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00:01Big X! Big X! Big X!
00:04This man has returned to New Japan!
00:10It's Ooiwa!
00:12He's in the TMDK!
00:14The Grip!
00:16Ooiwa Ryohei, 25 years old!
00:21In August of last year, he graduated from Young Lion,
00:25and went on to train as an MMA fighter.
00:27He fought in pro-wrestling NOAH,
00:30and won his first N-1 victory in a single match.
00:34He also fought in a tag match with Kaito Kiyomiya,
00:37and won his first tag match.
00:39He's been on a rampage!
00:43While I was learning at NOAH,
00:45I was always looking at the New Japan belt,
00:48and I was learning with that in mind.
00:51He will prove himself stronger!
00:54And his target is...
00:59Takagi Shingo, don't get in my way!
01:04Come at me again!
01:06On the same day as the Ooiwa rematch,
01:08after a fierce battle with Henare,
01:11he regained the belt!
01:15GADO BAKUSHIN!
01:17The NEVER champion,
01:19Takagi Shingo, 41 years old!
01:23I wanted to challenge Takagi Shingo,
01:25because he's a strong fighter.
01:28There's a fight he'll never forget.
01:32I want to be a pro-wrestler like Takagi Shingo,
01:34strong and cool,
01:35and a proud New Japan champion!
01:39Come at me again!
01:41I've always wanted to be a pro-wrestler.
01:45But now, I'm stronger!
01:48Here he comes!
01:50The Grip!
01:51My body is amazing.
01:53You're so naive.
01:55If you get in my way,
01:56you won't even be able to step on me.
01:58I'll make you admit it!
02:01I'll break your arm.
02:03I've been doing this for years.
02:05Don't underestimate me!
02:07I've been doing this for years.
02:09Don't underestimate me!
02:11I've been doing this for years.
02:13Don't underestimate me!
02:20The NEVER Pro-Wrestling Championship.
02:22The challenger, Ryohei Oiwa vs.
02:25The champion, Takagi Shingo!
02:37The NEVER Pro-Wrestling Championship.
02:39The challenger, Ryohei Oiwa vs.
02:41The champion, Takagi Shingo!
03:08First mention of the old Japanese proverb.
03:11The nail that sticks out will get hammered down.
03:14If there is one man who has stood out
03:16since the very beginning,
03:18it has been Ryohei Oiwa.
03:21And he has done so this early on
03:23into a return from excursion.
03:25The balls on a man like Ryohei Oiwa
03:28to step after a main event
03:31to Shingo Takagi
03:33and lay down the challenge
03:34for a NEVER Openweight title matchup.
03:36Ryohei Oiwa has a lot to prove here tonight.
03:45Nobody has had that path back from excursion
03:48to go straight to the NEVER Championship
03:50like Ryohei Oiwa is attempting to do.
03:53Nobody has had the excursion
03:55that Ryohei Oiwa has undergone.
03:57Nobody has had the experience
03:59that Ryohei Oiwa has had.
04:01But Shingo Takagi, our champion,
04:03he's got a wealth of experience of his own.
04:34Six years ago,
04:36sat just a little bit over to my right,
04:38it was my very first King of Pro-Wrestling
04:41on the announce desk.
04:43And it was also Shingo Takagi's
04:45very first night in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
04:48Was called in by Tetsuya Naito
04:52as the then newest member
04:54in the wake of Hiromu Takahashi's absence.
04:57Since then, Shingo has been
05:00IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Champion.
05:03He's been the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
05:08But nothing defines him more
05:10than that NEVER title around his waist.
05:13The BMF of professional wrestling.
05:16That's what the NEVER title represents.
05:18But here, perhaps Walker,
05:19it represents leverage
05:21to get to the man
05:23that brought him into this company.
05:30Shingo wants Tetsuya Naito.
05:36But all he sees right now
05:38is Nohei Oiwa.
05:40And for Oiwa, who intimated
05:43that if he wins the title,
05:45that he would put it up on the line
05:48against the man in his corner,
05:49Kosei Fujita, here tonight.
05:51Shingo Takagi said,
05:53don't get ahead of yourself, sunshine.
06:00The champion of the world,
06:02the one who will take over the world,
06:04The Gold Takagi Shingo!
06:14Nohei Oiwa using that discus,
06:16southpaw lariat, he calls it the grip.
06:19Shingo Takagi says...
06:22And...
06:28But your left arm couldn't shine my boots.
06:36The reality is this, Chris.
06:39Shingo Takagi has been mastering the lariat
06:42since Nohei Oiwa was learning to walk.
06:45And you could say that there were
06:47very, very few better.
06:52And right out of the gates here,
06:54Nohei Oiwa wants to make a statement.
06:57Right to the arm walker.
06:59And right into the shoulder turnbuckle shot.
07:02Nohei Oiwa obviously walked in here
07:04tonight with a game plan, Chris.
07:05Yes, you know, Shingo Takagi wants to go
07:07left arm for left arm.
07:08Shingo likes that Yukon lariat
07:10just as much as he likes the pumping bomber.
07:12That the target for Oiwa here tonight.
