{"id":223568,"date":"2026-10-12T14:19:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T19:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=223568"},"modified":"2026-10-12T14:19:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T19:19:32","slug":"njpw-king-of-pro-wrestling-2026-results-10-12-lansdells-report-and-analysis-of-tsuji-vs-oiwa-kidd-vs-umino-yoh-vs-eagles-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/10\/12\/njpw-king-of-pro-wrestling-2026-results-10-12-lansdells-report-and-analysis-of-tsuji-vs-oiwa-kidd-vs-umino-yoh-vs-eagles-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"NJPW KING OF PRO WRESTLING 2026 RESULTS (10\/12) &#8211; Lansdell&#8217;s report and analysis of Tsuji vs Oiwa, Kidd vs Umino, Yoh vs Eagles, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2083107977\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><strong>NJPW KING OF PRO WRESTLING 2026 REPORT<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>OCTOBER 12, 2026<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>RYOGOKU KOKUGIKAN<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton were on commentary for this loaded card. For once NJPW elected to have the Junior Heavyweight Championship match on the same show as the heavyweight titles matches, giving this card a more important feel. When Sean Radican and I ran down the card earlier in the week I was only in any doubt about the outcome of the main event, which rather counteracted the previous positive change.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(1) SHINGO TAKAGI &amp; DAIKI NAGAI vs. HIROOKI GOTO &amp; TATSUYA MATSUMOTO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Walker Stewart mentioned that Shingo and his wife Natzupoi would be teaming up against Goto and Yuna Mizumori at an upcoming Stardom show. This match kind of served as a preview for that, as well as an opportunity for Matsumoto to press his case for going on excursion soon.<\/p>\n<p>Goto and Shingo did what they always do. I don\u2019t remember seeing them against each other very often but they both have a very high floor on their match quality. Matsumoto would have done no harm to his case with this performance, but it would not be accurate to say he stood out. He did hit a rarely-seen waterwheel suplex on Shingo but it was not clean. Shingo had him beaten with a Pumping Bomber, but pulled the Young Lion up, swaggered like a certain Mr Moxley, and hit his own version of the Death Rider for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Takagi and Nagai via pinfall at 6:20 (**).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After the match Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir appeared on the screen in the arena. Shingo has been calling out Moxley for a match for a while, hence the use of Moxley\u2019s finisher and taunt.<br \/>\nMoxley said he was coming back to New Japan, but did not say when or against whom. Shingo took to the mic and said that if Moxley is coming to Japan he had better be ready for Shingo.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>Moxley and Shingo will be a hard-hitting affair without a doubt, but I cannot see a world where Shingo actually wins. Goto will likely be away for a bit as he does his media duties for Street Fighter, but with Super Junior Tag League coming up it\u2019s an absence that will be easy to work around. Matsumoto has not shown me enough to say he\u2019s ready to go on excursion yet, sadly.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(2) HOUSE OF TORTURE (Sanada &amp; Yujiro Takahashi &amp; Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. YUYA UEMURA &amp; TAICHI &amp; EL DESPERADO<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1133773833\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Every time I see Desperado, his back looks more and more scarred. There didn\u2019t seem to be much to this match beyond reigniting the Sanada-Just Five Guys feud. And filling a slot on the card I suppose.<\/p>\n<p>Early offence for HoT focused on Desperado\u2019s knee. Desperado made the tag, and attempted HoT Shenanigans (TM) backfired when Taichi superkicked a pimp-cane-wielding Takahashi. One Black Mephisto later we had our (largely predictable and inconsequential) result.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Taichi, Uemura, and Desperado via pinfall at 8:21 (*\u00bd).<\/p>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>Taichi and Kanemaru have a feud going, but it is happening mostly in NOAH. Fans got to see some of their faves, there was mention of Taichi\u2019s upcoming PPV show, and on we go to the next.