We had over two months between Multiverse United and Fighting Spirit Unleashed, and a lot happened. Let’s get to it.

With New Japan on hiatus between the G1 Climax and Destruction tours, Zack Sabre Jr. filled the time by traveling to the U.S. to defend his NJPW World Television title:

NJPW World Television Championship
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Christopher Daniels
ROH on HonorClub #26 – Nashville, TN – 8.24.2023

Sabre has been champion since 1.4.2023 and this is his eleventh defense. Daniels tries to control the champion in a side headlock, but Sabre escapes and attacks Daniels’ left arm. Daniels would go to the ropes to create some distance after Sabre used his feet to snap his shoulder. Daniels decided to attack Sabre’s neck again with a pair of neckbreakers and a quick neck snap with his hands. Sabre ended Daniels’ attack by throwing him shoulder first into the mat. Sabre stomps on Daniels’ hammerlocked arm before twisting Daniels’ ankle twice and stomping on his arm twice. Daniels side steps a corner attack and uses his good arm to take down Sabre with a Death Valley Driver for two. Sabre ducks a running STO and delivers a falling kick to Daniels’ arm. He stomps his elbow into the mat before taking a moment to catch his breath. Daniels rolls forward to avoid a Fujiwara armbar, so Sabre instead grabs a cross armbreaker. Daniels rolls Sabre onto his shoulders to escape, and then uses a Complete Shot to bring him down into the Koji Clutch. Sabre grabs Daniels’ wrist and uses that to maneuver his way free. Daniels pulls Sabre down into a cradle and almost pins him. Daniels’ arm was too weak to pull off the Angels Wings, so he schoolboyed Sabre instead. Sabre counters that into an oblique stretch, hyperextending Daniels’ left shoulder until he verbally submits at 9:34. This was so simple yet so effective. You had two men who both had a clear strategy that were also skilled enough to counter and evade just about everything their opponent threw their way. Once Daniels realized he was damaged goods, he tried to wrap things up immediately, but Sabre unfortunately trapped him and left him no choice but to surrender. Seeing two wrestlers as good as them tell a story like this is wrestling at its finest. I really enjoyed this. ***½

Travel issues and backstage turmoil resulted in the August 30th episode of AEW Dynamite being re-shuffled. As a result, the episode would feature Eddie Kingston’s first defense of his STRONG Openweight Championship tenure:

NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship
Eddie Kingston vs. Wheeler Yuta
AEW Dynamite #206 – Hoffman Estates, IL – 8.30.2023

Eddie Kingston has been champion since 7.5.2023 and this is his first defense. His head and forearm are bandaged up due to damage sustained in the Stadium Stampede match three days earlier at “All In.” Yuta eggs on Kingston by slapping him in the face. Yuta’s goading enables him to grab Kingston’s arm and drive it into the mat with an armbar DDT. Yuta continues to attack his arm, including sending him shoulder first into the ring post while hammerlocking the arm. Yuta bites Kingston’s bandaged forehead before throwing it into the turnbuckles repeatedly. Kingston clobbers Yuta to the floor and after blocking a corner attack and follows with a tope suicida. In the ring he gives Yuta an exploder suplex for two. Yuta rebounds from a jump-up enzuigiri and German suplexes Kingston for two. Kingston gets his knees up to block a frog splash and lands a Saito suplex. Yuta fights out of a half-nelson suplex and drops Kingston with the Pain Thriller for two. Kingston throws a couple of chops, and on the third, Yuta catches his hand and drives his elbow repeatedly into Kingston’s face. Kingston fires up and successfully pulls off the half-nelson suplex. Two Backfists to the Future get Kingston the pin at 8:48. Claudio assists Yuta to the back, not once looking at Kingston. With the show in disarray, putting two crowd pleasers who are quasi-feuding together in a title match was a wise move. The match was structured well, it just didn’t have the ferocity behind it I would’ve liked, which made it a tad disappointing. It was a solid chapter in the Kingston/BCC rivalry, and would be forgettable if not for it being Kingston’s first title bout. ***

NJPW World Television Championship
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Metalik
ROH on HonorClub #27 – Lexington, KY – 8.31.2023

