Wrestle Kingdom 13 – Live Results

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Kenny Omega – Wins IWGP Heavyweight Championship

And there is the clean sweep. Every single champion going into Wrestle Kingdom 13 is no longer the champion.

What a match it was. Two of the greatest story tellers of all time going face to face for the most prestigious belt possibly on earth.

It seemed for a long time as if Tanahashi simply did not have enough to get the better of Kenny, and with the one winged angel set up, it looked like the veteran would fall short.

But a quick counter, a slingblade and a sweet frog splash were enough to vanquish the champion. So, will Kenny now be heading to AEW? So many interesting things have happened tonight, and the next few weeks are going to be fascinating.

Tetsuya Naito defeated Chris Jericho – Wins IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Guess what, another title has been dropped. That makes it 7 out of 7 in title matches this evening!

A really great match, with Jericho and Naito pulling out all the stops to try and win what has become a very personal feud.

Jericho hit Naito with a DDT onto a table, Naito hit Jericho with suplexes onto chairs, but neither man was willing to give up.

The match seemed to be over when Jericho hit Naito with a low blow and a codebreaker after distracting the ref (even though it was a no-DQ match), but Naito somehow managed to get a shoulder up.

A shot to the head followed by a Destino was what did it for Naito, who wins the title after a nearly year long battle with his nemesis.

One match to go. Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

Jay White defeated Kazuchika Okada

The RAINMAKER has been vanquished by some bloke from New Zealand.

The shocks continue as Jay White defeats former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Okada in a fun match that seemed to be Okada’s from the start.

Not only was he wearing his old classic Rainmaker ring gear, but the rainmaker teases were frequent and he would surely hit one.

But no, White had a counter for every attempt, and hit Okada with Bladerunner to pick up a huge victory. With rumours that Kenny Omega could be heading to AEW, could White be the top non-Japanese star in NJPW going forward?

Taiji Ishimori defeated Kushida – Wins IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

If I was a champion, I wouldn’t turn up this evening, because chances are you’re going to lose your title.

6 matches down, 5 title changes, and it’s only not 6 because one match wasn’t for a title.

Kushida, New Japan’s most decorated junior, looked to be heading towards the first title retention of the evening, but a leg injury sustained in the match stopped him from hitting his finisher.

This allowed Ishimori to hit the brainbuster for the win and he is now the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.

Juice Robinson defeated Cody – Wins IWGP United States Championship

These matches are only getting shorter. Juice came into the match as the underdog after a losing streak, but it was over in the blink of an eye.

Brandi Rhodes got herself banned from ringside for attacking Juice, which threw Cody off. Juice took advantage, hitting two unprettiers to take the win and the IWGP US Title.

It certainly looks like the AEW group are losing their titles this evening…

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Sanada and Evil) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) – Win IWGP Heavyweight Championship

AND ANOTHER TITLE CHANGE!

It’s been a great night for LIJ, who win their second tag title of the night, making them the dominant force in NJPW. Will Naito be able to crown off the evening by becoming the IWGP Intercontinental Champion later when he takes on Chris Jericho?

Another short match, suggesting that the matches towards the end of this card are going to be really long!

The Bucks hit their usual array of superkicks, but it was Sanada that hit the top rope moonsault to pick up the victory and claim the titles.

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tomohiro Ishii – Wins RevPro British Heavyweight Championship

Another quick match, and we have another new champion. Zack Sabre Jr starts 2019 as he finished an incredible 2018, beating some of the greats.

He locks Ishii in a chicken wing submission and Ishii has no option but to tap. Sabre Jr is the new RevPro British Heavyweight Champion.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi and Shingo Takagi) defeated Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado) and Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) – Win IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Well, Suzuki-Gun’s record-breaking run with the titles is over, and it was over very quickly.

Bushi and Shingo Takagi dominated from the start of the match, with neither of the other teams getting a foothold.

Sho found himself at the mercy of Takagi, who hit two brutal lariats before succumbing to a pinfall, making LIJ your new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champions.

Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi – Wins NEVER Openweight Championship

The first match of the night is a dream match between Will Ospreay and Kota Ibushi for Ibushi’s NEVER Openweight Championship. Expect flips.

I told you to expect flips!

My word, these two know how to construct a match. Counters, moonsaults, suplexes and some brutal kicks dominated the match, which both men looked sure to win at different points in the match.

Both hit incredible moonsaults to the outside, and a double stop on the back of Ospreay looked to have given Ibushi the win. However, it was Ospreay that prevailed, after hitting a nasty elbow to the back of Ibushi’s head, followed by a Storm Breaker to win.

Ibushi was taken away on a stretcher in a neck brace, but hopefully this is a kayfabe injury rather than a real one.

A great match to start the night. Keep them coming!

The Most Violent Players (Togi Makabe and Toru Yano) and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb and David Finlay vs. Chaos (Hirooki Goto, Beretta and Chuckie T.) vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.) vs. The Elite (Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi and Marty Scurll) to become number one contenders for the NEVER Openweight six-man tag titles.

The pre-show gauntlet tag match for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship starts with the Elite (Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page) vs Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb and David Finlay Jr.

The Elite are the first team to be eliminated following mass miscommunication in the ranks. Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi start to argue, which ends with Page pushing Takahashi into a roll up pin. With Page signing with AEW this past week, could this be the last time we see him in a NJPW ring?

Next into the gauntlet is Chaos (Hirooki Goto, Beretta and Chuckie T.)

And it’s another roll-up which gets the better of Chaos, with David Finlay rolling up Hirooki Goto. Jeff Cobb has been the star of the match so far, with some incredible athleticism for a big man. We’re getting through these tag teams pretty quickly!

Next up is Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.).

Suzuki-Gun make short work of the tiring Nagata, Cobb and Finlay, with Archer and Smith Jr teaming to hit Finlay with an assisted powerbomb for the win.

The final team into the ring is The Most Violent Players (Togi Makabe and Toru Yano) and Ryusuke Taguchi.

And it’s a shock in the first match of the night, as The Most Violent Players and Ryusuke Taguchi see off Suzuki-Gun with some cheeky tactics to pick up the win and become number one contender for the NEVER Openweight six-man tag titles.

That’s right, it’s arguably the greatest night of in-ring action on the wrestling calendar, and you can follow Wrestle Kingdom 13 live throughout the show on our website.

The card is as follows:

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado (c) vs. Roppongi 3K vs. BUSHI and Shingo Takagi

RevPro British Heavyweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

IWGP US Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Juice Robinson

IWGP Tag Team Championship
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa (c) vs. EVIL and SANADA vs. The Young Bucks

NEVER Openweight Championship
Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White

Number One Contender Gauntlet Match for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship (Pre-Show)
Hirooki Goto, Beretta, & Chuckie T vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe, & Toru Yano vs. Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb, & David Finlay vs. Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, & Yujiro Takahashi

 

I know, it’s mouth-watering, isn’t it. Anyway, follow it live from the start of the show at 7am GMT (3am ET).

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