New Japan Pro-Wrestling held its NJPW STRONG Fighting Spirit Unleashed event on October 28 in Las Vegas at Sam’s Town Live. The night saw some great action feturing several championship matches, lets go over some of the key moments.
Following her tag team encounter with Zeuxis against Lluvia and Johnnie Robbie CMLL World Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer seized the microphone to declare her desire to add more gold to her collection as she wants a shot at the IWGP Women’s Championship. The current champion, Mayu Iwatani, is slated to defend her title on November 10 at “Lonestar Shootout” in Dallas, Texas.
In a highly entertaining bout, STARDOM’s Giulia successfully defended her NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship (V5). She secured the victory by pinning ‘The Renaissance Woman’ HYAN (12:03), executing a Northern Lights Bomb following a Running Knee. Following the match, backstage, Giulia was confronted by NJPW Academy’s Trish Adora, who stepped up to issue a challenge for the STRONG Women’s Title. Giulia responded, saying, “I will give it some thought. Arrivederci.”
Next, the Guerrillas of Destiny, represented by HikuLeo and El Phantasmo, successfully retained their NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship titles (V1). They achieved this by defeating the formidable duo known as Monstersauce, composed of Lance Archer and Alex Zayne. El Phantasmo secured the victory by pinning Alex Zayne at the (9:25) with Thunder Kiss ’86, following HikuLeo’s devastating Godsend maneuver. Following the intense battle, the West Coast Wrecking Crew’s Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs, stormed the ring and launched a post-match attack on the champions. With fire in their eyes, they boldly challenged the Guerrillas of Destiny for the STRONG Tag Team Championship titles, expressing their frustration with what they described as “randomly assembled teams” holding the belts. They are determined to seize the opportunity they believe the WCWC deserves, setting their sights on the title clash scheduled for November 10 at “Lonestar Shootout” in Dallas, TX.
Also on the night, in a grueling contest Eddie Kingston triumphed over HENARE in a hard-fought battle, successfully defending his NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship (V6). Kingston secured the victory by pinning the United Empire’s ‘Face of Fury’ (12:24) using two consecutive Backfists to the Future following a Half Nelson Suplex. After this intense championship clash, Satoshi Kojima, who emerged victorious in the No.1 Contender 4-way Match that featured competitors like Fred Rosser, Jeff Cobb, and Alex Coughlin earlier on the show, made his way to the ring. He officially declared his challenge for the STRONG Title, to be at the upcoming “Lonestar Shootout” event in Dallas, Texas on November 10.
The Main event saw Shingo Takagi has once again reclaimed the NEVER Openweight Championship! The ‘Rampage Dragon’ representing Los Ingobernables de Japón emerged victorious in a spectacular main event against Tama Tonga of G.O.D. and managed to secure the title by pinning his opponent (26:58) with Last of the Dragon, following a powerful Pumping Bomber, to become a 3-time NEVER Champion. After the thrilling contest, Shingo openly challenged any worthy opponent to step up and face him for the title. Ultimately, a video message played on the screen, featuring AEW’s Trent Beretta extending his challenge to Shingo for the NEVER Title at “Lonestar Shootout” in Dallas, Texas on November 10.
You can find the full results below.
“Fighting Spirit Unleashed” 2023 Full Results (28/10):
- Main Event NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi defeated Tama Tonga (c) to become the new champion.
- Semi-Main SANADA & Yuya Uemura (Just Five Guys) vs Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi (LIJ) ended in a Time Limit Draw
- NJPW Strong Openweight Championship Match: Eddie Kingston (c) def. Henare
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship Match: El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (Guerrillas of Destiny) (c) defeated Alex Zayne & Lance Archer (Monstersauce)
- NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship Match: Giulia (c) defeated HYAN
- Atlantis’ 40th Anniversary Match: Atlantis, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mistico & Atlantis Jr. defeated Rocky Romero, Tiger Mask, Soberano Jr. & Adrian Quest
- Tom Lawlor defeated Gabe Kidd
- Stephanie Vaquer & Zeuxis defeated Lluvia & Johnnie Robbie
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship Number One Contender’s 4-Way: Satoshi Kojima defeated Jeff Cobb, Alex Coughlin, and Fred Rosser
- Kickoff Match 2: Danny Limelight, Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson (Team Filthy) defeated Jakob Austin Young, Baliyan Akki & Titus Alexander
- Kickoff Match 1: Matt Vandagriff defeated Buck Skynyr