Sabre has been champion since 1.4.2023 and this is his twelfth defense. This is actually a rematch from the Cruiserweight Classic Semifinals, which Metalik won. God bless Ian Riccaboni who states that Metalik defeating Tony Nese is what earned him this match. That match also occurred in WWE, six times on television, with Metalik and Nese splitting thes series 3-3. Sabre kept ahead of Metalik picking up the pace, and just like he did with Daniels, he targeted his left arm, starting with a foot twist and stomp to the elbow. Sabre toyed with Metalik, boot scraping him in the corner, and Metalik took him down with a Sling Blade facebuster out of the opposite corner. After sending Sabre to the floor, Metalik followed with a tope con hilo. Sabre kicks out of a rope-walk elbow smash. He then pulls down Metalik into a full body stretch, with Metalik getting to the ropes to escape. Sabre once again attacks Metalik’s arm. Metalik leapfrogs over Sabre, rolls up to his shoulder and spikes him with a DDT for two. Sabre victory rolls Metalik when Metalik looks to pin him, and Metalik leans back to get his own cradle pin. Metalik also superkicks Sabre to halt him charging across the ring. Sabre catches Metalik’s second elbow smash attempt. He twists Metalik’s wrist as he has him in a handlebar stretch until Metalik submits at 8:28. Like the Daniels match, this was a well told, simple story. Sabre once again attacked his opponent’s arm and did what he could to keep Metalik grounded. The self-proclaimed King of the Ropes spent his time using the ropes to deliver impactful offense. That same strategy cost him the match, as Sabre caught Metalik in a submission as he came off of the ropes.. The Daniels match was a bit more lively, which gives it the edge over this encounter, but this was still very good. ***

The day after Giulia made her U.S. debut and successfully defended her STRONG Women’s Championship in a fatal four way, Risa Sera challenged Giulia to a title match in STARDOM two weeks later:

NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship
Giulia vs. Risa Sera
STARDOM 5STAR Special in Hiroshima – Hiroshima, Japan – 9.3.2023

Giulia has been champion since 7.5.2023 and this is her third defense. Sera has earned a reputation of late, as she has competed in several hardcore and deathmatches across champion, so I raised an eyebrow when Giulia initiated a piledriver through a table. Sera countered by powerbombing Giulia back first onto the ring apron, and then set the table up ringside. She then put Giulia through the table with an Air Raid Crash off of the apron. Giulia caught Sera when she ascended the ropes, bringing her down with a super double underhook suplex and then German suplexed her for a two count. Sera muscled her up into a Death Valley Driver, and Giulia responded with a Sick Kick. Giulia rolls her into an STF but Sera gets the ropes to escape. Giulia hammerlocks her arm and pulls her up into a belly-to-belly suplex for another two count. Sera weaves out of another hammerlock and delivers a second Death Valley Driver, following that up with an EVO for two. After a regular Air Raid Crash, Sera connects with a double knee strike off of the top turnbuckle, which Giulia cut her off from earlier, for a two count. When she tries a powerbomb, Giulia counters into a Code Red. After another German suplex, Giulia cracked Sera in the side of the head and kneed her in the chin before pulling her up into the Glorious Buster for two. Sera catches Giulia coming off of the ropes and spins her into a powerbomb. Sera attempts a second rope Air Raid Crash but Giulia turns it into a sunset bomb. A super dropkick and another strike to the head lead to a package piledriver. Giulia then lands the Northern Lights Bomb for the pin at 17:37. The apron powerbomb and Air Raid Crash from Sera gave us a pretty hot start, but then this match fell apart in the second half. There was a ton of miscommunication and sloppy offense, and you could see the Giulia becoming frustrated. All around it was a solid bout, it’s just a shame it fell off a cliff and they could never fully recover. ***

At AEW “All Out”, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta defeated Eddie Kingston and Katsuyori Shibata in a tag team match. In fact, Claudio pinned Kingston. Lexy Nair asked Claudio backstage if the issue between him and Kingston was over and he said “I hope so.” Two weeks later on Collision, Claudio and Kingston had a sit-down interview with Tony Schiavone. They relitigated the fact that Claudio left the Indies without doing business with Kingston. When Claudio brings up their past and the fact he met Kingston’s parents early in their careers, Kingston lays out a challenge that could see Claudio potentially beat him in front of his parents. Kingston challenges him to a match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Claudio’s ROH World Championship and his NJPW STRONG Openweight championship on the line. Claudio agrees on one condition – Eddie finally gives him the handshake and respect he is owed from his victory at CHIKARA’s “Three-Fisted Tales” back in November 2009. Claudio doesn’t mention CHIKARA explicitly, but that’s what it’s about. Eddie agrees. Claudio says when he loses the title, it will be to a better man, but that man has never been and will never be Eddie.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship & ROH World Championship
Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli
AEW Dynamite #207; Grand Slam Part 1 – New York, NY – 9.20.2023