07:16Sitting down here on that arm
07:19is Rio Oiwa, makes it to that bottom rope.
07:22Now, I mean, we've talked about how
07:24Rio Oiwa went on excursions pro wrestling,
07:26Noah, studied under the legendary Yoshinori Ogawa.
07:29But, you know, I had a chat with
07:31Shane Haste earlier on this week
07:33and he made a very interesting comparison
07:36that he sees in Rio Oiwa,
07:38a young Kenta Kabashi.
07:42Look out.
07:43Dangerous driver Takagi.
07:47Shane Haste saying, well, when he was a young man,
07:51he was young lion and young boy for Kenta Kabashi
07:54and sees the potential in Oiwa.
07:57High praise, but dumped out on the floor here tonight.
08:02That is a legendary comparison being made
08:05between Rio Oiwa and Kenta Kabashi.
08:07It was a rare cohesive sentence
08:09coming out of Shane Haste's mouth as well,
08:11I'll tell you that.
08:12Shane Haste did also say he's looking forward
08:14for Rio Oiwa to throw some big boy clotheslines
08:18and can't wait to see him sling BBC
08:20all over the Ogoki.
08:24Rio Oiwa being slung into the guardrails.
08:26You know, Chris, I'm going to take you back
08:28to the press conference.
08:29I know you're well aware,
08:30but Oiwa acknowledging Takagi's plans
08:32to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight title
08:34should he retain the Never Openweight title
08:36here tonight.
08:37And the comments from Shingo Takagi
08:39almost waving that off and saying,
08:41I don't know what you're talking about.
08:45Well...
08:48Shingo is very good at posturing.
08:52But quite right in the end to say,
08:55well, for right now, all I see is you.
08:59But there is no doubt that Shingo Takagi
09:02knows that that Never title could be used
09:05as leverage to get himself a World Heavyweight Championship shot.
09:08Now it's been put into the ether,
09:10put into the world by Hiromu Takahashi.
09:12He was the one that gave Shingo that idea, I think.
09:14Yes.
09:17There is nobody in this world that wants to see
09:19Ryohei Oiwa win this championship tonight
09:22than this corner man, Kosei Fujiya.
09:24An offer put on the table for the Tokyo Dome.
09:27True openweight battle.
09:29Kosei Fujiya to Ryohei Oiwa.
09:30I know a lot of people would love to see that.
09:32Well, Fujita and Oiwa debuted at the same time,
09:34debuted together during the pandemic in 2021.
09:38That means you're forever tied
09:41as allies and as rivals.
09:43And that's the dream.
09:44That's what you always talk in the dormitory.
09:47How about one day we wrestle in the Tokyo Dome?
09:50Oiwa right through with a shoulder tackle
09:52from Ryohei Oiwa.
09:54Can you believe that man is only 25 years old?
09:57Incredible.
09:58If he wins, he would be the second youngest
10:01holder of the Never Championship in history
10:03behind Will Ospreay.
10:06Bam.
10:07Right shot lariat here.
10:09One more time for Ryohei Oiwa.
10:11So the non-dominant side knocking Shingo down.
10:15Southpaw is Oiwa.
10:20As into the cover here,
10:21could have a new champion and broken up.
10:24And let's not forget,
10:25as we saw in that opening video package,
10:27Oiwa wrestled Shingo Takagi when he was a young lion
10:30all the way back in 2021.
10:33And that has been the motivation for him ever since
10:37to compete on Shingo's level.
10:39And that one singles match on record.
10:41Look out.
10:42Oiwa from the top here.
10:44And a hard splash through Takagi.
10:46Cover.
10:47And it's two.
10:52Simple and effective,
10:53all of that weight.
10:54And that's a lot of weight,
10:56a lot of muscle.
10:57Onto the torso of Shingo now.
11:01Might be setting it up, Walker.
11:02Yep, we always see that sleeper hold
11:04into the Southpaw discus.
11:07Oh, back to elbow.
11:08Got a left shot for Shingo.
11:21A lot of great singles matches for Rio Oiwa
11:23during his excursion in pro wrestling.
11:25Noah, most notably against the GHC heavyweight champion
11:28himself, Kaito Kiyomiya.
11:30But there is a world of difference
11:31when it comes to experience facing off
11:33against a man like Kiyomiya
11:34and a man like Shingo Takagi.
11:36Yep.
11:37And it's a world of difference
11:38just in the atmosphere of being in a New Japan ring
11:41as opposed to the Noah one.
11:44As we are live tonight at Ryokoku Sumo Hall.
11:48Up high.
11:51And Shingo not wasting any time.
11:53Shingo Takagi wants to take this one from the heavens.
11:56Superplex.
12:00And a double bounce tonight for Rio Oiwa.
12:07Shingo Takagi set up.
12:09Sliding bottom cover here for Takagi.
12:13And still no.
12:20A lower back.
12:21You're right.
12:22Bounced off of the canvas.
12:24And now giving Oiwa an awful, awful lot of trouble here.
12:27I'm sorry, Chris.
12:28I only hear five minutes have passed in this matchup.
12:31I mean, we've seen about 20 minutes of damage in five.
