25 YEARS AGO – NEW JAPAN LIVE EVENT RESULTS (9/16/2001): Scott Norton vs. Don Frye, Nakanishi vs. Gary Goodridge, plus Hakushi, Masa Chono, Gedo & Jado, Dr. Wagner Jr., Jushin Liger, Tanahashi, Kenzo Sazuki

PWTorch features unmatched archives of live wrestling reports (not just results, but match details, context, and analysis). The following is a report originally published in the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter #671 (Cover-Dated Sept. 25, 2001). To read more pre-Internet wrestling coverage, become a PWTorch VIP member to unlock nearly 2,000 back issues of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter going back to the late 1980s. VIP INFO PAGE

New Japan PPV
September 16, 2001
Nagoya, Japan
Report by Koichi Yoshizawa, PWTorch correspondent

(1) Giant Silva & Hiro Saito beat Kenzo Suzuki & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yutaka Yoshie when Silva pinned Tanahashi at 8:45. Silva finished off Tanahashi with a second rope bodypress and a spear.

(2) Silver King & Dr. Wagner Jr. beat Jushin Liger & Gran Naniwa when King pinned Naniwa at 10:27.

(3) Kendo Kashin beat Minoru Tanaka at 1:14. Kashin wanted to shake hands with Tanaka, but Tanaka refused. Kashin kicked Tanaka and threw him to ringside, and rammed him into the ringpost. Kashin came back and finished Tanaka with a flying armlock.

(4) Gedo & Jado beat Katsuyori Shibata & Wataru Inoue to retain the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles at 11:39. Gedo caught Shibata with the crossface after a Jedo flying bodypress.

(5) Masayuko Naruse beat El Samurai to retain the IWGP Jr. Title at 7:35. Naruse finished Samurai with his Crazy Cyclone.

(6) Yuji Nagata beat Osamu Nishimura via referee stoppage at 21:10. Late in the match Nishimura went to the front choke, but Nishimura did not submit, but the referee eventually stopped the match.

A videotape aired of Kensuke Sasaki where he said he has been training in the Octagon with Don Frye in the U.S. He said he wants to know his opponent for Oct. 8 at the Tokyo Dome… Royce Gracie was introduced in the crowd. The fans cheered Gracie.

(7) Hakushi (wearing his facepaint and bodypaint) & Kokushi (Keiji Muto imitating Hakushi’s outfit) beat Masahiro Chono & Mike Barton when Kokushi pinned Chono at 14:45. In the end, Kokushi sprayed Chono in the face. Kokushi then did his Shining WIzard finisher and pinned Chono. After the mach Silva, Super J, and Scott Norton came to the ring. Barton shook hands with them. Said to be a very good match.

(8) New Japan’s Hiroshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat All Japan’s Mitsuya Nagai & Toshiaki Kawada when Tenzan pinned Nagai at 21:36. Tenzan finished Nagai with the moonsault.

(9) Don Frye (w/Kensuke Sasaki) beat Scott Norton to earn a chance to face Yuji Nagata on Sept. 23. Frye returned with a front choke and the ref stopped the match. Seiki Sakaguchi rewarded Frye with a trophy as the no. 1 strong foreigner.

(10) Manabu Nakanishi beat Gary Goodridge at 4:38. After a back and forth match, Nakanishi put Goodridge out with a front choke. Nakanishi said he finally beat Goodridge and proved that pro wrestling is the strongest style. He vowed revenge on Kazunari Murakami for destroying his G1 Climax bid.

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF EVEN MORE RECENT PWTORCH FLASHBACKS