Eddie Kingston has been champion since 7.5.2023 and this is his second defense. Claudio has been champion since 12.10.2022 and this is his eleventh defense. Wheeler Yuta is in Claudio’s corner. Kingston is wearing his usual Toshiaki Kawada inspired yellow and black attire, and Claudio responds by wearing Mitsuharu Misawa inspired green and silver tights. Ian Riccaboni is on commentary, and Bryce Resmburg is the official.

Claudio’s aggressive attack early on leads to the two of them fighting on the floor. Claudio’s left knee collides with the barricades when Kingston Irish whips him into them, and Kingston also dragonscrew leg whips Claudio as he enters the ring. Claudio is still able to muscle Kingston into a gutwrench powerbomb, but Claudio has to shake out his knee after the drop. Kingston drops to a knee and attacks the knee when Claudio attempts a Ricola Bomb, so he slaps Kingston in the face. Kingston responds with an even harder strike and a German suplex. Claudio uses the crown of his head to block a Backfirst and pulls Kingston out onto the ring apron for a back suplex onto the entrance ramp! Claudio stomps on Kingston’s right hand before clotheslining him back into the ring. Kingston evades a crossbody, but Claudio immediately uppercuts Kingston before he can capitalize on the error. Claudio maintains control during the commercial break, and smothers Kingston with uppercuts in the corner like he did in his title match with Romero. Kingston kicks out of a TKO and fires up from Claudio’s boots from above. Kingston counters an uppercut with a backslide. A leaping enzuigiri, exploder suplex, and Saito suplex lead to a two count. He unloads multiple chops on Claudio, and when Claudio walks out of the corner towards Kingston, Kingston simply jabs him in the face. Claudio ducks to block a Northern Lights suplex and delivers his own jab. During a strike exchange, Claudio baits Kingston into a headbutt and a short arm lariat. He throws hammer and nail elbows before pulling Kingston into the Ricola Bomb. Kingston counters into a huracanrana which Claudio rolls through. He blasts Kingston with a European Uppercut for two and then goes for another Ricola Bomb. This time he lands it, but Kingston gets his shoulder up before three, and the New York crowd roars. Kingston lands a pair of Backfists after taking a European uppercut. He half-nelson suplexes Claudio and delivers a third Backfist. The Northern Lights Bomb only gets Kingston a two count. Claudio throws one more uppercut when he’s brought to his feet. Kingston Backfists Claudio for a fourth time in response, and then powerbombs him into a folding press for the pin at 15:17. Claudio and Eddie adhere to the Code of Honor after the match, fulfilling the Respect stipulation from nearly fourteen years ago, with Claudio giving Eddie the title before leaving the ring.

Eddie Kingston got to meet Toshiaki Kawada for the first time when he was in Japan for the G1 Climax. Kawada told Kingston that he should use the powerbomb instead of the Northern Lights Bomb. Three weeks ago at Starrcast, Eddie told Kawada he would use the Powerbomb to defeat Claudio. When he failed to win at All Out, we thought that promise went unfulfilled, but it was really meant to be fulfilled on this night. It was an awesome way to both end this match and put this rivalry to rest. The rest of the match was awesome too – both guys fought tooth and nail, and you could feel just how important it was for each of them to get this win. It wasn’t just about the titles, it was about being the better man. For us CHIKARA fans, seeing this match play out on this stage and seeing Kingston get this win felt validating. Between ROH and New Japan, Eddie is finally getting his due at 41 years old, and there is a possibility that he will have his best run of matches during this stretch as double champ. I am stoked to see where it goes, and even if it ends up being a bust, this was a defining moment for the War King. ****

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
Will Ospreay vs. Yota Tsuji
NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2023 – Kobe, Japan – 9.24.2023

