NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 Results
1/4/16
Tokyo, Japan
New Japan Pro Wrestling presents their biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 11, live from the Tokyo Dome! The show will be streamed live on New Japan World, with commentary available in both Japanese and English.
Our coverage begins at 2:30 a.m. EST with the Wrestle Kingdom 11 pre-show, featuring the annual New Japan Rumble battle royal, followed by the main card at 3:00 a.m. EST. Our discussion area is always open in the comments section below, so feel free to drop by and discuss tonight’s event before, during and after it airs.
Useful Links:
- A Beginner’s Guide to Wrestle Kingdom
- Final Match Card
- Lion’s Pride: The Turbulent History of New Japan
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The show is kicking off about 15 minutes ahead of schedule actually, as Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino welcome us to the greatest show of the year! We kick things off the New Japan Rumble!
Wrestle Kingdom Pre-Show Match
New Japan Rumble
This is basically the Royal Rumble, where guys come out one at a time every 90 seconds, except that you can also be eliminated by pinfall. The entrants in order are Michael Elgin (making his return from injury), Billy Gunn, Bone Soldier, Cheeseburger, Jushin Thunder Liger, Kuniaki Kobayashi (a part of the original NJPW roster and one of the first juniors), Tiger Mask, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Yoshitatsu, Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Hiro Saito (a legend who popularized the senton), and Scott Norton (former WCW star and two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion).
This was mostly about letting the legends have a moment with some of the current popular veterans, but guys like Elgin and Cheeseburger were also over big with the crowd. Kobayashi hit a fisherman suplex and did some exchanges with Liger that looked pretty good for a guy in his 60s. Saito did a running senton, of course, and probably the moment of the match (which the commentators didn’t mention at all) was Saito, Norton and Tenzan teaming up to reunite nWo Japan. It came down to the three of them and Cheeseburger all trying to take out Elgin, but he ran through them one by one, ending the Rumble with an Elgin Bomb to Cheeseburger to pick up the win in his return.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Tiger Mask W vs. Tiger the Dark
This is a promotional match for the Tiger Mask W anime. It was only a couple of minutes, with lots of dropkicks early on and a solid back and forth between Ibushi and ACH these totally legit anime characters. W sends his rival to the floor with a dropkick and follows up with the Golden Triange…not subtle. Dark slaps on an abdominal stretch to slow it down for a minute, and finally connects with a Tombstone after several attempts for a nearfall. W puts him away with a snap German suplex, a Tiger Suplex, and a modified Tiger Bomb (or…you know…Ibushi’s Golden Star Bomb).
Winner: Tiger Mask W
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi Vice
The Young Bucks come out covered head to toe in gold, as promised. They have given themselves brand new Superkick Party Championships, and call out Matt and Jeff Hardy on their way to the ring. They have the ROH and PWG titles with them as well.
The Bucks bail at the start of the match, and when RPG goes to chase them they run into superkicks on the ramp. The champs are in total control with lots of superkicks early on, just trash talking the challengers as they can’t seem to get it together. Eventually Trent runs some misdirection and Matt superkicks his brother, then in a rage accidentally superkicks one of the Young Lions at ringside. Rocky takes advantage with the Forever Clothesline and does a suicide dive to the floor taking out one of the Bucks, and RPG levels the other with an assisted top rope knee strike for a close two-count. They set up for Strong Zero but Nick comes flying out of nowhere and Matt counters into a flip powerbomb. And now the big spots start flying. Belly-to-belly from the top by Rocky, followed by a huge tope con hilo by Trent that misses, and he crashes hard into the floor.
Rocky tries to go it alone, showing tons of heart taking superkicks and running knees, continuing to kick out. They hit him with the assisted 450 splash, and he kicks out again. Superkick. Superkick. Rocky fires up and runs into double superkicks, and still manages to kick out. The set up for More Bang For Your Buck, but Trent comes flying out of nowhere to block it. Rocky rolls them up and steals the pin out of nowhere!
Winners & New Champions: Roppongi Vice!
NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championship
Ricochet, David Finlay & Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. Bullet Club vs. CHAOS vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon
Takahashi has four women with him tonight, all wearing next to nothing, and the camera men are not being subtle about getting right up in there. We’re starting off Bad Luck Fale, Takahashi and Hangman Page of Bullet Club taking on Jado, Will Ospreay and Yoshi-Hashi of Chaos in this gauntlet match.
