Welcome to Fightful.com's live coverage & discussion for NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo Day 1. We'll be bringing you full, match by match coverage of every bout on the card. You can also send in your feedback on our Disqus boards below!
IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
Minoru Suzuki def. Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the title
IWGP NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Title Match
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) def. Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toa Henare to retain the titles
Katusya Kitamura “Best Of Seven Series” Match #2
Michael Elgin def. Katsuya Kitamura
Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson) def. Chaos (Jay White, Sho & Yoh)
Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & Gedo) def. Los Ingobernables (Evil, Sanada & Bushi)
Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi) def. Chaos (Will Ospreay & Yoshi-Hashi)
Bullet Club (Cody, Hangman Page & Marty Scurll) def. Kota Ibushi, David Finlay & Juice Robinson
Chaos (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) def. Bullet Club (Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
Kushida, Tiger Mask IV, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Manabu Nakanishi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan def. Suzuki-Gun (Takashi Iizuka, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, El Desparado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Katusya Kitamura “Best Of Seven Series” Match #2: Katsuya Kitamura vs. Michael Elgin
The match begins with Elgin working over Kitamura with a headlock, Kitamura and Elgin exchange shoulder tackles until Elgin goes back to a headlock. Kitamura counters out of the headlock with a back suplex to Elgin, Kitamura nails Elgin with a few chops and a slam for a near fall. Kitamura misses a charge and Elgin nails him with a enzaguri, Elgin then hits Kitamura with a dead lift German suplex for a near fall. Elgin gets Kitamura up before attacking him with some chops, Elgin then hits Kitamura with some forearm strikes for a near fall. Elgin misses a charge to the corner and Kitamura nails him with a suplex, Kitamura attacks Elgin with some more chops.
Kitamura follows them up by nailing Elgin with a power slam followed by a gut wrench suplex, Elgin corners Kitamura before landing a forearm strike followed by a missile drop kick. Elgin then hits Kitamura with a falcon arrow for a near fall, Kitamura recovers and he nails Elgin with a spear for a near fall. Elgin then attacks Kitamura with a lariat for a near fall, Elgin follows up with a buckle bomb followed by an Elgin Bomb for a three count.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Kushida, Tiger Mask IV, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Manabu Nakanishi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Suzuki-Gun (Takashi Iizuka, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, El Desparado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
The match begins with Suzuki-Gun jumping their opponents before the bell sounds and a brawl breaks out all over the place, Mask IV nails Kanemaru with a tiger driver inside of the ring. Liger locks Desparado in the Romero Special until Iizuka and Michinoku break it up, Taichi gets Liger out of the ring and he throws him into the barricade. Iizuka battles Tenzan into the crowd before hitting him with a piece of the barricade, Taichi gets Liger in the ring before attacking with a bell hammer. Taichi corners Liger before trying to rip his mask off, Iizuka tags in and he stomps away on a downed Liger.
Iizuka corners Liger while just biting away at his face, Iizuka takes a brief break before biting the feet of Liger. Liger catches Iizuka with a palm strike before tagging Tenzan into the match, Taichi interferes and Tenzan nails him with a clothesline. Tenzan then hits Iizuka with a running clothesline in the corner followed by a suplex for a near fall, Iizuka recovers to bite the forehead of Tenzan. Tenzan recovers and nails a charging Iizuka with a Samoan drop, Michinoku and Kushida get tagged in by their respective partners. Michinoku quickly drops Kushida with a bicycle kick before another brawl breaks out between both teams, Michinoku catches Kushida with a super kick for a near fall.
Nakanishi hits the ring to hit Taichi and Iizuka with a double clothesline, Nakanishi then hits Kanemaru and Desparado with a double suplex. Kushida catches Michinoku with a drop kick followed by a handspring elbow, Liger then takes out Desparado with a suicide dive. Kanemaru accidentally spits whiskey into the eyes of Michinoku, Kushida locks Michinoku in the Hoverboard Lock and a tap out follows.
Winners: Kushida, Tiger Mask IV, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Manabu Nakanishi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Chaos (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) vs. Bullet Club (Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
The match begins with Takahashi nailing Ishii with a few strikes, Takahashi tries knocking Ishii down with some shoulder tackles. Takahashi then catches Ishii with a few kicks to the face before getting dropped, Owens tags in and Yano gets a tag from Ishii a short time later. Owens attacks Yano with a few strikes before Yano starts playing his mind games with him, Owens tries removing the turnbuckle pad and Yano attacks him. Takahashi attacks Yano and he drags him out of the ring before throwing him into the barricade, Takahashi also attacks Yano with his pimp cane.