Ospreay has been champion since 6.25.2023 and this is his first defense. Tsuji earned this match by pinning Will Ospreay at the G1 Finals in an eight man tag team match. The night before that match, Ospreay unofficially turned the IWGP US title into the IWGP United Kingdom championship. Tsuji decides to target Ospreay’s back after sending him into the barricades with a suicide dive. Ospreay chops Tsuji back to the floor when Tsuji seats himself on the top turnbuckle and wipes him out with a pescado. He nails him with a flying forearm off of the guardrails before blistering him with chops and giving him a stiff backbreaker back inside of the ring. Tsuji remains steadfast, and cuts off a charging Ospreay with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He follows that up with a Fosbury Flop, and then an electric chair drop right onto Ospreay’s neck. Ospreay counters an Irish whip to the ropes with a back handspring kick, and then gets two with Pip Pip Cheerio. Tsuji uses his feet to slam Ospreay’s feet into the mat, but Ospreay once again counters a brainbuster powerbomb from Tsuji with Stundog Millionaire. After a yakuza kick, Ospreay delivers a diving forearm to Tsuji’s neck. Tsuji flips out of a powerbomb attempt and delivers his own powerbomb for two. He puts Ospreay in his crosshairs for the spear, which is what he pinned Ospreay with in the multi-man. Ospreay cuts him off with a kick. Tsuji keeps pace with Ospreay and his strikes until Ospreay takes him down with a C4 for two. Tsuji grins through Ospreay’s strikes. Ospreay hook kicks him to the apron, where Tsuji headbutts Ospreay and attempts a curb stomp into the apron. Ospreay moves, and instead lands an OsCutter onto the floor. Tsuji slides back into the ring just before the twenty count and is instantly met with a springboard dropkick to the face. Tsuji does however block an OsCutter, drops Ospreay with a Blue Thunder Bomb, and then punts him before stomping his face into the mat. Tsuji unwisely brings Ospreay to the top turnbuckle, where Ospreay takes control with a Spanish Fly. He finally lands his sit-out powerbomb but only for a two count. The OsCutter yields the same result. Tsuji counters the StormBreaker with an Ace Crusher, and then causes the crowd to roar with a spear. Ospreay gets his foot on the bottom rope to save himself from being pinned. Tsuji hops off of the middle rope into a double stomp to Ospreay’s back and then gives him a StormBreaker of his own for two. Ospreay flips off Tsuji in defiance, and Tsuji goes from disbelief to grinning, once again setting up for a spear. Ospreay cuts him off with a back elbow, and then angrily spears Tsuji himself. Tsuji defiantly kicks out at one, so Ospreay gives him the Tiger Driver, and Tsuji kicks out at two. Tsuji smiles as he backs Ospreay into the corner with a zombie walk. Ospreay blasts him with the Hidden Blade to the face and then the StormBreaker for the pin at 27:51. I wish I had the chance to watch this live or at least without reading the hype, because this match ruled, but the praise definitely dampened my excitement. That said, this was a perfect example of a New Japan main event style match where the challenger won by losing. Tsuji kept pace with Ospreay, would’ve had him panned if the rope wasn’t there, and literally would not stay down until his body gave out solidifies him as a main eventer, something the other Reiwa Musketeers I don’t think can say just yet. In fact, after this match, I feel like Tsuji could be comfortably earmarked as New Japan’s next successful main eventer. And don’t get me wrong – this was not Ospreay carrying Tsuji through a main event style match, Tsuji more than contributed his fair share. The crowd also LOVES Tsuji which helped the atmosphere of the match tremendously. Ospreay is having an all-timer of a year, and this is just yet another fantastic match to add to the list. ****½

After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. challenged Ospreay for his U.S. (UK) title in their home country of England at Royal Quest III. Ospreay accepted. The coolest part about this was that they both spoke almost entirely in Japanese.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship
Eddie Kingston vs. Rocky Romero
AEW Rampage #112 – Broomfield, CO – 9.29.2023