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(3) TMDK (Hartley Jackson &amp; Zack Sabre Jr) vs. BOLTIN OLEG &amp; HECHICERO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Any chance to see ZSJ and Hechicero in the ring together is fine by me. ZSJ recently failed to win the CMLL world title in a triple threat with Hechicero and Claudio Castagnoli. Hechicero beat Claudio, which has led to ZSJ campaigning for a singles opportunity. To my surprise the commentators actually mentioned Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls and their NOAH exploits. Those two have seemed to be personae non grata in recent months so it was a pleasant surprise.<\/p>\n<p>ZSJ and Hechicero traded submission holds and escapes to start the match. Sadly they both traded in the hosses and we went from technical wizardry to meat slabs colliding. In fairness to Oleg and Jackson they did put on an enjoyable exchange. At one point Hechicero and Oleg held Jackson up in a stalling vertical suplex for a good ten seconds. The finish came after an equally impressive spot where Oleg caught Jackson mid-air after a crossbody attempt and turned it into Kamikaze for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Oleg and Hechicero via pinfall at 7:03 (***\u00bd).<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3877483375\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>Given the relatively short match, this was immensely entertaining. I am begging NJPW to get Hechicero over for a G1 so we can have a main event-length match between him and ZSJ. The short bursts we got between them were completely different from anything else you will see, but both men make mat grappling entertaining.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(4) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA &amp; TORU YANO vs. SHUN SKYWALKER &amp; REN NARITA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We went from the odd couple of Oleg and Hechicero to the even odder pairing of Takeshita and Yano. Takeshita lost his TV title to Skywalker at Destruction, following which Yano ran in to save him from a beatdown by the entirety of the House of Torture. Yes, comedy undercard talent Toru Yano ran off an entire stable on his own.<\/p>\n<p>HoT jumped Takeshita and Yano during the latter\u2019s entrance, and the entirety of the match continued in much the same fashion, Sanada, Dick Togo, and Kanemaru made their presence felt throughout, albeit with little success. So little in fact that it would backfire. Yano avoided a belt shot from Skywalker, hit low blows on everyone who moved, and schoolboyed Skywalker for the quick pin.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Yano and Takeshita via pinfall at 4:05 (*).<\/p>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>That was barely a match. Takeshita and Skywalker tried their best but the entire match was marred with interference and ridiculous referee mauling. The only thing worse than the never-ending HoT garbage would be a Yano title win. They wouldn\u2019t, would they?<\/em>)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hiroshi Tanahashi told us that we will have a second instalment of Tanahashi Jam in June. No details were announced except to say it will have the kind of matches that he wants to put on. Umm\u2026you\u2019re the president of the company my dude. You can just\u2026do that on a normal show.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>(5) UNBOUND CO. (Yuto-Ice &amp; Oskar &amp; Jeff Cobb) vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Will Ospreay &amp; Great-O-Khan &amp; Henare) (C) &#8211; Never Openweight Six-Man Championship match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Plenty of intrigue here &#8211; Ospreay\u2019s tension with the rest of Newman\u2019s version of United Empire, Cobb\u2019s history with Ospreay and the stable at large, the strong dislike between Knockout Brothers and Henare and O-Khan. Oh, and six very talented wrestlers in the same ring including the current AEW World Champion. Interesting to note that Ospreay was not announced as the AEW champ.<\/p>\n<p>We started off with all six men brawling. When the dust cleared it was Oskar in the ring with O-Khan. The brawling on the outside continued and honestly the match just felt chaotic for large swaths of the opening. Ospreay applied a figure four to Oskar but it was broken up. Henare absorbed a chop from Oskar and returned fire with interest. United Empire targeted Oskar\u2019s knee for a good three or four minutes until Oskar caught O-Khan with a big boot. Cobb tagged in and was able to stop O-Khan from tagging out. He tossed O-Khan halfway across the ring but Henare interrupted the pinfall attempt. Somehow Cobb managed to back suplex both men at the same time before hitting a standing moonsault for a two-count.