NJPW The New Beginning USA live results: Yota Tsuji vs Andrade el Idolo
New Japan Pro Wrestling presents The New Beginning USA tonight at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey.
Eight matches, including multiple championship bouts, are scheduled for the show.
For the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, Yota Tsuji defends against Andrade El Idolo.
For the IWGP Women’s Championship, Syuri defends against ROH Women’s World Champion Athena.
The IWGP Tag Team Championships will be on the line as the Knockout Brothers (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice) defend against The Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) of The Demand.
El Phantasmo will attempt his seventh defense of the NJPW World TV Championship when he faces Konosuke Takeshita.
For the AEW International Championship, Ricochet defends against Taiji Ishimori.
The NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship will be defended by Tomohiro Ishii against Boltin Oleg.
Also scheduled: Fred Rosser vs. David Finlay, and KUSHIDA & El Desperado vs. Alec Price and Jordan Oliver
Live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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Main Card
David Finlay defeated Fred Rosser
As the referee was checking Rosser’s boots, Finlay pounced before the bell even rang. Finlay pursued Rosser outside, whalloping him with a series of right hands. Rosser powered through, battering Finlay on the apron. He cornered Finlay, slinging forearms onto his neck. The pair battled on the opposite side’s apron until Finlay shoved Rosser into the ring post.
The War Dog’s momentum continued with a senton. Rosser swung a comeback, hurling Finlay in a snap suplex to the corner. Using Finlay’s head, he swung Rosser around before slamming him into the steel barricade. Finlay responded by powerbombing Rosser into a ring post. Clutching his opponent in a crossface chickenwing, Rosser throttled Finlay. Another chickenwing attempt saw Finlay flinging Rosser into the turnbuckle. Rosser denied an Overkill and countered with a Death Valley Driver. Ultimately, Finlay pinned Rosser with a successful Overkill.
Post-match: Finlay asked for a microphone. He observed the audience, smirked, and dropped it. The Knockout Brothers came out to pose with him at the entrance.
An action-packed opener, one befitting of Finlay’s style. Wherever he goes, I hope he makes the best of it. Rosser was also in great form, leaving me reminiscent of his time with Tom Lawlor in Dirty Work.
Boltin Oleg defeated Tomohiro Ishii (c) for the STRONG Openweight Championship
Both men collided, with Oleg standing tall. Ishii recovered with a sound shoulder tackle. The challenger dizzied the champion with his patented Boltin Shake. Ishii absorbed a few elbows from Oleg and replied in kind with a disastrous one of his own. A war of chops erupted between the two wrestlers. Oleg caught Ishii mid-lariat, but the Stone Pitbull headbutted him into near-unconsciousness. Having worn down the champion, Oleg laid out Ishii with a Kamikaze. The New Jersey crowd exclaimed in awe as Oleg ended Ishii’s reign with a Verdict and one last Kamikaze.
Going into this show, I knew this would be a sleeper hit. It did my heart good to see an American crowd praise Oleg, especially in this crowning moment.
Ricochet (c) defeated Taiji Ishimori for the AEW National Championship
Awash in teasing from the crowd, Ricochet roughed up Ishimori’s hair. Frenetically charging at each other, the pair exchanged multiple nearfalls. Ricochet baited Ishimori to the entrance in a chase reminiscent of one of those Benny Hill memes. Eventually, Ishimori caught Ricochet and laid waste to his chest with a series of chops. Ricochet baldly regained control with a Spaceman Plancha. He threatened to slam his challenger with his National belt. An elevated dropkick continued his dominion over Ishimori, leading to more callous taunting.
Ishimori blasted into a comeback with a Superstar Quebrada. Stripping bare a red turnbuckle pad, Ishimori shoved Ricochet into it and delivered a La Mistica and Bone Lock moments later. Ricochet powered through Ishimori’s arm lock to reintroduce him into the mat with excellent core strength. This discouraged future use of Ricochet’s arm for the duration of the match. Ishimori reached for another Superstar Quebrada, which Ricochet countered, finishing with a Vertigo Drop and Spirit Gun to retain his title.
