NJPW via NJPW STRONG held “Lonestar Shootout” 2023 on November 10 form Dallas Texas, USA. Lets go over some key moements and results of the event.
Starting with Hikuleo and El Phantasmo successfully defended their NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship (V2) against the West Coast Wrecking Crew, Jorel Nelson, and Royce Isaacs. The victory when ELP pinned Isaacs (12:02) after Nelson inadvertently struck Isaacs with the championship belt. Following the match, in a backstage interview where ELP and HikuLeo inquired about their next challengers for the STRONG Tag Titles, Bullet Club’s Clark Connors and Alex Coughlin responded with an unexpected ambush on the G.O.D.
Next we saw Eddie Kingston successfully defended his NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship (V7) by defeating Satoshi Kojima in a fiercely contested match Kingston secured the victory (10:43) via executing a Northern Lights Bomb after delivering two consecutive Backfists to the Future. Post-match, Gabe Kidd launched a surprise attack on Kingston, rendering him unconscious with a blow from the STRONG belt. Kidd then declared his intention to challenge Kingston for the title and emphasized his resolve by administering a Piledriver for good measure.
In another title match on the night, Zack Sabre Jr. succesfully defended the NJPW WORLD TV Championship (V16) against “Speedball” Mike Bailey in an amazing back-and-forth battle. With just six seconds left on the clock, he made the All Star Jr. Festival USA Tournament winner submit (14:54) by catching a Tornado Kick attempt into a Triangle Choke and transitioned to the Clarky Cat for the win. After the match backstage, ZSJ nominated Hiroshi Tanahashi, the opponent he lost to via pin-fall in the NEVER 6-Man Tag Title Match on November 4 at Power Struggle, as the next challenger for the TV Championship.
The Women too center stage in the semi main of the night when Mayu Iwatani successfully defended her IWGP Women’s Championship (V2) against Stephanie Vaquer. Iwatani go the win with a Moonsault Press (11:28), preceded by a Tombstone Piledriver. In the backstage interview following the match, Mayu expressed her gratitude to Vaquer for challenging for the IWGP Women’s Title. Additionally, she conveyed her aspiration to become a challenger herself in their next encounter, expressing her desire to face Vaquer for the CMLL Women’s World Championship.
In the Main event of the show, we saw Shingo Takagi successfully defended his NEVER Openweight Championship (V1) against AEW’s Trent Beretta. The match concluded with Takagi pinning the Beretta via Last of the Dragon (25:44) following a Takagi-style GTR, thus retaining the title. Following the intense contest, former NEVER Champion Tama Tonga made an unexpected appearance in the ring, demanding a rematch. Takagi accepted the challenge and proposed a title match at Wrestle Kingdom 18 in Tokyo Dome on January 4th next year. Find the rest of the results below.
NJPW “Lonestar Shootout” 2023 (11/10) Full Results:
- Kickoff 1: Matt Vandagriff def. Barrett Brown
- Kickoff 2: Fred Rosser def. Tom Lawlor
- Atlantis, Tiger Mask & Mascara Dorada def. Ultimo Guerrero, Rocky Romero & Hechicero
- Toru Yano def. Joey Janela
- Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, Chase Owens & Alex Coughlin (Bullet Club) def. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships- Hikuleo & El Phantasmo (Guerrillas of Destiny) (c) def. Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson (West Coast Wrecking Crew)
- Mistico def. TJP
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) def. Satoshi Kojima
- Wheeler Yuta & Jon Moxley (Blackpool Combat Club) def. David Finlay & KENTA (Bullet Club)
- NJPW World TV Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) def. Mike Bailey
- IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Watani (c) def. Stephanie Vaquer
Main Event NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) def. Trent Beretta