<\/p>\n<p>Cobb called for a Tour of the Islands but O-Khan grabbed a handful of hair and kicked the middle rope into Cobb\u2019s groin. Not a DQ, apparently. Ospreay tagged in and the pace expectedly picked up. They traded moves until Cobb countered the Os-Cutter into a Spin Cycle. Yuto-Ice tagged in for the first time and pounded on Ospreay in the corner. The Bumbaclatt knee connected at the ten-minute mark. Ice and Ospreay traded strikes as you might expect, with Ospreay countering a lariat with a flip into a Liger Bomb for a near fall. Both men landed head kicks but Ice connected with a second, then a third to get his own near fall. Ice set for the Cruella Knee, O-Khan interrupted and went for the Eliminator. Ice blocked it, the referee got squashed in the corner, and things got interesting.<\/p>\n<p>Callum Newman, who had been watching from the stands, was suddenly at ringside, he slid a chair into the ring. Francesco Akira remonstrated with him on the outside as O-Khan lined up a chair shot on Ice. Ice avoided it, hit a boot on O-Khan and knocked Newman off the apron. Ospreay clocked Ice with a Hidden Blade, and Ice landed on the chair. Ospreay threw the chair to the outside, seemingly upset with Newman for introducing it. The referee made a slow, groggy count but Ice kicked out at two. Ospreay tried for Stormbreaker, Ice escaped out the back. Oskar went for the Tree Bomb on Ospreay who slipped out of it. O-Khan nailed Oskar with a straight right, Cobb flattened O=Khan with a tackle only to get dropped with an Os-Cutter. Ospreay went for Hidden Blade again but ran into a knee lift from Ice. Henare tagged in while O-Khan yanked Oskar off the apron. Henare hit a running kick for a near fall, then hit Rampage. 1\u20262\u2026Oskar made the save!<\/p>\n<p>Henare punched Oskar in the gut and hit Streets of Rage at the 15-minute mark. United Empire went for the three-man finisher but Cobb broke it up. Ospreay hit a moonsault to the floor on Cobb while Henare hit a back kick to Ice to win a strike exchange. O-Khan and Henare went for the Imperial Drop, Ice escaped and avoided a torpedo headbutt from Henare\u2026who instead connected with O-Khan! Unfortunately O-Khan chose to sell it by spasming on the mat, which is always uncomfortable. Oskar grabbed the sleeper on Henare, screaming for Ice to get up. He lifted Henare for the KOB\u2026connected! 1\u20262\u20263!<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Unbound Co. via pinfall at 17:23 to win the Never Openweight Six-Man Championships (***\u00bc).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Newman was shown walking casually to the back, but he came running back to the ring with his sword. He hit Oskar with it (mercifully still in the sheath) and beat him down while Jake Lee and Jacob Austin Young held Cobb at bay. Newman unsheathed his sword and was apparently going to decapitate someone? Ospreay grabbed him from behind and Newman spun around with a wild swing of his blade Ospreay ducked it (thus avoiding a live murder) and screamed at Newman to his face. Newman dropped the sword and walked away.<\/li>\n<li>Ospreay got on the mic and congratulated Unbound Company. He said they would have won if the referee had done his job. As far as Ospreay is concerned, he has a pinfall over Ice. He challenged Ice for a tag title shot in November at Power Struggle. Ice asked who his partner would be. Oskar said something to him, and Ice said that they could make some money with this. Ospreay could have his title match, but only if they got to choose Ospreay\u2019s partner. Naturally, they chose Newman.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis:<em> Despite the chaos and at times disjointed nature of the match, it was full of action. The UE drama is actually an interesting story but it\u2019s being damaged by Newman\u2019s use of a literal sword as his weapon of choice. We know it will never be used so it just seems ridiculous to even bring it to the ring for anything but aesthetics. The commentators tried to make it sound like Newman would not even show up for the match in Hiroshima, but it seems clear he will not only show up, but will officially turn on Ospreay to set up the Wrestle Kingdom match. Meanwhile Cobb and the Knockout Brothers won the gold, and we saw nothing to suggest Cobb and Ospreay might reunite. I was fully expecting that, as I think this is a short stop in Japan for Cobb before he goes to AEW. Maybe in the new year?<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(6) KOSEI FUJITA vs. AARON WOLF (C) &#8211; Never Openweight Championship match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been a while since we saw a junior heavyweight challenge for the Never Openweight belt. I was curious about how Wolf would perform in a match with someone smaller and faster than him. Wolf has improved immensely over the last few months, and his G1 performance showcased that improvement, but he is not the finished article just yet.