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00:00We will now begin the semi-final of the 7th match, a one-on-one match of 30 minutes.
00:30We will now begin the semi-final of the 7th match, a one-on-one match of 30 minutes.
01:00We will now begin the semi-final of the 7th match, a one-on-one match of 30 minutes.
01:30September 29th in Kobe.
01:39Wait, who's that with those arms? Is that him?
01:42He looks 5 years younger.
01:45He looks like he's 10 now.
01:47The blue corner, United Empire's Nobel Prize winner, Francisco Aguilera!
02:02Prince of Peace, Calum Newman!
02:17The Imperial Unit, Jeff Cobb!
02:29IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Championship.
02:35Fate Grand Order Sponsor and G-Store Ambassador and KOPW 2024 Dominator, Greto Okan!
03:05IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Greto Okan!
03:36Well, it gives us a chance to pre-talk a little.
03:39Oh, yeah.
03:40So, you know, talk among ourselves.
03:41We can have a little flirt.
03:42I mean, that's why I'm mostly here, Chris.
03:43I mean, I should be scouting my two possible title match opponents, but...
03:48I just wanted to sit close to you.
03:50Oh, thanks very much, mate.
03:56Spangly fella, Bushi.
04:01I had something wrong with him, so...
04:0620 years in the books for Shingo Takagi.
04:10Remarkable.
04:11The first time I faced Shingo was in 2009, so he'd only been wrestling for five years.
04:15But you would have thought he was already a 20-year veteran at that point.
04:19Incredible how natural he was from the beginning.
04:25And yeah, Yoda Tsuji, not walking in as NJPW World TV Champion.
04:30I mean, he was very, very close.
04:32He did not get beaten by Jeff Cobb within the 15th.
04:37Unfortunately, after Ed Nair to jump the gun,
04:40if he wants another shot, it will be a while.
05:02Naito! Naito! Naito!
05:11Naito! Naito! Naito!
05:27If it is Tetsuya Naito, who walks away with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
05:35in Kobe, and if it is Tetsuya Naito versus Zack Sabre Jr. in Ryogoku two weeks later,
05:42October the 14th,
05:44it will be this atmosphere multiplied by five or six.
06:02Well, that was why I chose Ryogoku.
06:05And obviously for a couple of reasons.
06:06Before the G1, Ryogoku, I would have told anyone that Ryogoku is my favorite building in the world.
06:14But given my history there, if I'm going to reach the top of New Japan,
06:18then it really has to be two things.
06:20It has to be Tetsuya Naito, and it has to be at Ryogoku.
06:27IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, 180cm, 102kg, Naito Tetsuya!
06:43It's a big if, and it's a big ask,
06:46for McGregor-Khan in Kobe, September the 29th.
06:52But, let's put it this way.
06:54You said at the press conference after the G1,
06:56you don't mind who it's going to be.
06:58You said just now, and I think it will be a great match with Gregor-Khan,
07:01it will be a great match with Tetsuya Naito.
07:04Which would be the easier task?
07:08Well, my choice was not about the easiest route, Chris.
07:11It's about ascending truly to the top of New Japan.
07:15You know, of course, my three goals were to win the G1,
07:18become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion,
07:20and main event the Tokyo Dome.
07:22But I plan on having multiple defenses before I walk into the Tokyo Dome,
07:25in the main event, and obviously become the first foreigner in, you know,
07:28Wrestle Kingdom history to win in the main event.
07:33You know, I've been a huge fan of Gregor-Khan since his return.
07:37I think, you know, in some ways,
07:39an IWGP title match between the two of us
07:41would actually be a more authentic, you know,
07:43New Japan, you know, representation of New Japan style.
07:47But, you know, Tetsuya Naito is without a doubt
07:52the top of the Japanese wrestling industry.
07:55So I have to prepare for both.
07:57You know, I have to accept that it can be either.
08:01You know, my personal taste would rather Gregor-Khan
08:04for the symbolism of beating Naito.
08:06You know, it's really what I need.
08:30Oh, this boy's going straight back at it.
08:37Tsuji escapes disaster there underneath.
08:40Watch out.
08:42Around the world.
08:43Here we go, some Luchas Heckerz.
08:52Yep, that's why he was an Olympian.
08:56As very few people can say,
08:59they beat Zack Sabre Jr. this year,
09:02especially under 15.
09:04So, Jeff Cobb's world TV champion.
09:17Is that definitely a keeper?
09:21I did speak to him earlier today.
09:23He did have a thick Italian accent.
09:26That's usually a giveaway.
09:27I'm trying not to say any really insulting Italian
09:31intros right now.