Ospreay is the stand-out start of the opening minutes, doing a backflip handspring flip to the floor, taking out Chaos. He hit a series of incredible moonsaults off all the ropes, into a standing shooting star, into a corkscrew roundhouse kick on Page. Page caught him in midair off a springboard cutter and leveled him with a rebound lariat. Bullet Club takes the advantage from there with the numbers game on Jado, and Takahashi eliminates him with a DDT.
Next up are the members from LIJ. Bullet Club tries to take them out from behind as things are getting started, but LIJ aren’t going to get beaten by their own game. Bushi chips the big Bad Luck Fale down and gets him in the ropes, kicks him to the floor and dives to the outside to take him out of the match. The ref gets knocked down in the process, and Sanada brings a chair into the match and puts it on the neck of Takahashi. EVIL grabs another chair, swinging for the fences to absolutely murder him. Goodbye, Bullet Club.
The champs are out last, and David Finlay has a new nickname – the “Celtic Prince”. Ricochet has a crown. They rush the ring and hit triple dives, taking out LIJ to get this last round started. Kojima lights up EVIL with a hundred chops in the corner, then tags Sanada with some, and goes back for another set on the big man. LIJ takes out Kojima but Ricochet and Finlay are back to take out Evil with a fireman’s carry/gutbuster combo. Kojima is back with a passion, taking out Evil with the Cozy Cutter, and Sanda with a lariat, but he turns around into poison mist from Bushi. Evil plants him with the STO for the win.
Winners and New Champions: Los Ingobernables de Japon
Cody Rhodes vs. Juice Robinson
Juice wants a hand shake at the start, but Cody refuses and gives him the Bullet Club guns instead. They go to the floor and Cody tries for a springboard triangle splash, but Juice catches him with a great belly-to-belly on the floor. He follows it up with a cannonball into the barricade, but his knee caught the metal and both men are down.
Cody rolls it back into the ring and goes to work on the clearly injured knee. He hits a springboard dropkick and mocks him with an old “Dashing” pose on the mat. Juice keeps getting back up, trying to fire himself up into the match, but his knee can’t take it and he’s getting picked apart, while Rhodes continues to mock him, the referee, and even the commentary team. Juice finally gets back into it with a lariat and a standing dropkick, but Cody chop blocks the knee as the referee goes to check on him. He rolls through a top rope crossbody into the Indian Deathlock, killing the knee, and Juice flails around the ring in pain screaming that he wouldn’t give up.
At this point Cody is just having his way, in total control of the match. He hits a Hangman’s DDT and other power moves, but the kid just keeps kicking out. Lots of heart from the former NXT developmental star. Juice comes out of nowhere with a lariat. He tries for a powerbomb, but the knee buckles again and Cody picks him up with the Crossrhodes for the win.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Ring of Honor Championship
Kyle O’Reilly (c) vs. Adam Cole
Cole adheres to the Code of Honor at the start…and then spits in his rivals face. Kyle puts him in an armbar immediately, going for the quick submission, but it’s broken up in the ropes. Cole goes to the floor and runs the champion into the ring post, taking a chair and killing his arm. Kyle fights back but is down to one arm, so he uses the other and a series of kicks. He puts him in a single leg, but again Cole gets to the ropes.
The challenger goes back to the arm to take control, leveling O’Reilly with running knees, kicks and the Last Shot. They go into the mirror section of the match, trading rights and lefts, taking each other out with running boots. Kyle hits a kick to the back of the head and a hard elbow, followed by a brainbuster, but he can’t follow up as he landed on his injured arm. He tries for a cross armbar, but Cole kicks him in the face until he lets go and turns him inside-out with a Shining Wizard. Another Last Shot connects for two. Cole sets up for a superkick, looking to end it, but it’s caught and turned into a standing ankle lock. He rolls through, hitting him with not one, but three superkicks, yelling at Kyle to “stay down!” A kick connects to the back of the head, followed by a third Last Shot. 1…2…3.
Winner and New Champion: Adam Cole
IWGP Tag Team Championship
Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. Great Bash Heel vs. Chaos
Toru Yano has both the tag belts and both the World Tag League trophies. Tama Tonga attacks him out of nowhere, and all four opponents stomp him down in the middle of the ring to start the match. While the others were busy working on Honma, Yano snuck back in and took off one of the turnbuckles. Ishii just levels Honma with a series of stiff elbows and chops and tags in his partner, who spends about two seconds in the ring before he gets scared and tags out to Tama.