<\/p>\n<p>The entire story behind this challenge was the disrespect shown by Fujita. Given that he is known as the Japanese Young Punk, that is very fitting. Despite a 65-pound weight difference we have seen Fujita hit his deadlift German suplex on Wolf. We\u2019ve also seen him pieface Wolf, who as a traditionalist took exception to that. Fujita continued to push Wolf\u2019s button during the build until he agreed to the match.<\/p>\n<p>After a tentative start, Fujita continued the disrespect with a slap to the face. He hit a dropkick to send Wolf reeling. An ill-advised strike exchange turned out to work wonders for Fujita, and the match spilled to the outside. Fujita maintained the upper hand with a dropkick that sent Wolf into and over the barricade. Back in the ring Fujita hit a springboard missile dropkick for a two-count, then a shot to the throat. Fujita tried to apply an armbar but Wolf blocked it and took him over with a throw. Wolf blocked an attempted octopus hold and dumped Fujita on the mat at the five-minute mark.<\/p>\n<p>A suplex and an elbow drop from Wolf scored a two-count. He went for a second suplex but Fujita managed a beautiful counter into a cutter. He unleashed a series of round kicks to the chest but ran into a powerslam for a near fall. Wolf went for the Anaconda Vice, Fujita fought it off, so Wolf transitioned through a few different holds before settling on a head-and-arm choke. He transitioned again into the Anaconda Vice, and Fujita eventually dragged himself close enough to get a foot on the ropes. Wolf looked for a superplex but Fujita blocked it and punched his way free. Both men traded shots while perched in the corner. Wolf got the better of the exchange but Fujita slipped out of his grasp and hit a German suplex with a bridge for a near fall.<\/p>\n<p>Both men were slow to get up. They slugged it out from their knees, got to their feet and continued the exchange. It devolved into a slap fight. Fujita managed to hit a wheelbarrow suplex off a quesadora, but Wolf popped right up and turned Fujita inside out with a hard lariat. Both men stood face to face and just reared back and headbutted each other flush.Wolf went down like a deflated balloon; Fujita merely staggered. Fujita followed up with a brainbuster for a very near fall. He tried to lift Wolf for the Thrill Ride, but could not keep him up. Fujita grabbed a wrist and laid in a strong elbow. He beat Wolf to the punch and landed a second, but got hit with a surprise Angle Slam for a near fall. Wolf lifted Fujita for a Northern Lights Bomb\u2026and hit it! 1\u20262\u20263!<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Aaron Wolf via pinfall at 15:05 to retain the Never Openweight Championship (***\u00bd).<\/p>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>A nice combination of heavy hitting and wrestling, with suplexes and solid strikes working side-by-side. I could have done without the naked headbutt, as always. Wolf handled the different style extremely well, but I think more impressive was that Fujita looked perfectly at home against a heavyweight. I hope this isn\u2019t a sign that he will move up to that division because he will get lost in the crowd there right now. He needs a good strong Junior Heavyweight title run in my opinion. Then he can move up once the Tsuji-Oiwa-Uemura-Umino tetrad has settled a bit, and they aren\u2019t all trying to be at the top of the card.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(7) SHOTA UMINO vs. GABE KIDD (C) &#8211; IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These two men plain do not like each other. Umino of course was the original NJPW prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Jon Moxley, who now leads one of the factions of which Kidd is a member. Umino\u2019s withdrawal from this year\u2019s G1 was attributed, at least in the storyline, to Kidd\u2019s attack. While Kidd has transformed from the antihero who defended NJPW with his life into the AEW shill who hates New Japan, Umino has positioned himself from day one as the next Ace of New Japan. Sometimes that has been to his detriment with the fans, who saw him as a little too big for his britches initially. Umino spent a long time trying to repair that mistake, and owes a lot of the success in doing so to Yuya Uemura. Kidd has disrespected the Global belt to the degree that it is now damaged, with missing side plates and all. The issues are deep and personal as well as professional.