New IWGP Champions!

New Japan Pro Wrestling ran two big back to back shows, with very positive results as new champions were crowned on both shows as the two main titles in the promotion were brought back to the home team.
The first show on saturday saw an incredible double main event, first with Satoshi Kojima returning to New Japan and facing his former TenKoji partner, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, in a great sounding match that went to a thirty minute draw!
And the main event saw U-30 champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and Supernova Shinsuke Nakamura defeat the team of Minoru Suzuki and Kensuke Sasaki in another thirty-plus minute match to become the new IWGP tag team champions! The match was a decision match since Suzuki's original tag champion partner Yoshihiro Takayama has been sidelined with an injury since August, and they had only now decided to vacate the titles.
Elsewhere on the show, Masahiro Chono became the first man ever to beat Yuji Nagata in his "demon" form, winning the bloody battle with his new FTS submission hold.

NJPW, 12/11/04 (PPV)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
6,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy
1. El Samurai & Hiroshi Nagao beat Ryusuke Taguchi & Akiya Anzawa (10:04) when Nagao used a chokeslam on Anzawa.
2. Masayuki Naruse beat Hirooki Goto (2:51) with a cross kneelock.
3. Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask & Wataru Inoue beat Minoru Tanaka, Jado & Gedo (13:41) when Kanemoto used an ankle hold on Jado.
4. Genichiro Tenryu & Katsuhiko Nakajima beat Togi Makabe & Toru Yano (10:25) when Tenryu used the 53-years-old on Yano.
5. Takashi Iizuka, Yutaka Yoshie & Blue Wolf beat Black Strong Machine, Scott Norton & Mitsuya Nagai (14:35) when Yoshie used a diving body press on Nagai.
6. Jushin Thunder Liger Return Match: Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Riki Choshu & Tomohiro Ishii (8:03) when Nakanishi used the Hercules Cutter on Ishii.
7. Masahiro Chono beat Yuji Nagata (13:23) with an FTS.
8. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Satoshi Kojima went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired.

9. IWGP Tag Team Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Kensuke Sasaki & Minoru Suzuki (32:33) when Tanahashi used a Dragon suplex hold on Suzuki to become the 47th champions (decision match).

The second show saw Hiroyoshi Tenzan win his third IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 12 months when he defeated Kensuke Sasaki and brought the title home from the freelancer. The match was said to be a very stiff affair, and a great tie-breaker as they were 1-1-1 in singles matches in the past year.
Also on the card, Minoru "Heat" Tanaka made a successful V11 defense of the IWGP Jr. title against young Wataru Inoue who was on a roll against Heat throughout the tour. But his luck ran out here.

NJPW, 12/12/04 (WPW/NJ+IWTV Internet)
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
9,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy
1. Naofumi Yamamoto beat Yujiro (8:06) with a crab hold.
2. El Samurai & Katsuhiko Nakajima beat Ryusuke Taguchi & Hirooki Goto (11:55) when Nakajima used a German suplex hold on Taguchi.
3. Toru Yano beat Hiroshi Nagao (5:27) with a scrap buster.
4. Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask beat Jado & Gedo (12:35) when Tiger used a Japanese leg roll clutch hold on Jado.
5. Tatsutoshi Goto & Masayuki Naruse beat Yutaka Yoshie & Blue Wolf (11:22) when Naruse used a sleeper hold on Yoshie.
6. Riki Choshu & Tomohiro Ishii beat Takashi Iizuka & Togi Makabe (3:52) when Choshu used a Scorpion Deathlock on Makabe.
7. Genichiro Tenryu & Minoru Suzuki beat Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger (13:13) when Tenryu used a lariat on Liger.
8. Yuji Nagata, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Masahiro Chono, Scott Norton & Mitsuya Nagai (17:13) when Tanahashi used an inside cradle on Norton.
9. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Heat (c) beat Wataru Inoue (18:51) with a cross armbreaker (11th defense).

10. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Kensuke Sasaki (c) (31:38) with a moonsault press to become the 40th champion

Both shows look great, and I just might be picking up tapes of them when they come out. Good to see the New Japan are ending the year on a good note, after a mostly horrendous year of booking. Next up: WRESTLING WORLD 2005! Don't dissapoint us!

Credit: Strong Style Spirit for the results.