Welcome to Fightful.com's live coverage & discussion for NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo Day 1. We'll be bringing you full, fight by fight coverage of every bout on the card. You can also send in your feedback on our Disqus boards below!
NEVER Openweight Championship
Shingo Takagi def. Hirooki Goto (c) to win the title
Tomohiro Ishii def. Evil
Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & Taichi) def. Jon Moxley & Kazuchika Okada
Bullet Club (Jay White & Kenta) def. Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Sanada)
Robbie Eagles & Ryu Lee def. Los Ingobernables (Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi)
Ryusuke Taguchi & Chaos (Sho, Yoh & Will Ospreay) def. Suzuki-Gun (Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desparado & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Toa Henare & Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Homna) def. Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yota Tsuji
Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) def. Tiger Mask IV & Yuya Uemura
Tiger Mask IV & Yuya Uemura vs. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo)
The match begins with Phantasmo backing Uemura into the ropes before kicking him in the midsection, Phantasmo attacks Uemura with a shoulder tackles before finally dropping him with one. Uemura recovers and drops Phantasmo with a shoulder tackle of his won, Phantasmo responds by dropping Uemura with a hair pull. Ishimori tags in and he rakes the back of a trapped Uemura, Ishimori attacks Uemura with a few strikes before tagging Phantasmo in so he can rake Uemura’s back. Phantasmo nails Uemura with more strikes before hanging him upside down in the corner, Ishimori hits the ring to stand on Uemura’s balls alongside Phantasmo. Phantasmo holds Uemura down while applying a chin lock, Phantasmo releases the hold and Uemura nails him with a drop kick. Mask IV tags in and he cleans house against the opposing team, Mask IV gets Phantasmo in a knee bar until Ishimori breaks it up.
Mask IV catches Phantasmo in a roll up for a near fall, Phantasmo fights back and he drops Mask IV with an enziguri. Mask IV recovers to nail a charging Phantasmo with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker, Uemura tags in and he double teams Phantasmo alongside Mask IV. Uemura traps Phantasmo in a Boston crab and Phantasmo gets to the ropes, Uemura then hits Phantasmo with an overhead belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Ishimori returns and he nails Mask IV with a handspring enziguri, Phantasmo then hits a distracted Uemura with a super kick. Ishimori tags in and he nails Uemura with a double super kick alongside Phantasmo for a near fall, Uemura shocks Ishimori with a few roll ups for a few near falls. Ishimori nails Uemura with a knee strike before applying a Yes Lock to force a tap out.
Winners: Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo)
Toa Henare & Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Homna) vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yota Tsuji
The match begins with Nakanishi backing Henare into the ropes before letting him go free, Henare and Nakanishi get into a striking exchange in the middle of the ring. Nakanishi ends the exchange by nailing a charging Henare with a shoulder block, Nakanishi then hits Henare with a slam before missing a knee drop. Homna tags in and he stomps away on the injured knee of Nakanishi, Homna looks to work on the knee of Nakanishi until Nakanishi gets to the ropes. Makabe tags in and he wrenches away on the injured knee of Nakanishi until Nakanishi gets to the ropes, Henare tags in and he attacks a cornered Nakanishi with strikes. Homna tags back in and he lands some butt smashes to the injured knee of Nakanishi, Nakanishi fights back and Homna attacks his injured knee. Nakanishi recovers and he nails a charging Homna with a spear, Tenzan tags in and he cleans house against the opposing team.
Tenzan corners Homna with landing some Mongolian chops, Tenzan then hits Homna with an avalanche followed by a suplex for a near fall. Tenzan and Homna have a striking exchange in the middle of the ring, Tenzan ends the exchange by dropping Homna with a spin kick to the head. Tenzan gets Homna back up before landing some more Mongolian chops, Homna fights back and he nails Tenzan with a diving kokeshi. Makabe tags in and he cleans house against the opposing team, Makabe mounts Tenzan in the corner while landing some strikes. Tenzan recovers and he nails a charging Malabe with a Samoan drop, Tsuji and Henare are tagged in by their respective partners. Henare and Tsuji go back and forth until Tsuji gets Henare in a Boston crab, Nakanishi and Tenzan then get Makabe and Homna in submissions of their own until Henare gets to the ropes.