<\/p>\n<p>As such it was no surprise that the match started before the bell with Umino dropkicking Kidd off the apron. They brawled on the outside with Kidd biting Umino on the forehead. Umino avoided a charge and sent Kidd into the barricade. Back in the ring they continued brawling. Umino staggered Kidd with a stiff forearm and hit a fisherman\u2019s suplex for a two-count. They went back to the outside and Kidd caught a charging Umino with a shot from the Global title to take control. The referee must have blinked and missed it, as there was no disqualification. Kidd decided to press his luck by showing the referee, then slammed the belt on the ground. The \u201cW\u201d from \u201cIWGP\u201d on the face of the title came off, causing the crowd to boo even louder. Kidd spit the W at Tanahashi who was sitting ringside.<\/p>\n<p>Just to show off that he can do special things, Kidd hit a moonsault from the top rope to the floor. Back inside he hit a suplex for a two-count. He followed up with a superplex for another near fall. Kidd pummeled Umino in the corner and nailed a sitout powerbomb for another two-count. Kidd attempted a piledriver on the apron. Umino fought it off but could not fight off the brainbuster to the apron that followed. Kidd unleashed another foul-mouthed tirade at the camera before setting up a table. Instead of counting both men out, the referee repeatedly and theatrically exhorted them to get in the ring. Umino fought back and powerbombed Kidd through the aforementioned table. Well and truly hoisted by his own petard, you might say.<\/p>\n<p>Umino took the damaged Global title off the scorekeeper\u2019s table and screamed at Kidd that the title should be respected. He repeatedly slammed Kidd\u2019s head into the cornerpost. Yes, they were still outside the ring. Kidd was busted open. Inside the ring Umino propped Kidd face-first against the middle turnbuckle and hit a nasty running knee. He followed up with a superplex for a near fall at the ten-minute mark. Kidd struggled to his feet and after a series of reversals hit a German suplex. Umino popped up and hit his own German suplex. They traded lariats in a similar fashion before straight-up copying the naked headbutt spot from the previous match. Both men went down this time, before crawling to the middle of the ring. Kidd hit a very heavy elbow to the jaw and screamed at Umino to do the same. Umino obliged. Again they traded heavy blows, then picked up the pace. Kidd teed off with a slap which led to a slap fight (again stealing from an earlier match\u2026), a battle won convincingly by Umino. He finished the standoff with a clothesline, then hit a shining wizard at 15 minutes for another near fall.<\/p>\n<p>Kidd avoided a lariat and hit an exploder, a German suplex and a Yukon lariat in quick succession for his own near fall. Kidd ran the ropes several times before flattening Umino with a lariat, then applied the Brutalizer. Umino rolled into a pinfall for a two-count and transitioned into the STF. Kidd crawled to the ropes for the break. After another unprotected headbutt from Kidd, Umino sent him head over heels with another lariat for another two-count, but Kidd escaped the Second Chapter attempt and hit a superkick. They ran into each other with lariats. Kidd used the referee to stop Umino in his tracks, and each man avoided a couple of attempted shots before Umino connected with a lariat. Kidd came back with his running knee strike for a very near fall.<\/p>\n<p>As we went past 20 minutes, Kidd landed a pair of headbutts to the shoulder area. Umino fired back, Kidd caught a strike and went for a wrist-clutch driver but Umino caught him in a small package for a two-count. They rolled back and forth with small packages. Umino hit a lariat and again went for Second Chapter, which Kidd countered into a piledriver for a believable near fall. Fisherman Buster by Kidd! 1\u20262\u20263!<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Gabe Kidd via pinfall at 22:25 to retain the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship (****).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After the match Kidd took to the mic and asked where New Japan\u2019s spirit was. He asked who had the guts (not the word he used but I would rather not swear) to face him. Nobody came out right away so Kidd intimated that they were all cowards and said he would see them at the Tokyo Dome. After Kidd left the ring, Taichi came out and picked up the damaged and discarded title with a forlorn look. Kidd returned to the ring and got in Taichi\u2019s face. Taichi said Kidd does not deserve to be a champion and does not belong in a New Japan ring. Taichi said if nobody else in the company could do it, he would. He said he would end Gabe Kidd. Kidd accepted the match for Power Struggle. Taichi added that after he beats Kidd, Kidd must never set foot in a New Japan ring again. Well that rather presages the outcome.