Makabe goes to work on everyone, cleaning house. GBH throws the champs to the corners and fires off with mounted punches, but Tama levels Makabe with a jumping DDT. Loa tags in and lets fly about a dozen curse words, which sends Steve Corino into hysterics on commentary. GOD takes everyone out, but Loa is cursing so much, so loudly Corino is dying and has turned his mic off. Makabe comes back and hits lariats on the champs, followed by a running Kokeshi from Honma. He goes up to the top and connects with the Kokeshi, but Ishii finally reenters the match to break it up.
Tama goes for the Gun Stun but Honma catches him. He tries for another Kokeshi but is caught with the Gun Stun out of the air. The champs hit Guerrilla Warfare on Makabe, who rolls to the floor. Honma fights out of Guerrilla Warfare and gets taken out anyways, but Yano had made a blind tag that nobody saw. Ishii runs distraction and Yano hits them both with low blows. Ishii hits double lariats to GOD and Yano rolls up Loa for the pin.
Winners and New Champions: Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Kushida (c) vs. Himoru Takahashi
Himoru dumped the champion to the floor while he was making his entrance, but Kushida didn’t let that fly, hitting him with a dropkick out of the air and launching himself off the top rope with a crossbody to the floor. Kushida starts to work over the arm to set up submissions later. There is zero respect between either of them, as they trade chops and just go at each other. Kushi goes to the apron and Himoru flies over him, connecting with a sunset flip powerbomb all the way to the floor. Kushida’s head may have hit the barricade, and the referee separates them and teases stopping the match.
The champ eventually pulls himself back into the ring, and Himoru immediately goes on the attack, but is caught with a Mic Check hard into the second rope. The injury has just pissed off Kushida, who fires off with kicks and dropkicks and armdrags, lighting up the challenger. He’s dropped on his neck with a snap German suplex, and Himoru rolls through it, powering him up for a second. He comes off the top rope with what was supposed to be a headscissors to the floor, but they messed it up. Instead he flies to the outside with a diving splash to take him down, followed up by a diving knee drop for two.
Both men are exhausted. Himoru tries for another tope sunset flip to the floor, but Kushida backflips off the apron and kicks him in the face instead. Himoru runs off the apron looking for a kick, but the champ catches him out of the air with the cross armbreaker! The referee tries to break it up on the floor, but Kushida holds on and uses nearly the entire 20-count to torture his opponent. Back in the ring he starts yelling at him to “get up”, kicking away at him – seeing Kushida toy with his challengers is not something you ever see. He nails him with a kick and locks in the Hoverboard Lock, cranking on the hold, but Takahashi refuses to tap out. He wills himself back to his feet, screaming out in pain with hold still locked on, trying to get to the ropes, but Kushida rolls through it – wait, Takahashi picks him up into his finisher – Kushida rolls through that into a pin! 1….2…. NO!
The champion fires off with kicks and goes back into a standing variation of the Hoverboard lock, but Himoru escapes and hits him in the throat. Kushida responds with a straight, closed-fist right hook and knocks him the heck out, looking like he shattered his hand in the process. Back to their feet, Himoru connects with a belly-to-belly suplex. They fight to the top rope and Kushida puts on the Hoverboard lock; Himoru rolls through into a victory roll from the top! 1…2…NO! He picks up the champion and slams him straight into the turnbuckle. Back up one more time, and he drops him with Timb Bomb! 1…2…3!
Winner and New Champion: Himoru Takahashi
NEVER Openweight Championship
Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Hirooki Goto
A bit of a feeling out process at the start between two very long-time rivals, and former partners. Shibata lights him up with kicks and puts him in a rear choke in the ropes until he’s forced to break. From there he just goes to work, slowly chipping away at Goto with kicks all over the body, and a series of short kicks to the face. More kicks on top of kicks; Goto comes out of nowhere with a spinning wheel kick, but immediately Shibata just drops a knee on the back of his neck
Goto sets in with kicks for the first time in the match, but the champion takes them one after another and just gets right back up. Shibata stomps on him in the corner with stiff kicks and nails a brutal looking dropkick. They trade kicks, giving each other serious whiplash, but both guys refuse to stay down. Shibata with a back suplex, but Goto gets up and grabs a handful of hair, slamming him right down into his knee. Hard shots from both guys, brutal exchanges, and harsh throws. Shibata puts him in the rear naked choke out of nowhere, but Goto stays on his feet. Shibata cranks down on it, and the challenger starts to fade, falls to the mat, but as the referee is about to stop the match he drapes his foot over the bottom rope.