Owens gets Yano in the ring before tagging Takahashi into the match, Takahashi traps Yano in the corner before landing some strikes. Takahashi drops Yano before landing a running leg drop for a near fall, Takahashi traps the legs of Yano before stomping away on him. Yano tries fighting back and Takahashi bites his hand, Yano pulls Takahashi down by his hair before Ishii and Owens get tagged into the match. Ishii catches Owens with an elbow strike followed by a shoulder tackle and power slam, Ishii then mauls Owens with strikes in the corner. Owens pokes Ishii in the eyes before landing a side effect for a near fall, Takahashi hits the ring to double team Ishii with Owens.
Takahashi and Yano start brawling on the arena floor, Owens catches Ishii with a shining wizard for a near fall. Owens goes for a package pile driver and ishii escapes, Yano hits the ring and he causes Owens to hit Takahashi with a super kick. Ishii hits Owens with a lariat followed by a brain buster for the three count.
Winners: Chaos (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii)
IWGP NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Title Match: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) (c) vs. Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toa Henare
The match begins with Taguchi nailing Loa with some forearm strikes, Loa recovers to nail Taguchi with strikes of his own. Taguchi does his best to nail Loa with multiple hip attacks, Loa catches a leaping Taguchi with an atomic drop. Taguchi drops Loa with a drop kick to the knee before landing a basement drop kick to the head, Loa goes back to attacking Loa with hip attacks. Tama and Henare get the tags from their respective partners, Tama drops Henare with a drop kick as a brawl breaks out between both teams. Tama then hits Henare with a suplex followed by multiple leg drops, Fale and Makabe take their fight into the crowd.
Fale grabs a cable and he chokes makabe with it, Loa tags into the ring and he chokes Henare on the middle rope. Fale interferes and attacks Henare while the referee was distracted, Loa then hits Henare with a series of suplexes. Loa then catches Henare with a jackhammer suplex for a near fall, Fale tags in and he mauls a worn out Henare with some stomps. Fale traps Henare in the ropes while landing some more strikes, Tama tags in and he catches Henare with an avalanche in the corner for a near fall. Fale tags in and he attacks Henare with more strikes in the corner, Fale misses a charge in the corner and Makabe tags into the match.
Makabe quickly cleans house on the opposing team, Makabe catches Fale with a running clothesline in the corner followed by multiple punches. Makabe hits Fale with a clothesline after a Taguchi hip attack for a near fall, Fale recovers and he catches Makabe with a Samoan drop. Henare hits the ring and he goes right after Tama, Henare catches Tama with a flying shoulder tackle from the top rope for a near fall. Tama then gets triple teamed by members of the opposing team, a brawl between members of both teams spills to the arena floor. Tama catches Henare with a flapjack for a near fall, Tama catches Henare in the Twister to force a tap out.
Winners: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa), still the IWGP NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions
Kota Ibushi, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs. Bullet Club (Cody, Hangman Page & Marty Scurll)
The match begins with Finlay wrenching away on the arm of Scurll, Finlay and Scurll do some chain wrestling as well. Scurll catches Finlay with a drop kick before tagging Cody in, Finlay quickly escapes to tag Ibushi into the match. Page tags in and he attacks a distracted Ibushi, Ibushi eventually drops Page with some kicks followed by a standing moonsault. Robinson tags in and he nails Page’s arm with a top rope axe handle drop, Robinson then catches Page with his patented jabs followed by a spine buster. Scurll tags in and he backs Robinson into the corner, Robinson gets free and he drops Scurll with a running elbow strike.
Robinson goes to the top rope and Scurll crotches him with a kick to the leg, Scurll then hits Robinson with a superplex for a near fall. Cody tags in and he stomps away on the injured leg of Robinson, Page tags in and he mauls Robinson with strikes before face washing him in the ropes. Scurll tags back in and he immediately tags Cody back into the ring, Page tags in and he leads a triple team attack against Robinson. Page hits Robinson with a running shooting star press for a near fall, Scurll tags in and Robinson catches him with a gut buster. Ibushi and Cody get tagged in by their respective partners, Cody and Ibushi have a striking exchange in the middle of the ring.
Ibushi goes for a standing moonsault and Cody gets his knees up, Ibushi drops Cody before landing a standing corkscrew moonsault for a near fall. Page and Finlay get tagged in by their respective partners, Finlay nails Page with a European uppercut in the corner. Everybody from both teams hit the ring and they all take each other out, Page catches Finlay with a dive on the arena floor. Ibushi hits the ring and he causes Cody to hit Scurll with a Beautiful Disaster, Robinson then causes Page to hit Cody. Finlay then hits Robinson with an accidental spear after page sent them into each other, Page hits Finaly with the Rite Of Passage for the three count.