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>Wow. I did not see that one coming. The last ten minutes or so of this match were a breathless sprint of high-impact beatings, marred though it was by those needless and reckless headbutts. The chemistry these two men have is phenomenal and it\u2019s a real shame Kidd is not in Japan full-time to make this a generational rivalry like it deserves to be. I was surprised by the result as I expected Kidd to drop the title here and give Umino a chance to run with a title. Instead we get the heel victory, which of course the fans hated. I would be shocked if Taichi won the belt at Power Struggle, especially with the added spice of his parting shot at Kidd.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(8) ROBBIE EAGLES vs. YOH (C) &#8211; IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I absolutely adore Yoh and I am glad he got this title run. Eagles is a consistently solid if overlooked performer. This match just did not feel like a semi-main event to me though, and at no point in the build did I think Eagles could come away as the winner. Eagles did beat Yoh in Best of the Super Juniors to qualify for the semifinals, but if anything that made me less confident of his chances.<\/p>\n<p>They started out fast, with Yoh trying to take a breather on the floor and Eagles making sure that did not happen as he hit a tope con giro through the ropes. Back in the ring Eagles hit a Northern lariat for an early two-count. Eagles applied a unique armbar then switched to a cobra twist variant with the ankle hooked around Eagles\u2019 own shin to put pressure on the leg. He tried for the Ron Miller Special but Yoh went right to the ropes. Yoh tried to fight back with some kicks to the gut but Eagles ended the brief rally with an innovative legbreaker. A running PK got a two-count for the challenger. Eagles played to the crowd before going for a figure four, allowing Yoh to recover and kick his way out.<\/p>\n<p>Yoh upped the pace and hit a flying back elbow and a half-hatch suplex into a neckbreaker. He clamped on an Anaconda Vise but Eagles got his foot on the ropes in almost identical fashion to the Fujita-Wolf match. Yoh mocked Eagles\u2019 \u201cRobbie Robbie Robbie\u201d chant as Eagles tried to get to his feet. Eagles kicked at Yoh\u2019s leg then hit a flurry of head kicks. He set up for an inverted Turbo Backpack but instead ran Yoh into the corner. Eagles successfully applied the Ron Miller Special but Yoh got to the ropes. Eagles continued to attack Yoh\u2019s leg. Yoh avoided the 450 splash to his knee and went for Direct Drive. Eagles blocked it and hit a springboard dropkick to the leg. Yoh blocked a shining wizard and leveled Eagles with a lariat to leave both men down.<\/p>\n<p>Yoh recovered first and hit Drop the Needle, immediately regretting using his damaged knee. Nonetheless he followed up with a falcon arrow for a two-count at the ten-minute mark. Yoh locked in a standing Anaconda Vise, turning it into a German suplex as Eagles approached the ropes. Eagles countered the follow-up into the Turbo Backpack for a near fall, then hit the 450 to the knee. He tried to lock in the Ron Miller Special but Yoh wrapped him up in a small package for a quick two. Eagles dropped Yoh on his own knees and again went for the Ron Miller, and again Yoh escaped. Yoh ducked a shining wizard but again Eagles kicked his leg out of his leg. Once more Eagles tried to get the Ron Miller Special, but in a flash Yoh turned it into a five-star clutch for the sudden win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Yoh via pinfall at 13:02 to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (***\u00be).<\/p>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>That was easily the best Eagles match I have seen. He has found ways to evolve his moveset and expand it without changing the focus of his offense. He still spends too much time calling to the crowd but the moves around that are more varied and interesting now. Yoh\u2019s unlikely but enjoyable run continues, with no obvious challenger in the wings. As Super Junior Tag League is fast approaching, that\u2019s not especially surprising. I was right about the match not really having the gravitas of a semi-main event, which is a real shame. I have wanted the junior titles to be defended on the same card as the heavyweight titles since they decided to split them, but to do it on this card with this title match coming after Kidd-Umino was poor timing.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(9) RYOHEI OIWA vs. YOTA TSUJI (C) &#8211; IWGP Heavyweight Championship match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oiwa was the most surprising G1 winner in recent memory, and to me this still feels too early for him to win the big one. The G1 winner does win the world title more often than not, but this is Oiwa\u2019s first shot at a major title and we have ample past history of this new generation having to suffer multiple setbacks before getting that win. By and large I have been nonplussed by Tsuji, so I came into the match hoping against form that it would be something special.