Tsuji gets Henare up before attacking him with a plethora of forearm strikes, Henare trecovers to hit Tsuji with a Rampage for a near fall. Tsuji fights back and Henare levels him with a clothesline, Henare then hits Tsuji with a uranage for a three count.
Winners: Toa Henare & Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Homna)
Ryusuke Taguchi & Chaos (Sho, Yoh & Will Ospreay) vs. Suzuki-Gun (Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desparado & Zack Sabre Jr.)
The match begins with Suzuki-Gun jumping their opponents and a brawl breaks out between both teams that spills all over the place, Kanemaru stays in the ring and he attacks Yoh. Yoh recovers and he nails a charging Kanemaru with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker, Sho tags in and he double teams Kanemaru with Yoh. Taguchi goes to the middle rope and Kanemaru throws Sho into his backside, Douki attacks Taguchi and they battle on the arena floor. The brawl continues between both teams and it spills into the crowd, Kanemaru grabs Sho and he throws him into the barricade. Desparado waits for Sho to get in the ring before landing a back elbow strike and suplex for a near fall, Kanemaru tags in and he drops Sho before landing a basement drop kick for a near fall. Douki tags in and he slams Sho multiple times, Sho fights back and Douki rakes his eyes before tagging Sabre Jr in.
Sabre Jr gets Sho down while applying a head scissors to him, Sho eventually gets to the ropes to break the submission attempt. Sho fights back and Sabre Jr catches him in a jump guillotine choke, Sabre Jr releases the hold and Sho nails him with a spear. Ospreay tags in and he cleans house against the opposing team, Ospreay then hits Sabre Jr with a handspring enziguri for a near fall. Sabre Jr fights back and he gets Ospreay in a modified abdominal stretch, Ospreay gets free and Sabre Jr briefly gets him in another submission hold. Ospreay recovers and he drops Sabre Jr with an enziguri, Taguchi and Douki are tagged in by their respective partners. Taguchi is immediately triple teamed by members of Suzuki-Gun, Douki nails Taguchi with a springboard double stomp for a near fall. Douki then hits Taguchi with Daybreak for a near fall, Douki goes for a wheel barrow slam and taguchi rolls him up for a near fall.
Everybody hits the ring and they all take each other out, Douki grabs the pipe and he misses the swing against Taguchi. Taguchi then hits Douki with a front suplex and running hip attack for a near fall, Taguchi then hits Douki with his finisher for a three count.
Winners: Ryusuke Taguchi & Chaos (Sho, Yoh & Will Ospreay)
Robbie Eagles & Ryu Lee vs. Los Ingobernables (Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi)
The match begins with Takahashi and Lee immediately getting into a striking exchange, Takahashi ends the exchange by attempting a hurricarana against Lee. Lee knocks a leaping Takahashi out of the ring with a drop kick, lee exits the ring and he throws Takahashi into the barricade. Eagles tags in and he double teams Takahashi alongside Lee, Eagles nails Takahashi with a knee strike to the back before attacking him with strikes in the corner. Takahashi recovers to double team Eagles alongside Bushi, both teams start brawling and it spills all over the arena. Bushi gets Eagles back in the ring so Takahashi can stomp away on him, Bushi tags in and he stomps away on Eagles alongside Takahashi. Bushi then hits Eagles with a neck breaker for a near fall, Takahashi tags in and he corners eagles before landing more strikes. Takahashi then nails a cornered Eagles with a clothesline followed by a basement drop kick for a near fall, Bushi tags in and he double teams Eagles with Takahashi.