09:34Oh my goodness.
09:37The speed of a Kira, if it is a Kira,
09:40is phenomenal.
09:43Blistering leg lariat there.
09:45Unfazed by the heavyweight Tsuji in the corner.
09:48Going to charge.
09:50He's got a big boy lariat as well.
09:54Oh, that was a big boy.
09:57Backbreaker from Yoda Tsuji.
09:59Naito clears the apron.
10:02I like that Callum only tanned his shoulders.
10:06That's the mistake that most people make.
10:07You tan your entire body.
10:09But, you know, that's incorrect.
10:11You just want nice tanned shoulders.
10:14Really contrasting weights.
10:15You can be a shoulder man.
10:16A shoulder man?
10:18Hey, you can shoulder man.
10:19Akira is taking the opposite approach
10:21by not tanning anything.
10:22Oh my goodness.
10:23Well, that is quite a nuisance
10:24when you sit down there, isn't it?
10:26That is...
10:29I don't think I throw people into the barbells that much.
10:32Do I?
10:34No, I mean, I think...
10:37You're low on the rankings.
10:38Yeah.
10:40Scooping a slam.
10:42Is Kiyono here today?
10:43We'll find out.
10:44Body sausage.
10:46Cover it.
10:48And Tsuji's his mightiest army.
10:51That's a lot of weight
10:53plowing down on Akira.
10:54He did well to kick out of it.
10:56Come on, Akira!
10:59Right, so we've got T-shirt Bushi
11:00and T-shirt Naito.
11:02The difference is, I think,
11:04that T-shirt on Bushi,
11:05cover, look out,
11:07will be coming off
11:08in due course
11:09and used as a weapon,
11:10no doubt,
11:11to choke Francesco Akira.
11:14If he is Francesco Akira.
11:16Well, if that is Bushi,
11:17I mean, he wears a mask every day.
11:18Yeah, actually, yeah.
11:20Could be anyone on the back there.
11:23What if it was me?
11:24That would be an article.
11:25That would be an article.
11:26Yeah.
11:34And a long delay.
11:35Yeah.
11:36Make you think about it.
11:38Well, he grabs your neck so tight,
11:39it looks,
11:41it looks like you
11:42would be able to escape.
11:44But it's infuriating
11:45as much as it's painful.
11:47And Tetsuya Naito enjoying
11:51the mockery
11:53of the challenge of September 29th.
11:55It would be great if Okan just got in there
11:56and punched him in the face.
11:58Oh great, Okan got a hot push in the button,
12:00so that's exactly what Naito wanted.
12:03That's why Naito is a genius still.
12:06Someone who looks like he's permanently aloof.
12:09He does actually look like he's doing it,
12:10and that's the most infuriating part of it.
12:13Speaking of aloof,
12:16Shingo Takagi, my God!
12:18I wouldn't call Takagi aloof.
12:23Lovely shiny,
12:25shiny new red pantaloons.
12:28Did he wear those for the anniversary?
12:29I think he did.
12:30He got, he got,
12:31probably got gifted them.
12:33The people of Yamanashi.
12:36That was a fantastic main event.
12:37Did you see, did you see they gave him
12:38three kilograms of grapes
12:40and 30 kilos of rice.
12:42You can't even get rice right now.
12:44I know, there's a shortage.
12:45I know, there's a nightmare.
12:47Shingo Takagi has all the rice
12:49in Yamanashi.
12:50Got to go to Shingo for black market rice then.
12:56There we go, Akira.
12:58Akira's a pasta guy
12:59and he's ripping away
13:02at Shingo Takagi.
13:04Akira said last night
13:05in his backstage comments
13:06he wants Shingo 101 one day.
13:09This is a grain-based debacle.
13:12An age-old query
13:14of whether rice or wheat
13:17is more suitable.
13:21There we go, wheat won.
13:26Oh, I'm going to eat
13:27all of it.
13:28I'll have bread
13:29and wheat protein
13:30in the same meal.
13:32There we go.
13:33Amazing to get gluten at this point.
13:37Japan's done fantastic
13:38to have so much size
13:39and producing big boys.
13:41So elegant still.
13:43Nearly all the way out
13:44to the floor
13:45but it kept control.
13:46This is why they're calling
13:47the prince of pace.
13:50Oh, no.
13:53Straight up.
13:54Straight down
13:55is the dragon.
13:56Superb.
13:57Callum has grown so much
13:58already in his short time here.
14:01Sweeps a leg.
14:02Double stop.
14:04There we go.
14:05That's what we want out of him.
14:07Having his own identity.