The ref tries to check on Goto, but Shibata just throws him to the floor and starts kicking away at the nearly unconscious challenger. He goes for the PK but Goto pops up and nails the ushigoroshi! He pulls the champion to his feet and connects with the Shouten Kai, but Shibata kicks out at two! Goto immediately goes into stiff kicks, Shibata growls and gets right in his face, but Goto doesn’t back down and continues to level him with headbutts and kicks. He nails a knee to the back of the head, lifts the lifeless champion back to his feet, and hits the GTR for the 1-2-3. Incredible.
Winner and New Champion: Hirooki Goto
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Naito begs off for the first lock-up, forcing Tanahashi to play his game. When they finally lock up Tanahashi doesn’t break clean, and punches him in the cut, prompting a ton of heat from the crowd. The champ throws him out of the ring and hits the Tranquilo pose. They go back and forth – the crowd is split between them. Tana gives him a split second break and Naito throws a dropkick immediately to his knees to take advantage. He continues to work the knee with more offense, and the damage is done.
The champion continues to work the leg, throwing the referee to the floor as he tries to check on Tanahashi. When the ref tries to do it again, he whips Tana’s leg into him and uses the ref to assist another dropkick into the injured limb. He takes his time, slowly, methodically working over the former ace, fighting off any attempted responses. Tanahashi hits a flying elbow for his first real break, following up with a senton off the second rope. Naito tries to get it back, but this time it’s he who takes a dropkick to the knee and goes down hard. The champ spits in his face, throwing the crowd back against him, but all this does is anger the veteran who drops him with a dragon screw in the ropes. Both men are down.
Naito tries to take a breather on the apron, but Tana comes out of nowhere with a slingblade hard on the edge of the mat. He heads to the top rope – you know where this is going, and he connects with the High Fly Flow to the floord, both men crashing into the barricade. Tanahashi gets up first, and uncharacteristically does the Tranquilo pose on the apron, the crowd firing up. Once again he goes to the top, but this time Naito throws himself at the ropes to take his balance off. He follows up with a hurricanrana from the top, into a German suplex bridge for two. Back suplex connects, but Tana starts throwing elbows. He tries for a tornado DDT but Naito kicks the knees out to block it. Tana does the exact same thing. Both guys are fading.
Naito connects with Gloria (I haven’t seen that since his babyface days) and rolls into a kneelock, putting pressure on the knee and the ref asks him if he wants to quit. Tanahashi slowly transitions the hold into a Texas Cloverleaf, and the ref begs the champion to give up as he screams out in pain, but he finally gets to the ropes. Both men regroup, and Tanahashi hits a Slingblade, followed by a second. He jumps to the top rope, waiting patiently for Naito to get to his feet, and connects with the High Fly Flow crossbody. One more time he goes back up, but Naito rolls out of the way and hits Destino. One isn’t enough, and he goes for a second, but the challenger counters into a DDT!
Slowly, both guys get to their feet and begin to exchange right hands. Then elbows. Back and forth they go, as the crowd erupts, and then begin to trade kicks to the knees. Naito smiles wickedly, and Tana slaps him across the face and drops him on his neck. He goes to the top, and connects with the High Fly Flow to the back! Back to the top again, but Naito gets the knees up on the second attempt! Naito with Destino off the second rope! 1….2….kick out at two-and-a-half! Destino connects again. 1….2….3. It’s over.
Winner and Still Champion: Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kenny Omega
Omega goes right after him, putting on a headlock. Okada back suplexes him, but the challenger hangs on. We get some early pinning combinations, and Okada throws some deep arm drags. Back and forth we go. The champion gets him in the ropes and feints on a right hand, condescendingly patting him on the chest. He tries for an early dropkick but Kenny escapes, attempts a One Winged Angel, but settles for spitting in his face instead. Everyone goes to their corners and regroups – back to square one.
When they get back to it, Okada levels the challenger with a big boot and a running dropkick sending him to the floor. We get a chase around the ring that sees Kenny go hard into the barricade. Okada picks him up and kills him with a Hangman’s DDT into the floor. In a move I don’t think I’ve ever seen, the champion goes under the ring and pulls out… a table? Instead he throws Kenny over the barricade and does a great running dive, clearing it. Eventually they roll back into the ring with Okada completely in control, hitting a backbreaker and slowly working down his opponent.
Omega hits the Kotaru Krusher after some dropkicks and knees, and is back in it. He fires off with chops and hard forearms to the back of the champion. Seriously these forearms are brutal. He goes to the well too many times and Okada fires back with forearm shots, but runs into a kitchen sink. They trade boots and Omega snaps off a hurricanrana to send the champ to the floor. He gets a big running start and connects with a beautiful tope con hilo to the floor, taking them both down. Kenny slams him down hard on the edge of the apron, continuing to work the spine to set up for his finisher. He goes up to the top rope and connects with a missile dropkick square to the back of the head; Kenny things he won it as Okada didn’t get his shoulders up, but his leg was under the bottom rope.