Kingston has been champion since 7.5.2023 and this is his third defense. This match was originally scheduled for DEFY Wrestling the previous weekend, but Kingston pulled himself from the show, along with announcing that his commitments to AEW and New Japan have resulted in him taking an indefinite hiatus from the Indies. Roero does an arrogant shimmy after dropkicking Kingston to the corner, and boldly pie facing the champion when a shoulder block does not work. Romero headscissors Kingston to the floor and makes him stagger with a pair of suicide dives. He goes for a third, but this time, Kingston catches him and delivers a delayed vertical suplex on the floor. Despite this, Romero is able to turn things back in his favor with a punt kick to the shoulder and a tornado DDT. He also puts Kingston in a Cobra Twist, converting into a modified Mouse Trap pin for two. Romero ducks a Backfist and nails Kingston with a roundhouse kick, following up with a running Shiranui for two. Kingston reverses a whip and pulls Romero into a uranage slam. He then delivers a short arm lariat for two. Romero knees his way out of the Northern Lights Bomb and knee strikes Kingston to the ring apron. He tries a shiranui after double stomping Kingston’s back as he lay on the middle rope, only for Kingston to light him up with rapid fire chops in the corner. Romero however does pull off a super Shiranui for two. Kingston cuts off Romero’s forever clotheslines with a Backfist, and hits him with a second Backfist before locking in the Stretch Plum to get the submission victory at 9:00. That was a good warm-up match for Kingston going into his match with Shibata on Sunday, showing that can hit just as hard and is capable of utilizing submission wrestling as well as the Pure Champion, who has nothing to lose in that match. The last minute of the bout was especially exciting. ***¼

NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship
Giulia vs. Ami Sourei
STARDOM – Tokyo, Japan – 10.1.2023

Giulia has been champion since 7.5.2023 and this is her fourth defense. Sourei challenged Giulia to this match on September 20th, after AZM defeated Giulia in only 55 seconds during the 5STAR Grand Prix. Giulia goes for a standing version of Bianca, which Sourei turns into a torture rack. Giulia turns that into a sleeper, only for Sourei to escape, shoulder block her down, and chop her relentlessly after trapping her in the ropes. Giulia shotgun dropkicks Sourei to the floor after the barrage and throws three chairs at her fallen body. Giulia absorbs the flurry of strikes Sourei throws at her chest back in the ring, taking down the challenger with a hammerlock Complete Shot. After a shotgun dropkick off of the middle rope, she brings down Sourei with a butterfly superplex. When Giulia looks to follow up, Sourei steals her momentum and delivers a suplex. She also halts Giulia coming off of the ropes with a Mongolian chop and puts her in a high angle crab. She then holds Giulia by her wrist, hitting her with multiple clotheslines before delivering a twisting Samoan Drop for two. Giulia stops her with a boot and open hand slap and then drills her with a knee strike for two. Sourei fights out of a Glorious Buster and gets two with a twisting brainbuster. Sourei becomes fed up when Giulia kicks out of a middle rope Blue Thunder Bomb and drops her with a Michinoku Driver for yet another two count. Giulia DDT’s Sourei to counter another offensive maneuver and clobbers her in the side of the head with a strike. Giulia then lands a Falcon Arrow for two. Sourei knocks her down, but GIulia is up quickly and dumps the challenger with a Saito suplex. Sourei surprisingly kicks out of a variation of the Glorious Buster, but Giulia is quick to follow up with a Northern Lights Bomb to get the pin at 17:34. The consistent action made for a spirited match, but once again, it wasn’t a barn burner which Giulia’s reign has been lacking. I liked the intensity of the bout and the crowd in the building seemed into it at least, and the moment where Giulia just pelted chairs at Sourei got a genuine chuckle out of me. More knowledgeable STARDOM fans don’t seem to think Sourei was competent enough to be Giulia’s challenger, but to me she looked just as good as all of Giulia’s other competitors so far. Maybe STARDOM is hesitant to put one of their top players against her in a New Japan title match. ***¼

A video airs after the match with Hyan challenging Giulia to a STRONG Women’s Match at “Fighting Spirit Unleashed.” Giulia accepts.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship & ROH World Championship
Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata
AEW WrestleDream – Seattle, WA – 10.1.2023