12:35And now it's time.
12:36It's tea time, says Shingo Takagi.
12:38Shingo Takagi not afraid to turn it up a level,
12:41especially in a building like Ryokoku Sumo Hall.
12:51As we could see here, Chris.
12:53One in made in Japan.
12:55Oiwa smart to escape.
13:00Takagi off the robes.
13:02Rolling elbow there from Oiwa.
13:04Don't turn your back on Takagi off the robe one more time.
13:07Pumping bomber attempt.
13:08Oiwa doesn't go down.
13:10Oh, beautiful.
13:11The suplex.
13:12The swiftness.
13:13Pumping bomber.
13:14And Oiwa up.
13:15Oiwa's up.
13:17Olympic slam.
13:18He got him.
13:21We are seeing the grit and the drive in that young man,
13:24Rio Oiwa, here tonight.
13:33Listen to the Ryokoku walk-up.
13:36It is the people that are going to bring the best and the biggest
13:39out of you.
13:40And we need that on the stage for Rio Oiwa tonight.
13:43We're seeing if Oiwa can hang in this environment.
13:47And he definitely can.
13:48And he might put Shingo away.
13:56Oh, discus.
13:57No.
13:58Hold on.
13:59Hold on.
14:01Made in Japan.
14:02He got him.
14:03Takagi.
14:04No.
14:11New Japan born, no erased.
14:14Oiwa wanted to use that rolling elbow.
14:18An icon, a signature move from Mitsuhiro Misawa.
14:23And got blasted for his troubles.
14:31Shingo Takagi, Dragon Gate born and erased.
14:34And now a New Japan mainstay.
14:41All the credit in the world.
14:42Oiwa's not fading easy.
14:44The rights and the lefts and the rights and the lefts.
14:47To the jaw.
14:48Wait a minute.
14:49Wait a minute.
14:50Captured.
14:51German suplex.
14:52The cover.
14:53No.
14:54That's the difference between all Japanese amateur wrestler walkers.
14:58That's swift.
14:59That pivot.
15:00The tuck under.
15:01The hips.
15:02And now the sleeper can set up the grip.
15:04Shingo is going to want to fight out of this one.
15:06You'll feel the panic start to set in.
15:11It's not the sleeper that's going to beat you, Shingo.
15:13It's going to be what comes after.
15:17Here we go.
15:18The groin.
15:22The grip.
15:28Takagi.
15:30Is he looking for that Dr. Bon walker?
15:32It is Dr.
15:33He got it.
15:34He got it.
15:35He's the new champion.
15:37No.
15:38No.
15:39No.
15:41It is hard not to be in the corner of Ryoho Aoi right now, Chris.
15:46He wants it all and he wants it right now.
15:50And he just might take it.
15:52That Dr. Bon put a lot of people away in no time.
15:55He put a lot of people away in no time.
15:57But he didn't put down the never champion.
16:00All the talk of the new generation.
16:02Ryoho Aoi wants to stand out above the rest.
16:05The super new generation.
16:08Here it is.
16:09The grip.
16:10No.
16:11No.
16:12Takagi.
16:13Pumping bomber captured in.
16:14Cover.
16:15Cover.
16:16And it's two.
16:23Shingo Takagi.
16:25Another last right.
16:27No.
16:28Underneath.
16:30And the way we start it is the way we end it.
16:32Drop kick from Aoiwa.
16:34One more time.
16:35The grip.
16:36No.
16:38Boom.
16:41And Aoiwa with all he can get into his feet.
16:45Pumping bomber.
16:51Shingo Takagi.
16:54Powerbomb pulled it in.
16:57Two.
17:00Here's Shingo Takagi's own route to get into a tenure with a sole powerbomb.
17:17Shingo wants to build up Steve.
17:20Pumping bomber.
17:23Cover.
17:31Shingo on the shoulders.
17:35Last of the dragon.
17:38And.
17:52Oh man.
17:54Aoiwa said this wasn't as much about challenging for the never gold as it was challenging the strength of Shingo Takagi.
18:04We saw every bit of that strength in that pumping bomber walker.
18:09And then last of the dragon to seal the deal.
18:13I'm not sure I've ever been more impressed with a singles return from excursion than I've just seen out of Ryo Aoiwa.
18:20Very few veterans of this sport can stand toe to toe with Shingo Takagi.
18:25And Ryo Aoiwa, 25 years old.
18:29What did Shingo say to Fujita there?
18:31Hard luck you didn't get your shot or you may still get it one day.
18:37I don't think we've seen the last of Aoiwa and Shingo walker, not one bit.
18:41Not at all.
18:50If we're being pragmatic, I think a lot of people wanted to see Aoiwa walk out with a championship.
18:59But they needed to see if he could hang.
19:02And there is no doubt that he can hang in there with the best.
19:08It's got to be a disappointing walkout tonight for Ryo Aoiwa and Kosei Fujita included.
19:17Hopes of a clean sweep tonight for TMDK squadron.
19:21But a victory here tonight for Shingo Takagi.
19:24Shingo Takagi, Los Incomenables de Japón.