Omega throws knees to the midsection after slowing things back down with rest holds, but goes too many times and Okada catches him with a vertical suplex. Splash in the corner followed by a wicket DDT, and Okada kips up, showing that all the damage to his back isn’t going to keep this from him. He kicks away at the knees and locks in Red Ink, holding on until the challenger gets to the ropes. Okada climbs to the tops but rolls back to the floor, trying for a Tombstone, but has to settle for a reverse neckbreaker instead. He came off the top rope for a flying elbow, but Kenny put up his knees, and I’m not sure who got the worst of that.
Omega is up first, hitting a backbreaker. Huge running dropkick sends Okada out of the ring and over the barricade, right in front of the Japanese announce booth and Masahiro Chono. Kenny pushes the referee out of the way, and does a springboard moonsault, turning in midair, all the way over the guardrail to take down the champion. Crazy spot. The ref begins his count, but Okada falls back into the ring crew several times. Finally he gets back over the guardrail, but Omega throws a table on top of him and launches off the apron with a double foot stop, right to the abdomen! He immediately throws him back into the ring, slamming him down hard with a powerbomb for two-and-a-half. Kenny deadlifts him back up into the air for a sit-out powerbomb, but the champ kicks out yet again.
On the floor, the Young Bucks have set up the table. Kenny tries to set up a spot but the referee won’t let him do it. Gedo is losing it on the outside, and the crowd begins to stir with loud “Okada” chants. The champ desperates gets a few boots off. Kenny hoists him up and hits a fireman’s carry roll-through, followed by a second rope moonsault. They fight back and forth and it’s Okada that hits him with his signature dropkick to the top rope, sending the challenger crashing down below. He picks him up on his shoulders and sets up a huge move in front of the table, but Kenny reverses it; Okada reverses it again and they are teasing that table something fierce as the action goes back into the ring. Kenny builds up some momentum, but Okada launches him with a huge back body drop, and he goes flying out of the ring, crashing through the table in what had to be a 10-foot drop!
It’s Okada that breaks the count. He rolls the challenger back in the ring, coming off the top rope with a missile dropkick to the downed Omega for two. The crowd is on their feet. Back up, and the flying elbow connects this time. He signals for the Rainmaker, looking to end it. Kenny fights as hard as he can, getting into the ropes, and on the second attempt drives him into the barricade, over and over again. They try and fight up the ropes, but both guys are dead. Okada fires off with shots, and Kenny slaps him across the face. Eventually they make it to the top, fighting desperately for advantages, but it’s Omega who connects with a Dragon suplex off the top, dropping the champion on his neck! 1…2…Okada barely gets his shoulder up with what little energy he has left.
Omega transitions a vertical suplex into a reverse neckbreaker, and calls his shot, motioning for the Bullet Club guns. Okada steps out of the way and murders him with high angle German suplex; Kenny breaks free and nails a still running knee strike! Dropkick from Okada! Knee lift from Omega! Standing reverserana from Omega. Running knee strike connects! He goes for the One Winged Angel, but Okada lands on his feet, throws a massive European uppercut, and connects with the Tombstone Piledriver. RAINMAKER! 1….2….NO!
The champion stands over his victim now, as Okada puts his fists up and prepares for the end. He rakes the eyes out of nowhere, but Okada completely levels him with a dropkick that sends him flying five feet backwards into the ropes. He looks for the Tombstone once more, but Omega turns over it and hits a modified package piledriver! 1….2……the champion rolls his shoulder over. They pan tot he Japanese commentary panel and legends at ringside, who are just in awe of this match. They trade elbows and just start going crazy on each other, throwing everything they have. Omega with a snap Dragon suplex, followed by a running knee strike. ONE WINGED ANGEL – Okada holds on to the arm! RAINMAKER!
Slowly they both get back up. ANOTHER RAINMAKER OUT OF NOWHERE! Kenny counters a FOURTH RAINMAKER, hits a dropkick on the champion, and hits one of the most brutal knee strikes I have ever seen, out of the Rainamker pose. He goes for the One Winged Angel, but Okada counters it and connects with a jumping Tombstone Piledriver. FOURTH RAINMAKER CONNECTS! 1….2….3. It’s over!
Winner and Still Champion: Kazuchika Okada
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