Winners: Bullet Club (Cody, Hangman Page & Marty Scurll)
Chaos (Will Ospreay & Yoshi-Hashi) vs. Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi)
The match begins with a brawl breaking out between both teams and it spills to the arena floor, Takahashi quickly throws Ospreay into the barricade. Naito finds Yoshi-Hashi and he throws him into the barricade, Ospreay and Takahashi brawl into the crowd as Yoshi-Hashi throws Naito into the barricade. Yoshi-Hashi gets Naito in the ring before attacking him with chops and then stomps, Ospreay tags in and he nails Naito with forearm strikes. Ospreay then knocks Naito out of the ring with a hurricarana, Takahashi hits the ring to attack both opponents.
Takahashi immediately goes to work injuring the knee of Ospreay, Takahashi grabs the knee of Ospreay to smash it in the mat below. Naito tags in and Ospreay tries fighting back and Naito attacks the injured knee, Ospreay recovers to nail Naito with a handspring enzguri. Yoshi-Hashi tags in and he cleans house on the opposing team, Yoshi-Hashi traps Takahashi on the top rope before landing a drop kick. Yoshi-Hashi then hits Naito with a running chop followed by a neck breaker, Naito drops Yoshi-Hashi before landing a drop kick to the back of the neck. Takahashi tags in and he kicks away at a downed Yoshi-Hashi, Yoshi-Hashi fights back and he tags Ospreay into the match.
Ospreay and Takahashi quickly get into a striking exchange, Ospreay drops takahashi in the corner before missing a drop kick. Ospreay quickly recovers to nail Takahashi with a 619, Ospreay’s knee gives out on a springboard move and Takahashi goes to work on it. Ospreay recovers and catches Takahashi with a drop kick followed by a standing phoenix press for a near fall, Takahashi then catches a charging Ospreay with a pop up power bomb. Naito tags in and he catches Ospreay with an enzagui followed by a neck breaker for a near fall, Naito goes for Destino and Yoshi-Hashi breaks it all up. Ospreay catches Naito with a springboard forearm strikes, Ospreay goes to the top rope and Naito follows him up there.
Naito goes for a top rope hurricarana and Ospreay lands on his feet, Ospreay hits Naito with a German suplex followed by a Robinson Special. Takahashi interferes and nails ospreay with a low blow, Naito rolls up Ospreay for a three count.
Winners: Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi)
Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & Gedo) vs. Los Ingobernables (Evil, Sanada & Bushi)
The match begins with Sanada kicking Okada in the midsection, Sanada and Okada do a little chain wrestling as well. Bushi and Gedo get tagged in by their respective partners, Gedo drops Bushi before nailing him with a super kick. Chaos clears the ring before triple teaming Bushi, Gedo waits for Bushi to get up before landing a series of jabs. Gedo attempts to rip the mask off of the face of Bushi until Los Ingobernables interferes and attacks everybody. Evil throws Goto into the barricade as Sanada battles Okada on the entrance ramp, Evil and Goto take their battle into the crowd.
Bushi takes off his shirt and he chokes Gedo with it inside of the ring, Sanada tags in and he rips away at the beard of Gedo. Sanada catches Gedo in the Paradise Lock before landing a drop kick, Evil tags in and he double teams Gedo alongside Sanada for a near fall. Gedo avoids a clothesline before nailing Evil with a super kick to the knee, Goto tags in and he cleans house on the opposing team. Goto nails Evil with a clothesline in the corner followed by a Saito Suplex for a near fall, Evil uses a referee distraction to nail Goto with a side kick to the midsection. Evil then hits Goto with a clothesline in the corner followed by a bulldog for a near fall, Sanada tags in and Goto quickly catches him with a clothesline.
Okada tags in and he drops Sanada with a running forearm strike, Okada then hits a cornered Sanada with a flying back elbow strike followed by a DDT for a near fall. Sanada recovers to nail a charging Okada with a drop kick, Sanada goes for Skull End and Okada gets free. Sanada avoids the Rainmaker to hit Okada with a Saito Suplex, Bushi tags in and he nails Okada with a missile drop kick. Bushi then catches Okada with a neck breaker for a near fall, Los Ingobernbles then attacks Okada with some triple team moves for a near fall. Bushi goes for the MX and Okada gets out of the way as everybody brawls with each other, Goto hits Bushi with a GTR and Okada locks him in the cobra clutch to force a submission.