<\/p>\n<p>They started off with a test of strength and some basic mat work. Tsuji took a wild swing at Oiwa, who ducked and tried to grab a headlock. Tsuji escaped only to be dropped by a deep arm drag. Oiwa knocked Tsuji down with a shoulder tackle at the five-minute mark, then went to work on the arm. Another deep arm drag led to a top wristlock from Oiwa. Tsuji fought free and hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker that sent Oiwa scrambling to the outside. Tsuji looked for a dive but Oiwa jumped to the apron and countered the tope with his Big Rock headlock. He dragged Tsuji down to the floor while maintaining the hold. Tsuji tried to ram Oiwa into the barricade to break his grip, to no avail. He ran Oiwa into the cornerpost and then the apron, and that did the trick. An uranage backbreaker followed. Tsuji went to the middle rope on the outside and hit a double stomp to the floor.<\/p>\n<p>Tsuji returned to the ring and the referee\u2019s count (they DO know how to count!) got to 18 before Oiwa made it back under the ropes. Oiwa tried to fire up, and Tsuji encouraged him to continue trying. He shrugged off the attacks and hit another uranage backbreaker for a two-count. Tsuji tried for a Boston crab but Oiwa powered him off. Tsuji hit a gutbuster for another two-count. Oiwa was selling the damage to his ribs and midsection as Tsuji soaked up the crowd\u2019s cheers. Oiwa countered a lariat with a scoop slam but missed a standing senton. Tsuji hit a double stomp to end the comeback attempt. Tsuji continued to work on Oiwa\u2019s midsection. At the ten-minute mark Oiwa found a burst of energy and hit a shoulder tackle out of the corner, following up with a senton. A back elbow and standing splash got a two-count for Oiwa. He locked in an abdominal stretch which he turned into a pumphandle slam. Oiwa went to the top rope for a splash\u2026and only found knees.<\/p>\n<p>In the corner, Tsuji buried a succession of shoulders to Oiwa\u2019s gut. He hit a Stinger splash and a running knee lift in the corner for a near fall. Tsuji went for the Marlowe Crash, Oiwa avoided it but fell victim to the facebuster-curb stomp combination. Tsuji went for another curb stomp but Oiwa dodged it and hit a back suplex to leave both men down. As we went past the 20-minute call, Oiwa connected with a nasty elbow and an armdrag that didn\u2019t quite get over. As a result it looked more like a face slam. Oiwa went after Tsuji\u2019s arm and applied a top wristlock. Tsuji backed into the ropes only for Oiwa to transition to the Big Rock. Tsuji tried to slip his arm into the hold to lessen the pressure so Oiwa trapped the arm as well. Tsuji again backed into the ropes and tossed Oiwa over the top to the floor, following up with a tope. Tsuji went to the top and hit another double stomp for a very near fall.<\/p>\n<p>Oiwa fought off a slam and attacked Tsuji\u2019s arm. Tsuji countered a doctor bomb with a huracanrana, Oiwa avoided a Gene Blaster and hit a German suplex and then a Chaos Theory for a very near fall. My God I love that move so much. After a series of counters Tsuji landed a Silver Lining for a two-count. Oiwa stuffed an attempted Gene Blaster and hit a doctor bomb but could not hold on for the pin as we hit 25 minutes. Both men were down and the referee started his count. Both men got to their knees at the count of eight, only to collapse again as Tsuji nailed a straight headbutt. When they again got to their feet they exchanged heavy blows. Tsuji went to the chop strategy and Oiwa crumpled like an empty bag of chips. He tried to fire back but Tsuji went to the midsection. The exchange continued with superkicks and lariats. Tsuji scored a short-range Gene Blaster for a near fall, then locked on the Boston crab. Tsuji switched to a high-angle crab briefly, then went back to the traditional hold. Oiwa managed to slither back through the hold, and Tsuji tried to slingshot him into the ropes\u2026Oiwa stuffed it and got hold of the Big Rock!<\/p>\n<p>As we hit the half-hour point, Tsuji used a back suplex to break the hold\u2026but Oiwa held on. Tsuji again got to his feet and this time hit a face-first suplex, but Oiwa did not lose control. Tsuji backed into the corner, but still Oiwa maintained his grip. He dragged Tsuji to the center of the ring and really cranked on the hold. Tsuji seemed to be fading but once again got to his feet\u2026only to fall again as Oiwa squeezed harder. Tsuji flailed desperately to escape, and managed to break the hold. Oiwa hit a back suplex and a Zack Driver for an extremely close two-count. Tsuji avoided the Big Rock and hit a short-range Fire Blaster, then set for another\u2026.lariat to counter! Oiwa went for The Grip, Tsuji hit a headbutt to counter, but Oiwa fired in another lariat. Fire Blaster out of nowhere! 