Ricochet’s selling of his arm was convincing enough that this match benefited greatly. I almost thought Ishimori had this for a second. Of course, two talents of their caliber were destined to complement each other well.
El Desperado & KUSHIDA defeated Alec Price & Jordan Oliver
Price and Oliver wasted no time, immediately assaulting their opponents before the bell had a chance to ring. Desperado and KUSHIDA yanked Oliver and Price into one another. Price leapt into the opposition, giving ample time for him and Oliver to isolate KUSHIDA. Oliver suffered KUSHIDA torquing his arm, bending his shoulder back. Despite Desperado adding further anguish to Oliver’s arm, he persevered with a Sunset Flip.
Price moved like a madman, dropping both KUSHIDA and Desperado with dropkicks. Desperado evaded Price’s Blockbuster and collapsed him with a Spinebuster. Oliver and Price spammed more dropkicks. Price usurped Desperado’s Pinche Loco with a Gotcha Busta. Together, KUSHIDA and Desperado knocked Price’s lights out with a punch. KUSHIDA held Oliver down as Desperado pinned Price following a Pinche Loco.
I enjoyed this one. There’s major upside to Oliver and Price, and I’m glad AEW signed them. Getting reps in with an affiliate promotion will only help them grow into their big new roles.
Konosuke Takeshita (with Rocky Romero) defeated El Phantasmo (c) for the NJPW World Television Championship
Takeshita came out the worse for wear following a headlock exchange, but his boot rocked Phantasmo. The champion retaliated with a smattering of well-placed hurricanranas. Takeshita DDT’d Phantasmo into the apron, to much of Romero’s cackling delight. This led to Phantasmo’s very close 19-count return to the ring. Soon, Phantasmo recovered with a Tornado-DDT. Using Hiroshi Tanahashi’s famous air guitar, he taunted Takeshita before sending him back-first into the barricade outside. Too-Sweetsaulting from the ring to the crowd outside, Phantasmo miraculously soared into his foe to raucous applause from the fans in Trenton. Takeshita transitioned Phantasmo’s CR-2 into a Blue Thunderbomb. Phantasmo reversed Takeshita’s Raging Fire into one of his own, but before he could make the pin, the time limit elapsed.
Phantasmo grabbed a microphone and beckoned Takeshita back into the ring. Alluding to their previous time-limit draw and Takeshita’s recent draw with Jon Moxley at AEW Grand Slam: Australia, he convinced Takeshita to return. They’d grapple with each other and switch pinfalls on the other. Phantasmo landed a Canadian Destroyer. Takeshita responded with Phantasmo’s CR-2. He then finished off Phantasmo with a Power Drive and Raging Fire to become the new NJPW World Television Champion.
ELP’s Bret Hart-inspired gear moved me. This could have been a G1 Climax match. It’s funny seeing Takeshita once more a champion in NJPW after having lost his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 20 not long before.
Knockout Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) (c) defeated Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship
Kaun and Ice blasted each other with elbows. Thanks to Liona, Kaun isolated Ice in the corner. OSKAR came to Ice’s aid, dispatching Liona with a long-legged kick. Liona barreled Oskar into the barricade and lay it on his carcass. Liona pulled out a rare Stomach Claw to rearrange Ice’s intestines. Through a vertical suplex, Ice crushed Kaun. Liona and OSKAR reunited, clobering each other with thunderous forearms. OSKAR caught a rampaging Liona and slammed him flat on the mat. Failing a Leg Drop, OSKAR suffered a sliding lariat courtesy of Kaun.
Simultaneously holding Ice and OSKAR, Kaun tossed both Knockout Brothers behind him. Liona demolished OSKAR, but Ice remained valiant. Gates of Agony would send him outside and would once more reinstate OSKAR to a horizontal state. The towering German demolished the Gates with a double-clothesline. Ice confidently handled Kaun, but Liona was having none of it; he battered the champion into the mat. Before he could spike Ice with his thumb, Liona nearly succumbed to OSKAR’s sleeper hold. He would be too late to save Kaun from a K.O.B., which saw the Knockout Brothers retain their gold.
