okada off with a Styles Clash to win the match, the title, and the tournament!
Okada proved to be a valiant competitor given his condition but was no match for "the Phenomenal One" on this night! While the hometown fans were rooting for Okada, they respectfully applaud Styles for all he has done in the past two weeks. Styles becomes a double champion, as he is the current Impact Wrestling Champion and now the NWA Pacific Heavyweight Champion. He cements his status as number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. His opportunity will take place at NWA Starrcade on January 25th when he challenges Samoa Joe for the title!
AJ Styles went undefeated in the Block B side of the Kenshiki Pride Festivals, defeating Dolph Ziggler, Bad Luck Fale, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito, Yujiro Takahashi, Yuji Nagata, and finally Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the group. Kazuchika Okada had a slightly tougher affair, defeating Katsuyori Shibata, Cedric Alexander, Shinsuke Nakamura, Daisuke Sekimoto, and Rush to slightly edge Nakamura and Rush in Block A. However, the story of tonight's match is Okada's health, as he was viciously assaulted in his final match versus Rush.
Okada enters the match wearing a tensor bandage on his head, selling the La Lanza he took that knocked his head into the ring post two nights ago. Styles' offence was rounded in this fight, but it obviously focused on the head of Okada, as he used a spinning back fist to gain control early on. Okada battles back, but Styles stops his comeback with a springboard forearm smash, which could probably have been heard in Gainesville! Okada eventually takes control with a back suplex and calls for the Rainmaker, but Styles ducks and hits a Pele, kicking Okada in the head. Styles finishes Okada off with a Styles Clash to win the match, the title, and the tournament!
Okada proved to be a valiant competitor given his condition but was no match for "the Phenomenal One" on this night! While the hometown fans were rooting for Okada, they respectfully applaud Styles for all he has done in the past two weeks. Styles becomes a double champion, as he is the current Impact Wrestling Champion and now the NWA Pacific Heavyweight Champion. He cements his status as number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. His opportunity will take place at NWA Starrcade on January 25th when he challenges Samoa Joe for the title!