Lee interferes and he gets taken out by Takahashi and Bushi, Bushi gets Eagles down while applying the STF. Takahashi tags in and he drops Eagles with a single chop, Eagles recovers and he nails a charging Takahashi with a leg lariat. Lee tags in and he nails a cornered Takahashi with a slingshot drop kick, Lee keeps Takahashi cornered while landing a ton of strikes. Lee keeps Takahashi cornered while landing a running drop kick for a near fall, Takahashi recovers and he nails Lee with a wheelbarrow slam. Lee fights back and Takahashi propels him into the corner, Bushi and Eagles are tagged in by their respective partners. Eagles focuses his attack on the knee of Bushi before landing an elbow strike to the back of his head, Eagles misses a running double knee strike and Bushi nails him with a missile drop kick. Bushi follows that up by nailing Lee with a suicide dive, Takahashi and Bushi then double team Eagles in the ring so Bushi can get a near fall on him.
Bushi goes for a code breaker and Eagles blocks it before landing a backpack slam for a near fall, Eagles then gets Bushi in the Ron Miller Special and atap out follows.
Winners: Robbie Eagles & Ryu Lee
Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Sanada) vs. Bullet Club (Jay White & Kenta)
The match begins with Kenta leaving the ring a few times to avoid Naito, Naito attacks Kenta before throwing him into White. Naito clears the ring before faking a suicide dive, Kenta gets back in the ring and Naito plays some mind games with him. White tags in and Sanada tags in a few moments later, Gedo distracts Sanada some White can attack him from behind. Sanada fights back to hit White with an arm drag followed by a drop kick, Sanada knocks White to the arena floor and he gets jumped from behind by Kenta. A brawl breaks out between both teams and it spills all over the arena, White throws Sanada in the barricade while Kenta nails Naito with a DDT on the arena floor. White gets Sanada back in the ring before raking his eyes, Kenta tags in and he stomps away on a downed Sanada. Kenta nails Sanada with a back elbow strike for a near fall, Kenta corners Sanada while landing some strikes.
White tags in and he gets a downed Sanada in a chin lock, Sanada fights back before missing a standing moonsault attempt. White then hits Sanada with a leg drop for a near fall, Kenta tags back in and nails a downed Sanada with some knee drops. Sanada fights back and he nails Kenta with a missile drop kick, Naito tags in and he cleans house against the opposing team. Naito drops Kenta with landing a basement drop kick followed by a neck breaker, Naito keeps Kenta ground while landing a leg assisted full nelson. Kenta eventually gets to the ropes to break the submission attempt, Kenta fights back and he drops Naito before landing a top rope clothesline. Kenta sets up for Go To Sleep and Naito escapes to land a few strikes, Kenta gets angry and he nails Naito with a rope assisted DDT for a near fall. Kenta traps Naito in the ropes before landing a running knee strike, Naito fights back and he nails Kenta with an enziguri.
Kenta recovers and he nails Naito with a release German suplex, Naito fights back and he nails Kenta with a spine buster. Sanada and White are tagged in by their respective partners, Sanada knocks White to the arena floor before nailing him with a dive. Sanada gets White back in the ring and White escapes a Paradise Lock attempt, White uses a ref distraction to drop Sanada with a hair pull. White then nails Sanada with a DDT for a near fall, White follows up by nailing Sanada with a snap Saito suplex and Blade Buster for a near fall. Naito hits the ring to hit both opponents with drop kicks, Sanada recovers and he goes for Skull End on White. Gedo tries interfering and Sanada low blows him, Sanada goes for Skull End again and White rolls him up for a near fall. Sanada looks for a TKO and White escapes to get rolled up for a near fall. White sends Sanada into a chair held by Gedo before rolling him up for a three count.
Winners: Bullet Club (Jay White & Kenta)
Jon Moxley & Kazuchika Okada vs. Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & Taichi)
The match begins with a brawl between both teams in the ring and it quickly spills all over the arena, Taichi gets Okada out of the ring before throwing him into the barricade. Moxley and Suzuki exchange strikes while battling in the ring, Moxley flips off Suzuki and Suzuki tries breaking his fingers. Suzuki eventually drops Moxley by landing a few more strikes, Taichi tags in and Moxley corners him before tagging Okada into the match. Moxley and Okada then double team the downed Taichi, Okada then hits Taichi with a neck breaker for a near fall. Okada holds Taichi down while applying a chin lock, Okada nails Taichi with a slam before missing a slingshot swanton bomb. Okada and taichi exchange some strikes in the middle of the ring, Taichi ends the exchange by nailing Okada with a back drop suplex. Suzuki grabs a steel chair and he attacks Moxley with it, Moxley and Suzuki battle into the crowd.