1\u20262\u2026Oiwa kicked out! Tsuji dragged himself to a corner and then to his feet, and set for another Fire Blaster as the crowd chanted for Oiwa. Fire Blaster\u2026.connected! 1\u20262\u20263!<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Yota Tsuji via pinfall at 35:10 to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (****\u00be).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After Tsuji\u2019s victory speech, Kenny Omega appeared on the big screen. The crowd erupted as Omega made a drawn-out challenge to Tsuji, saying that if Tsuji didn\u2019t come to AEW for Forbidden Door then it would be hard for Omega to respect him. Omega asked if it was odd for Tsuji to call himself the world champion if he wasn\u2019t willing to travel the world to prove it. He added that since it was a 50-50 relationship, he would come to Tsuji.<\/li>\n<li>Tsuji said that if Omega wants the belt, he would have to come to Japan. Doesn\u2019t that kind of confirm Omega\u2019s point? Tsuji started to pose and celebrate when Boltin Oleg came out and stared down Tsuji. Well now, that is interesting. Before they came to blows Kenny Omega jumped them both, hitting a dragon suplex on each man and nailing Tsuji with the V-Trigger. The crowd booed as Omega picked up Tsuji and hit the One-Winged Angel. Omega got on the mic and said he came all the way to Japan to take out Tsuji, who has no respect. Omega said he was a NJPW legend, and he figured Tsuji wouldn\u2019t accept his challenge. However Tsuji isn\u2019t a matchmaker, so he was going to have a chat with Tanahashi. Omega did his trademark sign-off and posed over the fallen Tsuji to end the show.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(Lansdell\u2019s analysis: <em>Wow. Just wow. The only thing keeping this from a full boat is the repetitive nature of Tsuji\u2019s offence throughout the match. He did manage to impress me in spite of that, and Oiwa once again showed that his level increases with the profile of the match. My suspicion that it was too soon for Oiwa proved to be accurate, but there were several moments in the match where I doubted it. That\u2019s a sign of excellent in-ring storytelling. The crowd was firmly behind Oiwa for most of the match, but never fully turned on Tsuji. The really interesting development was Omega\u2019s challenge. When you consider that MJF has also challenged Oiwa, it seems like AEW is finally starting to send its biggest names to Japan and actually reciprocate the thus-far one-sided arrangement. I would expect Omega vs Oleg to determine the number one contender, which Omega will probably win.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Final thoughts:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t expect much out of this card but it overperformed to a great degree. Aside from the minor quibble about match order, all the main matches delivered. AEW appears to be set to ride to New Japan\u2019s rescue, infusing Ospreay, Omega, and MJF into the picture as we approach Tokyo Dome season. I had issues with all the unprotected headbutts and the repeated spots in the top matches, but ultimately I enjoyed the show. There\u2019s some intrigue ahead with the United Empire civil war, Kidd\u2019s continued disrespect of the company and the belt he holds, and how the AEW talent will be used. It\u2019s a smart time to bring them in and a really good way to draw additional eyes to both products on the heels of an underwhelming WWE event.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1328569040\"><div id=\"pwtor-679416052\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>NJPW KING OF PRO WRESTLING 2026 REPORT OCTOBER 12, 2026 RYOGOKU KOKUGIKAN TOKYO, JAPAN AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton were on commentary for this loaded card. For once NJPW elected <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/10\/12\/njpw-king-of-pro-wrestling-2026-results-10-12-lansdells-report-and-analysis-of-tsuji-vs-oiwa-kidd-vs-umino-yoh-vs-eagles-and-more\/\" title=\"NJPW KING OF PRO WRESTLING 2026 RESULTS (10\/12) &#8211; Lansdell&#8217;s report and analysis of Tsuji vs Oiwa, Kidd vs Umino, Yoh vs Eagles, and more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":223569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,6945,542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tvshowsandevents","category-japantvreports","category-new-japan-ppvs"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/10\/KOPW_LOGO.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223568"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223570,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223568\/revisions\/223570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}