14:09Of course you want to be
14:10influenced by your mentors
14:12but you have to get out
14:13of the shadow of one at some point.
14:15Callum's doing that
14:16very quickly too.
14:17One year ago yesterday
14:18he made his debut
14:19for New Japan Pro Wrestling
14:20right here in Cochrane Hall.
14:23One year on
14:24he can say he's beaten
14:25Shingo Takagi
14:26and he wants to do it again.
14:27Piquet.
14:28Back of the net.
14:33A little bit too cute there.
14:34Yeah.
14:36I think he might have
14:37ended the dragon.
14:42Watch the left.
14:43Yukon.
14:44DDT.
14:45No!
14:46No!
14:47Oh, this is down
14:48for the T1
14:49and caught.
14:59Okan is up.
15:01Naito is up.
15:02Champion.
15:03Challenger.
15:04September 29th.
15:06Kobe World Hall.
15:07It'll be live
15:08on NJPW World.
15:09You're going to get
15:10a taste right now.
15:11Tag made.
15:12One hand.
15:13Both hands.
15:14Here we go.
15:18Come on!
15:29And Naito
15:31with the upper hand.
15:33And with the hair.
15:34With the hair as well.
15:40Naito's elbows
15:41have so much force in them.
15:42And so does this Esperanza
15:46coming out the corner.
15:47Oh!
15:55Naito's going to hit
15:56the T-shirt.
15:57Naito
15:58is pretty genki today.
15:59He can go.
16:00Going to run in.
16:01No, no, no.
16:02Big boot
16:03from Great Okan.
16:05I do thoroughly
16:06enjoy watching Naito
16:07get kicked in the face.
16:09One of the great things
16:10we can say about Great Okan,
16:11especially since his G1 tour,
16:13is that
16:14a singular vision
16:15that he's been lacking
16:17at different points
16:18in his career.
16:20Maybe the old
16:21Great Okan
16:22might be saying,
16:23well, I'm going to
16:24defend the
16:25KOPW championship
16:26every night.
16:28Heading into Kobe.
16:30Although he wants
16:31to hold up that
16:32honor of that title,
16:33he wants the
16:34World Heavyweight Championship
16:35more.
16:38Eliminated.
16:39Naito.
16:46There we go.
16:48Nice double leg
16:49and now...
16:53I think Okan's
16:54really figured out now
16:55how to use all that
16:56airbags of his style.
17:00Something he was
17:01always missing.
17:03Master of
17:0413 different disciplines.
17:05Swinging DDT.
17:07He's a big strong boy.
17:10Whoa!
17:20Jeff Cobb trying to
17:21call Okan home.
17:24Naito waved over
17:25to the LIJ corner.
17:26Bushi is up.
17:30Suji extends
17:31a hand.
17:32It's going to be Bushi
17:33and he's going to
17:34stop Okan
17:35from making the tag.
17:36Yeah.
17:40Oh, here's a
17:41bold choice.
17:42And it's...
17:43No!
17:44It's a dropkick
17:45instead.
17:46Bushiruni.
17:51Were you ever much
17:52of a breakdancer
17:53as a kid, Chris?
17:55Well, my dancing
17:56style has been
17:57described as broken,
17:58yes.
18:01Oh, what did he...
18:03Nistaba there
18:04kind of makes a save.
18:18Oh, Bushi.
18:19Oh, my goodness.
18:20Akira out of nowhere.
18:23So Suji.
18:24Everything's broken
18:25down here.
18:27Spinside kick.
18:32Pump kick.
18:33Boom.
18:38Callum now.
18:42Who will be the
18:43last man standing?
18:44Dreamcast escape
18:45into...
18:48Oh, no.
18:49Oh, no.
18:50Oh, no.
18:51Oh, no.
18:52Oh, no.
18:53Oh, no.
18:54Oh, no.
18:56Look out, look out.
18:57Three-one kick
18:58for Goyle O'Connor.
19:01Oh.
19:02Well, sometimes
19:03all you need
19:04is to punch the other
19:05guy really hard
19:06in the face.
19:07Does seem to be
19:08rather effective.
19:09Can a guy ever
19:10teach you that?
19:11Oh, there's the
19:12Sheet Killer.
19:15Face first.
19:16And he'll transition
19:17from that
19:18to this.
19:19The claw is on.
19:22The point to Naito.
19:23Here they come.
19:26And if this
19:27is the case
19:28in Kobe
19:29we'll have a new
19:30World Heavyweight Champion.
19:33Very impressive.
19:38This is the potential
19:39that O'Connor had
19:41from the moment he returned
19:42but he
19:44didn't have the focus.
19:46I think he's definitely
19:47got it now.