Eddie Kingston has been the NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion since 7.5.2023 and this is his fourth defense. Eddie Kingston has been the ROH World Champion since 9.20.2023 and this is his first defense. Kingston causes Shibata to crumple with chops. Shibata snapmares Kingston into a back kick and throws his own chops. Kingston defies the strikes, even pulling down his straps and egging Shibata on, and Shibata takes the opening to kick him right in the chest. He looks for a short arm scissor, and Kingston gets his foot on the ropes before it is fully applied, and goes to the ropes again to escape an ankle lock. Shibata does more damage to his legs with a figure four leg lock, as well as tying up his legs before applying a Bow and Arrow. Kingston finally gets a respite when he counters a side headlock into a Saito suplex. Shibata however knocks him down with repeated forearm strikes in the corner and nails him with a hesitation dropkick. They break down into a battle of strikes versus kicks, bringing both men to their knees. Shibata approaches, and Kingston takes him down with an exploder suplex. Shibata takes him down with an Osoto Gari trip, leaving both men laying. Shibata controls Kingston by his left wrist as he strikes him. He ducks a wild backfist and puts Kingston in a Cobra Twist. Kingston falls to the mat when he transitions to an Octopus Stretch, and just as he looks to be fading, Kingston lunges at the ropes to break the hold. Kingston surprises Shibata with a Backfist. Shibata strikes back before taking a second Backfist, and then PK’s Kingston out of desperation. They exchange strikes when they get to their feet. Kingston ends it with a Backfist. He only gets a one count from that, so he lands the Northern Lights Bomb for two. Kingson Backfists him once again and powerbombs him into a folding press for the pin at 10:58. I like that Shibata controlled the match the same way he does his Pure Title defenses, and even commentary mentioned that Kingston would’ve been out of rope breaks if this was a Pure Title match. The problem is, they didn’t capitalize on that story at all. Kingston didn’t even get a fourth rope break. It did help create a situation where the champion felt like the underdog, which happens to be a position in which Kingston excels. Shibata paying homage to Inoki and Kingston once again harnessing the Kawada powerbomb when the Northern Lights Bomb didn’t pay off were really nice touches on a good, hard hitting match. ***½

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship
BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo)
NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku 2023 – Tokyo, Japan – 10.9.2023

Coughlin & Kidd have been champions since 7.4.2023 and this is their first defense. Phnatasmo was officially brought into the G.O.D. fold at the end of this year’s G1 Climax tournament. Jado is in their corner. Kidd attacks the G.O.D. from behind as Coughlin distracts them from the entrance way. They toss Phantasmo into the crowd so they can attack Hikuleo’s left knee uninterrupted. Hikuleo ends up backdropping Kidd and tagging in the now recovered Phantasmo, who picks up the pace and takes out both Coughlin and Kidd on his own. Coughlin rolls through Phantasmo’s pin after a lionsault, deadlifts him up into a vertical position, and drops him directly to the floor! Phantasmo has a clear pathway for a tag when he avoids a charge from Kidd and takes down Coughlin with a Frankensteinr, but Kidd pulls Hikuleo off of the apron to prevent the tag. Moments later, he kicks Coughlin into Kidd, giving him the chance to tag Hikuleo back into the match. Hikuleo knocks them out with a double clothesline, but he misses a corner boot, and Coughlin takes him down with a German suplex. Coughlin puts Hikuleo in a half crab after a gutwrench suplex. Hikuleo gets the ropes to escape, and uses Coughlin’s momentum to pull off a snap slam. Hikuleo boots Coughlin into Phantasmo’s UFO neckbreaker, and Kidd breaks up the subsequent pin. Kidd suffocates Phantasmo in a guillotine choke before he and Coughlin take him down with a Doomsday Device. When he kicks out, the War Dogs drop him with a double Muscle Buster, which Phantasmo also kicks out of. Hikuleo goozles Kidd on the middle rope to prevent a spike piledriver on ELP. He ducks so that Kidd accidentally clotheslines his own partner. Kidd peppers Hikuleo with open hand strikes, but it takes only one from Hikuleo to knock him down. Phantasmo’s Sudden Death superkick leads into Hikuleo’s Godsend chokeslam. Phantasmo wipes out Kidd on the floor, and Hikuleo leads Phantasmo to the top rope for Thunder Kiss ‘65 on Coughlin, giving them the pin and the gold at 13:12. I had a lot of fun watching Hikuleo and ELP figure out their team dynamic as the match progressed. It was exciting each time they tried something and it was successful. I don’t love that the last two teams that held these titles failed in their first defense, and as such wouldn’t be opposed to this G.O.D. tandem holding on them for a little while. I do hope Coughlin and Kidd keep tagging as well, they have a good thing going. ***

