Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2018)

Fighting Spirit Unleashed was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on September 30, 2018 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. It was the fifth event produced by NJPW in the United States.

Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2018)
Official event logo
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling
DateSeptember 30, 2018
CityLong Beach, California
VenueWalter Pyramid
Attendance3,007[1]
Event chronology
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New Japan Road: Ganbaro! Uonuma
Fighting Spirit Unleashed chronology
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2019

Wrestlers from U.S. promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) - with which NJPW has a partnership - also appeared on the card.

Production

Background

On July 6, 2018, NJPW announced their return to the United States to host two events in the state of California: Fighting Spirit Unleashed, in Long Beach, on September 30 and Lion's Break: Project 1, in Anaheim, on November 10 and 11.[2]

The event will be broadcast in the United States on AXS TV, airing October 5, 2018 on delay.[3] As the usual AXS TV commentator Josh Barnett will be unable to attend the event, commentary will be provided by Jim Ross and his replacement Kevin Kelly.[4] Worldwide, the event will be streamed live on NJPW's streaming service, NJPW World.

On August 28, 2018, New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced several wrestlers for the event with soon-to-be-announced matches at Fighting Spirit Unleashed.[5]

Storylines

Fighting Spirit Unleashed will feature eight to ten professional wrestling matches that will involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.[6]

On the final day of the G1 Climax, Cody pinned the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson and got the victory in a tag team match featuring he and Hangman Page versus Robinson and David Finlay. Afterwards he proceeded to challenge Robinson for his title, setting up the match for this event.

At the G1 Special in San Francisco, Kenny Omega defeated Cody in a singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. It seemingly ended the civil war within their stable, Bullet Club, that had originated on the second day of The New Beginning in Sapporo. After the Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) stepped into the ring to congratulate Omega, the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) and their father King Haku appeared on the stage and turned on various other Bullet Club members, including Hangman Page, Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens and Cody, forming a new Bullet Club subgroup in the process: Bullet Club OG. On the final day of the G1 Climax, the Bullet Club OG (Tonga, Loa and Taiji Ishimori) defeated the Bullet Club Elite (Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson and Marty Scurll) to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. The Young Bucks will now defend the IWGP Tag Team Championship against the Guerrillas of Destiny.

At the G1 Special in San Francisco, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi injured his neck in a title defense against Dragon Lee. He was forced to relinquish the title, with a four-man tournament being announced to crown a new champion. Will Ospreay will face Marty Scurll in the second semifinal, with the winner advancing to the final to be held at King of Pro-Wrestling to face the winner of the first semifinal, Kushida or Bushi).[7] With Kushida defeating Bushi at Destruction in Kobe, Marty Scurll will face Kushida in the finals.[8]

Results
No. Results Stipulations Times
1D Clark Connors defeated Alex Coughlin by referee stoppage Singles match[9] 7:33
2 Taguchi Japan (Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi and ACH) defeated Roppongi 3K (Rocky Romero, Sho and Yoh) Six-man tag team match[9] 8:55
3 The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) defeated Bullet Club Elite (Hangman Page and Chase Owens) Tag team match[9] 8:14
4 Jeff Cobb, Chris Sabin and Flip Gordon defeated Chaos (Hirooki Goto, Beretta and Chuckie T.) Six-man tag team match[9] 12:04
5 Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Sanada and Evil) Six-man tag team match[9] 9:27
6 Jay White and Gedo defeated Taguchi Japan (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kushida) Tag team match[9] 8:52
7 Marty Scurll defeated Will Ospreay IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship tournament semifinal match[9] 16:08
8 Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) (with Haku) defeated The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) Tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship[9] 19:21
9 Cody (with Brandi Rhodes) defeated Juice Robinson (c) Singles match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship[9] 16:45
10 Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) defeated Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii) Tag team match[9] 23:06
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

References
  1. "Fighting Spirit Unleashed" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  2. "Two New Events in USA Announced!". NJPW1972.com. New Japan Pro-Wrestling. July 6, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  3. Lealos, Shawn (September 7, 2018). "New Japan Pro Wrestling's American event Fighting Spirit Unleashed coming to AXS TV Oct. 5". AXS.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  4. "AXS TV PREMIERES NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING'S NEXT U.S. EVENT 'FIGHTING SPIRIT UNLEASHED' ON FRIDAY, OCT. 5 AT 8pE/5pP". AXS.tv. AXS TV. August 24, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  5. "More Wrestlers Announced for Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Long Beach, CA!". njpw1972.com. August 28, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  6. Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  7. "The Junior IWGP throne is vacant. KUSHIDA, BUSHI, Ospreay, and Scurll have all entered the Junior Heavyweight championship tournament!", NJPW1972.com, 20 August 2018. Retrieved on 6 September 2018.
  8. Renner, Ethan (September 22, 2018). "NJPW DESTRUCTION IN KOBE LIVE RESULTS: OKADA VS. TANAHASHI". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  9. "Fighting Spirit Unleashed". NJPW1972.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
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