Taichi gets Okada out of the ring before throwing him into the barricade, Suzuki grabs a piece of the barricade and he attacks Moxley with it. Taichi throws Okada into a bunch of chairs before attacking him with a chair, Taichi gets Okada back in the ring and he gets him in a modified camel clutch. Taichi transitions into an abdominal stretch against Okada, Suzuki tags in and he attacks the injured neck of Okada by landing some strikes. Suzuki keeps Okada down while wrenching away on his head, Suzuki transitions into a head scissors against Okada. Taichi tags back in and he wrenches away on the head of Okada, Okada fights back and Taichi kicks him right in the head. Taichi looks for a power bomb and Okada nails him with a hurricarana, Okada then drops Taichi with a modified neck breaker. Moxley and Suzuki are tagged in by their respective partners, Moxley drops Suzuki with a clothesline before landing a back breaker for a near fall.
Moxley keeps Suzuki down while applying a modified figure four leg lock, Moxley then transitions to an STF against Suzuki. Suzuki gets free and he exchanges some bites with Moxley, Moxley then nails Suzuki with a knee strike for a near fall. Moxley leaves the ring and he sets up a table on the arena floor, Moxley looks to put Suzuki through the table and Suzuki defends while applying a rope assisted arm bar. Suzuki gets Moxley back in the ring and he gets him in another arm bar, Moxley gets to the ropes to break the submission attempt. Suzuki corners Moxley while choking him with his boot, Moxley fights back and he nails a charging Suzuki with a clothesline. Moxley looks for Death Rider and Taichi interferes, Okada returns and Taichi nails him with a back drop driver. Moxley and Suzuki have another striking exchange in the middle of the ring, Moxley looks for Death Rider and Suzuki escapes to apply the sleeper hold. Suzuki goes for the Gotch Style Pile Driver and he nails Moxley with it for a three count.
Winners: Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & Taichi)
After the match, Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. attack Kazuchika Okada, Taichi eventually nails Okada with the iron gove. Will Ospreay makes the save, but is eventually taken out with a Zack Driver.
Evil vs. Tomohiro Ishii
The match begins with Evil nailing Ishii with a kick before applying a headlock, Ishii gets free and he exchanges shoulder tackles with Evil. Ishii and EVil then get into a striking exchange, Evil ends the exchange by dropping Ishii with a shoulder tackle. Evil knocks Ishii out of the ring and he follows him out there before throwing him into the barricade, Ishii recovers and he drops Evil with a shoulder tackle. Ishii grabs a steel chair and he attacks Evil with it, Evil recovers by punching the chair into the face of Ishii. Evil wraps the chair around the head of Ishii before throwing him into the ring post, Evil gets Ishii back in the ring and he nails him with a neck breaker for a near fall. Evil holds Ishii down while applying a chin lock to him, Evil releases the hold and he gets a near fall on Ishii. Ishii starts fighting back and Evil quickly drops him, Evil looks for a fisherman buster suplex and Ishii blocks it to land one of his own. Ishii follows that up by nailing Evil with a shoulder tackle, Evil gets up and Ishii corners him while landing a plethora of chops.
Evil recovers and he nails Ishii with a suplex into the corner, Evil knocks Ishii out of the ring and he follows him out there. Evil wraps a chair around the head of Ishii before hitting it with another chair, Evil gets Ishii in the ring before landing a seated senton for a near fall. Ishii fights back and he nails Evil with a spinning back suplex, Evil recovers and he uses the ref to hit Ishii with a Magic Killer. Evil then traps Ishii in the ropes before landing a springboard stomp, Ishii fights back and he nails Evil with a release German suplex. Ishii then hits Evil with a clothesline before getting him on the top rope, Ishii gets Evil off the ropes by landing a superplex for a near fall. Evil fights back and another striking exchange breaks out with Ishii, Ishii ends the exchange by nailing Evil with a power bomb for a near fall. Ishii sets up for a sliding lariat and Evil counters with a clothesline of his own, Ishii fights back and he nails Evil with a lariat after landing a spinning heel kick.