NXT and AEW Dynamite went head-to-head on Tuesday the 10th, so a special 30 minute Buy-In was added to Dynamite. Once again, TK brought in Minoru Suzuki to entice viewers to tune in early, pitting him against Eddie Kingston in a double title bout. Kingston and Suzuki have met twice before in tag team action, with Kingston winning on his home turf and Minoru Suzuki in a rematch in Philadelphia, and then again in trios action at the inaugural Forbidden Door PPV.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship & ROH World Championship
Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki
AEW Dynamite #210; The Buy In – Independence, MO – 10.10.2023

Eddie Kingston has been the NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion since 7.5.2023 and this is his fifth defense. Eddie Kingston has been the ROH World Champion since 9.20.2023 and this is his third defense. Kingston lights up Suzuki with chops, with Suzuki responding with overhand chops. A forearm strike across the chin takes the champion off of his feet, and two more result in referee Rick Knox checking to see if Kingston is knocked out. Suzuki twists Kingston’s left wrist and fingers. Kingston once again tries to chop down Suzuki, but he’s knocked down to a seated position in the corner with another forearm. Suzuki lets him get back to his feet, only to knock him back down and twist on his fingers and wrist. Kingston fires himself up, finally able to stun Suzuki with one of his chops. He capitalizes with rapid fire chops in the corner, which Suzuki walks right through as his chest becomes more and more red. Kingston continues the onslaught in another corner and then brings Suzuki out of the corner with an exploder suplex for two. Suzuki blocks the Backfist, yakuza kicks Kingston in the corner, and then snapmares him into a PK. Kingston sits up, so Suzuki delivers another, and Kingston sits up once again. As they exchange strikes, Suzuki throws multiple jabs to his body before surprising Kingston with a right hand shot to the jaw. Suzuki looks for the GSP after a sleeper hold. Kingston backdrops his way out of it and lands the Backfist for a two count. Suzuki tries another sleeper, but Kingston Backfists him. Suzuki kicks out of that pin at one. He remains standing after a third and fourth Backfist, so Kingston nails a jump-up enzuigiri before dropping him with the Northern Lights Bomb for the pin at 10:38. I liked where this match seemed to be going, with Suzuki enduring Kingston’s strikes and letting the champion tire himself out. The idea seemed to be that this strategy would backfire, but it didn’t completely work as Suzuki’s weariness and fatigue just seemed to go away in the final moments of the bout. It’s a match where the atmosphere was good and people enjoyed seeing these two slug it out, but I wish there was just a little more meat on the bone. Then again, that’s my criticism of every Suzuki U.S. match. ***

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
NJPW Royal Quest III – London, England – 10.14.2023

Ospreay has been champion since 6.25.2023 and this is his second defense. This is their sixteenth singles match, with Sabre leading the series going into the match 9-6. This is also Sabre’s first crack at the IWGP US (UK) Title. The early going saw neither man able to maintain momentum, but that changed when Sabre caught Ospreay’s neck with his thighs and used it to twist his neck. He then put Ospreay in a rope-assisted Cobra Twist. While Sabre is able to counter an initial back handspring enzuigiri, Ospreay picks up the speed and pulls it off on the second attempt. Ospreay blocks a StormBreaker and uses his feet to twist Ospreay’s neck again after taking him over with a backdrop. After stereo big boots, Sabre fallaway kicks Ospreay in the shoulder, and Ospreay superkicks Sabre, leaving both men laying. Ospreay takes control with a couple of Cheeky Nando’s kicks and a Sky Twister Press to the floor. In the ring, Ospreay lands another Sky Twister Press for two. He tries the StormBreaker again, and this, Sabre flips out of his grasp, kicks him in the arm, and then stomps his upturned elbow into the canvas. Ospreay catches him coming off the ropes with a Spanish Fly, but his arm is in too much pain to go for a pin. Sabre blocks a superkick at first, but Ospreay rolls forward and cracks him with the superkick. Sabre escapes yet another Strombreaker attempt. Ospreay follows Sabre’s counter holds until Sabre ends up on his feet and twists Ospreay’s neck with his feet. Sabre also counters a powerbomb with one of his own for a two count. He also blocks Ospreay’s OsCutter and looks for a cross armbreaker. Ospreay muscles up Sabre into a single-armed powerbomb and then hits the OsCutter on the second try for two. After a Hidden Blade Ospreay is finally able to deliver the StormBreaker to Sabre, only for Sabre to kick out of the pin at two. Ospreay looks for a second OsCutter on the apron. Sabre follows Ospreay up the ropes and headbutts him before bringing him down with a flying cross armbreaker! He bows the arms and pulls Ospreay’s shoulder blades together. Ospreay pulls Sabre up out of a triangle, which Sabre counters into a Michinoku Driver and then a triangle choke. Ospreay falls onto the ropes to break the hold. Ospreay eggs Sabre on in defiance. He absorbs several open hand strikes and goes for the Hidden Blade. Sabre blocks that with a tiger suplex, but Ospreay comes back quickly and connects with the Hidden Blade successfully. Ospreay holds onto Sabre’s neck after landing a super OsCutter. Sabre escapes a StormBreaker and looks for the Cobra Twist. Ospreay counters into the Jig N’ Tonic, only getting a one count. Sabre also flips through a Hidden Blade into the triangle choke. Ospreay pulls Sabre into a single-arm piledriver and polishes him off with a Hidden Blade and StormBreaker for the pin at 31:19. Joel on the Super J-Cast said this wasn’t the best Ospreay vs. Sabre match, but it was Sabre’s best performance in any of their matches, and I agree with that assessment. Still, this match rocked. It was two of England’s best wrestlers battling in front of their home audience to determine who was the better man in 2023. What I loved especially about Sabre constantly going after Ospreay’s neck during the match was that in the opening exchange, Ospreay scrambled away from Sabre the moment he had his feet wrapped around his neck. Ospreay knew the damage it would do, Sabre saw his reaction, and he used it to shut down Ospreay any time he could. It totally shifted the dynamic of the match and put the challenger in the driver’s seat. This could be their last singles match for a while, if not ever, and the location and crowd helped to make it special. ****¼

