New Japan Pro Wrestling has had a tough summer. Ever-changing live event conditions in Japan, and specifically the city of Tokyo, as well as injuries, led to a rocky May & June for the King of Sports. What a difference two nights in Sapporo can make.
The Summer Struggle tour kicked off on Saturday, and was immediately saddled with the news that IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Challenger Kota Ibushi would be missing the July 1oth and 11th shows with side effects from the COVID-19 vaccination. Ibushi, who will challenge Shingo Takagi for the title on July 25th, was originally to tag with Master Wato, and Ibushi’s loss was absolutely Wato’s gain. The young talent was able to showcase himself in a series of singles matches, first a win over fiery rookie Yuya Uemura, and then a hard-fought loss to IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi. Both matches made the young jr. heavyweight’s stock rise sharply.
The loss of Ibushi also meant that stories like Jeff Cobb’s burgeoning feud with Kazuchika Okada, or the rivalry between veterans KENTA and Hiroshi Tanahashi, were able to take a little more prominence than they would’ve had the shows contained the originally scheduled World Title match previews.
Cobb is another wrestler that has had to step up in the wake of turbulence for NJPW. With United Empire centerpiece Will Ospreay injured, Cobb has taken the veteran presence in the faction. Now that he’s fighting a megastar like Okada, fresh off a feud with former champion Ibushi, the former Olympian is finally following in the footsteps of large foreign threats like Steve Williams and Gary Albright.
The title matches that closed out both shows also gave a strong sense of direction to the company. On the first night, El Desperado drilled Taiji Ishimori with two Pinche Locos to defend the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship for the second time. After the thrilling bout, Desperado was challenged (via video) by CHAOS’s Robbie Eagles. Eagles, who has not been in a New Japan ring in months, is a fresh shot of adrenaline to a Jr. Heavyweight Division that has been threadbare for much of the pandemic.
Highlights from “SUMMER STRUGGLE in SAPPORO Night1” (July 10th)
Watch Now, in ENGLISH:https://t.co/tI7LnXuPiZ
Your main event!
Will @taiji_ishimori make good on his promise to take junior gold?
Or will @ElDesperado5 continue his reign over the Junior division?
✅#njsst pic.twitter.com/Eh6cY8KYOg
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) July 10, 2021
The second night saw Ungovernable Tekkers defeat Dangerous Tekkers in an instant classic; a main event that immediately elevated a division that had been on the rise but in need of new blood. SANADA, happy to get under the skin of longtime rival Zack Sabre Jr., teamed with LIJ frontman Tetsuya Naito to wrest the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship away from Suzuki-gun. Not only have SANADA and Naito become a fun tandem in the build to this match, but having a bonafide star like Naito carrying the Tag Titles helps make the spotlight on them that much brighter, and also adds a new edge to SANADA, who many feel has hit a plateau since his last major push ended in a whimper.
Highlights from “SUMMER STRUGGLE in SAPPORO” (July 11th)
Watch Now, in ENGLISH: https://t.co/9AoamFnArK
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match is finally here!
Who will prove themselves the best team in #NJPW tonight?
✅#njsst #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/VvGHezxuZC
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) July 11, 2021
The Jr. Heavyweight Title scene isn’t the only one getting fresh challengers. The returning Rocky Romero made a big statement with a rollup win over IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champion El Phantasmo in a six-man tag match on night 2. He formally challenged the tag champs after the match, sending he and Taguchi to the front of the line.
SUMMER STRUGGLE in SAPPORO July.11 2021 Backstage comments!
?WATCH NOW?https://t.co/mR8TDCt0Du
?無料公開中！?7/11(日)SUMMER STRUGGLE in SAPPORO のBSコメントを #新日本プロレスワールド で無料公開中❗️
.@azucarRoc & @taguchiryusuke pic.twitter.com/ezD0gvPbeo
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) July 12, 2021
With four more Summer Struggle shows left until the Tokyo Dome, it will be interesting to see where this new direction takes New Japan.
Here are the full results for both Summer Struggle in Sapporo shows. Both shows are available on NJPWWorld.com.
7/10
Summer Struggle in Sapporo
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Master Wato def. Yuya Uemura by pinfall via RPP. (9:09)
- Bullet Club (EVIL & Dick Togo) def. CHAOS (YOH & Tomohiro Ishii) by submission. (11:37)
EVIL submitted YOH via Scorpion Deathlock - Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Rocky Romero def. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi, KENTA & El Phantasmo) by pinfall. (15:16)
Hiroshi Tanahashi pinned Yujiro Takahashi via High Fly Flow - United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & SHO) by pinfall. (11:41)
Jeff Cobb pinned SHO via Tour of the Islands - Los Ingobernables de Japón (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) def. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI) by pinfall. (13:40)
Shingo Takagi pinned DOUKI via Pumping Bomber - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match: El Desperado (c) def. Taiji Ishimori by pinfall via Pinche Loco. (28:54)
7/11
Summer Struggle in Sapporo
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) def. SHO & Yuya Uemura by pinfall.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru pinned Yuya Uemura via Deep Impact - Rocky Romero, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tomohiro Ishii def. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & EVIL) by pinfall. (13:10)
Rocky Romero pinned El Phantasmo via Hurricanrana - Bullet Club (KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yota Tsuji by pinfall. (10:40)
Yujiro Takahashi pinned Yota Tsuji via Pimp Juice - United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOH) by pinfall. (12:40)
Jeff Cobb pinned YOH via Tour of the Islands - Shingo Takagi def. Master Wato by pinfall via Last of the Dragon. (14:50)
- IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) def. Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) by pinfall. (36:57)
Tetsuya Naito pinned Zack Sabre Jr. via Destino
New Japan Pro Wrestling will return on July 17th at 2:30am ET for Summer Struggle in Korakuen Hall