Ishii looks for a brain buster and Evil counters before dropping Ishii with a combination for a near fall, Evil then hits Ishii with a corner clothesline before placing him on the top rope. Evil follows Ishii up there and he lands a superplex of his own for a near fall, Evil follows that up by nailing Ishii with Darkness Falls for a near fall. Ishii fights back and he nails Evil with a DDT followed by a sliding lariat, Ishii nails Evil with another sliding lariat for another near fall. Evil recovers and he nails Ishii with multiple head and arm suplexes, Ishii fights back and he nails Evil with a release German suplex. Ishii goes for a lariat and Evil drops him with a headbutt, Evil then crushes Ishii with a lariat for a near fall, Ishii and Evil go back and forth until Ishii crushes Evil with a lariat for another near fall. Ishii then hits Evil with a brain buster for a three count.
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii
NEVER Openweight Championship
Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Shingo Takagi
The match begins with Goto getting Takagi in a headlock, Takagi gets free and he exchanges shoulder tackles with Goto. Takagi and Goto have a striking exchange in the middle of the ring, Goto eventually drops Takagi with a shoulder tackle. Goto then hits Takagi with a back elbow strike before applying a chin lock to him, Goto corners Takagi afterwards while landing a few strikes. Takagi fights back and he nails Goto with a corner clothesline, Goto fires back and he lands a corner clothesline of his own. Takagi recovers and he drops Goto with a multiple strike combination, Takagi then knocks Goto out of the ring after landing a clothesline. Takagi follows him out there and he throws Goto into the ring post, Takagi throws Goto into the barricade before dropping him with a DDT on the arena floor. Takagi gets Goto back in the ring before landing a slingshot knee drop, Goto fights back and he drops Takagi before landing kicks to his back.
Takagi and Goto get into another striking exchange until Takagi drops Goto with a clothesline, Takagi then nails Goto with a suplex for a near fall. Goto fights back and he levels Takagi with another clothesline, Goto then nails a cornered Takagi with a spinning kick to the head. Takagi tries fighting back and Goto nails him with a suplex for a near fall, Goto slows things down by getting Takagi in a sleeper hold. Takagi falls backwards and Goto maintains the sleeper hold, Takagi gets free and he nails Goto with a noshigami. Takagi holds Goto down while landing elbow strikes and a sliding lariat, Goto gets back up and he nails Takagi with a ushigoroshi. Takagi and Goto then exchange a bunch of clotheslines and side suplexes, Goto eventually regains control by nailing Takagi with a clothesline for a near fall. Takagi recovers and he levels a charging Goto with a lariat, Takagi gets Goto in the corner before landing another clothesline. Takagi gets Goto on his shoulders and he climbs to the top rope, Takagi then nails Goto with a super death valley driver for a near fall.
Takagi and Goto battle back to the top rope while exchanging a bunch of strikes, Goto nails Takagi with a super code red for a near fall. Goto follows up by nailing Takagi with a rope assisted GTR for a near fall, Goto keeps Takagi down while landing a series of kicks. Takagi recovers and he nails Goto with a rope assisted GTR of his own, Takagi follows that up by leveling Goto with a lariat for a near fall. Takagi goes for Last Of The Dragon and Goto escapes to landing a uranage for a near fall, Goto then drills Takagi with a mid-kick before exchanging some headbutts. Takagi and Goto have another striking exchange in the middle of the ring, Goto regains control by hitting Takagi with headbutts and a reverse GTR. Takagi recovers and he nails Goto with Made In Japan for a near fall, Takagi then hits Goto with Last Of The Dragon for a three count.
Winner: Shingo Takagi, your new NEVER Openweight Champion