With Okada not on New Japan shows between Destruction in Ryogoku and Power Struggle, he journeyed to the U.S. to make his AEW Dynamite debut, where he would be across the ring from Bryan Danielson for the first time since their Forbidden Door bout:

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Orange Cassidy) vs. The Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli)
AEW Dynamite #212 – Philadelphia, PA – 10.25.2023

Danielson ended the opening exchange with Cassidy by kicking his leg out from under his leg and passing him off to Claudio. Claudio wore down Cassidy’s back with several slams, so Okada dropped an elbow on Claudio’s spine and gave him a big bodyslam to get revenge for his partner. Claudio gets things back in his favor by dropping Cassidy stomach first on the top rope, and Danielson following up with a flying knee off of the top turnbuckle to his lower back. Cassidy is beat down during the commercial break, and although he evades a corner attack from Claudio and sends him to the floor, Claudio cuts off Cassidy just as he is about to tag out. Cassidy escapes a gutwrench hold and maneuvers his way into a high angle DDT to take down Claudio. Danielson and Okada come face to face for the first time and have the Philly crowd buzzing. Danielson rolls away when Okada is perched for a flying elbow smash. Okada leaps off when Danielson looks to cut him off and drops him with a flapjack. Their exchange leads to both of them attempting flying crossbody’s at the same time and knocking one another down. Okada adds a boot to assist Cassidy with his crossbody onto Claudio. Claudio counters a tornado DDT into a Giant Swing, but Cassidy counters that into Stundog Millionaire. This then enables Cassidy to pull off the tornado DDT, but Danielson breaks up his pin. Cassidy dropkicks Danielson to the floor and follows with a pescado. Claudio counters the Orange Punch into the Giant Swing. He then locks on a Sharpshooter. Claudio releases when Okada enters the ring, and Okada takes him down with a Air Raid neckbreaker and then lands a flying elbow drop. After calling for the Rainmaker, Cassidy gives him a hug. Danielson blindsides them with a top rope dropkick. Cassidy Orange Punches Danielson into the Rainmaker from Okada. Claudio ducks a Rainmaker and blasts Okada with a diving European Uppercut. Swiss Death then gives Claudio the pin at 16:31. Claudio and OC stole this match, with their encounters towards the end being the most exciting parts of the bout. It’s cool that they’re building to Okada vs. Danielson again, and that the match built to Claudio vs OC for the International Title next week, so it’s nice that the match achieved both those goals. I think the match was very good, but just not as great as you’d expect a match with these four to be. ***½

I am beat covering all of that, but very happy that the STRONG titles stayed active in between STRONG shows. We only have two weeks between STRONG events this time around, where we could get some Wrestle Kingdom stuff in motion.