This match went a little bit longer than I’d anticipated, and I think it could have been shortened. However, that does not detract from the greatness of the match. Knockout Brothers and Gates of Agony are among the best tag teams going right now.
Syuri (c) defeated Athena for the IWGP Women’s Championship
Syuri maintained composure against the explosive Athena, resulting in several standstills. She wounded Athena in a cross-armbreaker that lingered seconds after a rope break. Athena shrugged off a Tornado-DDT and redirected Syuri into the steel barricade. The Fallen Goddess inched closer to victory, lariating Syuri in the corner, and swung her in a circle by the head.
Though Athena sent her into the ropes, Syuri rebounded, wheelbarrowing her challenger with a bulldog and securing an armbar. Clutching yet another armbar, Syuri leaned too far back, unwittingly leaning into Athena’s advantageous roll-up. Syuri’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she trapped both of Athena’s arms behind her shoulders. Sneaking her hold into a sleeper, the champion nearly banished Athena into unconsciousness, had it not been for a rope break. Athena shook off a German suplex and planted her with a Tombstone Piledriver. Syuri retorted with a Death Valley Driver that finished off the challenger once and for all.
Post-match: Athena denied Syuri’s sportsmanship. Syuri then tauntingly stole Athena’s ROH Women’s World Championship, hinting at an upcoming match for the title. Syuri attempted to leave until the arena went dark. A vignette focusing on Alex Windsor aired, signalling her challenge to Syuri at Eve’s Wrestle Queendom VIII.
Athena and Syuri knew what this needed to be. Nothing too grand, but physical and gripping. Syuri’s technical wrestling acumen came into great effect compared to the beast of Athena.
Main Event
Yota Tsuji (c) defeated Andrade El Idolo for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
Neither man gave quarter for the other in the opening minutes of this title bout. Anything one threw at the other instantly featured a swift, immediate recovery. A Tope Tsuji-cita eventually broke through Idolo’s defences. Tsuji’s Marlowe Crush early into the match found no target, save for the unforgiving greyness of the mat.
Idolo soon had enough of Tsuji’s dominance and chopped a crater into his chest. He borrowed Eddie Guerrero’s Three Amigos, but only made it to two, courtesy of Tsuji’s gut-checking knees. Rallying up New Jersey in the name of the USA, Tsuji rained fists on Idolo and powerbombed him. Idolo escaped a Boston Crab and engaged a figure-four leglock. Tsuji transitioned it into one of his own, resulting in a battle for control. Idolo tried the Three Amigos once more and then a Spanish Fly atop the second rope. Sending Idolo clear across the ring via hurricanrana, Tsuji shot forth in a Gene Blaster. Idolo countered this with a Sombra bomb.
Tsuji planted Andrade’s head into his knee and fired off a curb stomp. Idolo denied another Gene Blaster, dazing Tsuji with a DDT. They met on the top turnbuckle, bartering headbutts. Twice, Tsuji managed successful Gene Blasters, which still bore no fruit. Sinking in a deep Boston Crab, Tsuji grimaced until Idolo tapped out.
Post-match: Tsuji spoke complete English, thanking Idolo for the match and New Jersey for hosting it. He declared himself not the future but the now of pro wrestling and placed NJPW over all the other promotions going today.
An epic to end the night. These two poured everything into a match filled with high spots that kept me hooked. Tsuji’s a great wrestler, but he truly thrives against talents who are equally as good, if not better. Fortunately for him, Idolo is at the top of his game, giving this a successful end to the night.
Final thoughts
Overall, a thrilling show. Every match brought something different, telling unique stories and sprinkling in nuances to elevate each story that went in and will come out of it. Speaking honestly, I couldn’t just recommend one match to check out—the entirety of New Beginning in USA is worth your time. Gun to my head, though, I’d recommend Tsuji versus Idolo, maybe Ishii versus Oleg.
Corey Michaels covers the play-by-play action of events hosted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Referenced by content creators and Wikipedia articles, he adds his prosaic voice with authority to the F4W/WON audience.
A content writer and wrestling fan, Corey has woven the stories of our great sport into literature. He cuts to the emotional core of characters, rivalries, and angles.