19:48I hope he wins.
19:50I hope he wins.
19:51Because also
19:52if he becomes IWGP
19:53World Heavyweight Champion
19:54and then obviously
19:55at Ryugoku
19:56I will defeat him.
19:57So now I think
19:58he's KOPW Champion
19:59so I think
20:00he's done a great job
20:01with the cultural
20:02rejuvenation aspect
20:03so I think
20:04we should have a match
20:05in England
20:06for cultural rejuvenation
20:07on the Isle of Sheppey
20:08and then
20:09the rules that I propose
20:10so, you know
20:11classic culture
20:12in the Isle of Sheppey
20:13is that you go to
20:14Tantra
20:15the local discotheque
20:16you have 8 shots
20:17of Sambuca.
20:18Then you go to
20:19the sand pit
20:20which is directly opposite
20:21and then you do
20:22handstands.
20:23And then you have to
20:24climb up the McDonald's
20:25which is just down the road
20:26with your trousers down.
20:27So I think those 3 rounds
20:28and then without revealing
20:29too much information
20:30Chris
20:31I'll definitely be the champ.
20:33Well the bustling culture.
20:34But I would
20:35certainly love to see
20:36the Great Okan
20:37not only
20:38on the Isle of Sheppey
20:39but participating
20:40in our 3
20:41great cultural
20:42icons.
20:47A Great Okan call
20:48overnight
20:49so it's nothing to
20:50Yeah
20:51that's a hard ask
20:52but he's gotten it
20:53here tonight.
20:56But you know
20:57as well as anyone
20:58it is one thing
21:00to beat a champion
21:01in a tournament
21:02it is quite another
21:03to do so with a title
21:04on the line.
21:05Completely.
21:07And then
21:08there might be some
21:09wear and tear on Naito
21:10but there's a reason
21:11why he's still IWGP World
21:12Heavyweight Champion.
21:14My days of writing him
21:15up are long gone.
21:17The more Naito
21:18is forced into the corner
21:19that he's standing in now
21:20the more dangerous
21:22he will be
21:23and we will see
21:24what happens.
21:25Our main event
21:26September 29th
21:27in Kobe World Hall
21:28there you see it
21:29at the bottom of your screen
21:30Tetsuya Naito
21:31Great Okan
21:32live in English
21:33right here
21:34on NJPW World.
21:36I hope he comes
21:37and says hello to me.
21:47You got your wrist.
21:48Great.
21:49Great.
21:51You see?
21:52Yeah.
21:53Good?
21:54Yeah.
21:55Yeah.
21:56Great.
21:57Great.
21:58I'm looking forward to it.
21:59Good luck.
22:00Good luck.
22:05Yeah, usually
22:06I'll be sarcastic
22:07but I will genuinely
22:08be cheering on
22:09Great Okan.
22:10It would just be unfortunate
22:11for him to win the championship
22:13and have to lose to me
22:14in a couple of weeks
22:15but
22:16I think it will be
22:17another great sign
22:19of the
22:20fresh state
22:22of New Japan this year.
22:25Championship action
22:26all the way through the month
22:27Championship action
22:28all the way through the week.
22:29Yesterday
22:30the World TV Championship
22:31was on the line
22:32still another six-man
22:33championships
22:34next Saturday
22:35in Noboribetsu
22:36Wednesday
22:37the junior heavyweight title
22:38but coming up next
22:39it's our main event
22:40right here
22:41Tuesday, September the 9th
22:43the Never Openweight Championship
22:45will be on the line.
22:50That's the difference
22:51between Naito and Okan.
22:53Yeah, I really will be
22:54cheering on Okan.
22:55Oh, well, wait a second.
22:58Wait a second.
23:00Naito's going to get
23:01an up-close and personal look
23:03at our main event.
23:05Oh, I thought he just got lost.
23:07Oh, he's doing commentary.
23:08Might also be the case.
23:09Yeah.
23:10You can never tell.
23:11You can never tell where he's looking.
23:14Oh, he's supposed to be doing that.
23:15OK.
23:18He forgot where to sit.
23:20Yeah.
23:21Oh, I can't see.
23:22Yeah.
23:25Agua?
23:26Agua?
23:27Agua?
23:28Agua?
23:30Agua?
23:33Naito demands hydration.
23:35Agua?
23:37Agua?
23:39Naito!
23:41Naito!
23:42Naito!
23:44Naito!
23:45Naito!
23:46Naito!
23:47Naito!
23:48Naito!
23:49Naito!
23:50Oh yeah, Katsetsu Naito is getting up close look and we'll see what happens in our main event.
23:54I hope he changes his hat.