Winners: Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & Gedo)
Chaos (Jay White, Sho & Yoh) vs. Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson)
The match begins with White jumping his opponents before focusing his attack on Omega, White then pops Omega with a series of strikes. Roppongi 3K hit the ring and they get into it with the Young Bucks, Bucks hit Sho with a double drop kick before nailing White with a drop kick as well. Yoh in then triple teamed by the opposition in the corner, White gets Omega out of the ring and they start brawling. Roppongi 3K then take out the Bucks with suicide dives on the arena floor, White gets Omega back in the ring before landing a suplex.
White gets Omega to his feet before assaulting him with some more strikes, Omega tries fighting back and he gets jumped by Roppongi 3K. Sho tags in and both members of Roppongi 3K go after Omega, Roppongi 3K then attack the Bucks again. Omega drops both members of Roppongi 3K before landing a double bulldog, Nick tags in and he immediately cleans house on the opposing team. Nick nails Yoh with a running knee strike in the corner before landing a bulldog, Matt tags in as the Bucks take out Roppongi 3K. The Bucks hit Sho with an assisted Sliced Bread for a near fall, Sho sends Matt into Nick before landing a series of German suplexes.
Omega tags in and Sho nails him with some German suplexes as well, Omega fights back to nail all of his opponents with snap dragon suplexes. Sho is then hit with a triple super kick by Bullet Club for a near fall, Nick then takes out Yoh and White with a suicide dive. Matt then hits Sho with a buckle bomb in the corner, Nick tags in before landing a swanton bomb for a near fall. Nick gets Sho in the sharp shooter until White breaks it all up, everybody from both teams hit the ring and they all take each other out. Omega clocks Sho with a V Trigger before tagging into the match, Omega then hits Sho with another V Trigger.
White hits the ring and he eats super kicks from the Bucks, Yoh attacks Omega before eating super kicks from the Bucks. Bullet Club nails Yoh with the Indy Taker for the three count.
Winners: Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson)
IWGP Intercontinental Title Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki
The match begins with Tanahashi backing Suzuki into the ropes before letting him get free, Tanahashi takes Suzuki down before Suzuki traps him in a knee bar for a few moments. Tanahashi escapes and he wrenches away on the leg of Suzuki, Tanahashi releases the hold to stomp on the injured knee of Suzuki. Suzuki recovers and he catches Tanahashi in an arm bar while caught in the ropes, Suzuki gets Tanahashi out of the ring before throwing him into the barricade. Suzuki grabs a chair and he attacks Tanahashi with it, Suzuki traps Tanahashi in the barricade before landing a series of kicks.
Suzuki gets Tanahashi back into the ring before assaulting him with more kicks, Tanahashi tries fighting back and Suzuki locks him in a Fujiwara Arm Bar until Tanahashi gets to the ropes. Tanahashi starts fighting back and he drops Suzuki with a flying forearm strike, Tanahashi drops Suzuki before landing a somersault senton for a near fall. Tanahashi backs Suzuki into the corner while landing a series of strikes, Tanahashi and Suzuki get into a striking exchange in the middle of the ring. Tanahashi eventually catches Suzuki with a trio of dragon screw leg whips, Tanahashi locks Suzuki in a Texas cloverleaf and Suzuki makes it to the ropes after a long struggle.
Suzuki rolls to the ring apron and Tanahashi nails him with a dragon screw leg whip through the ropes, Suzuki recovers and he locks Tanahashi in the sleeper hold. Suzuki releases the hold to lock Tanahashi in the front choke, Tanahashi recovers to hit Suzuki with a series of spinning neck breakers. Tanahashi follows that up by nailing Suzuki with the sling blade, Tanahashi then hits a standing Suzuki with a High Fly Flow. Tanahashi goes for another High Fly Flow and Suzuki gets his knees up before applying a knee bar and Tanahashi gets to the ropes after a long struggle, Suzuki applies a figure four leg lock and Tanahashi eventually gets to the ropes.
Suzuki waits for Tanahashi to get up before assaulting him with strikes, Suzuki reapplies the sleeper hold to Tanahashi. Suzuki goes for the Gotch style pile driver and Tanahashi escapes to apply a Texas cloverleaf, Suzuki escapes and he catches Tanahashi with a roll up for a near fall. Tanahashi recovers and he catches Suzuki with a sling blade for another near fall, Tanahashi and Suzuki get into another striking exchange. Suzuki gets Tanahashi and he reapplies the knee bar and Tanahashi gets to the ropes again, Tanahashi stands up and Suzuki kicks away at the injured leg. Suzuki hits Tanahashi with the Gotch style pile driver before reapplying the knee bar and the referee stops the match due to the injuries Tanahashi has suffered.
Winner: Minoru Suzuki, your new IWGP Intercontinental Champion
