NEVER (professional wrestling)

Professional wrestling pay-per-view event series

NEVER

Logo of the NEVER events

Promotions| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
First event| NEVER.1
Last event| NEVER: Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament Final
Event gimmick| Showcase for new and younger talent

NEVER was a series of professional wrestling events held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) between August 2010 and November 2012. On July 12, 2010, NJPW officially announced the NEVER project, which was to highlight younger up-and-coming talent and outside wrestlers not signed to the promotion.[1][2] It was explained that the name of the project was an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal" and "Radical".[1] For the events, NJPW recruited several freelancers as well as wrestlers signed to promotions such as DDT Pro-Wrestling and Kaientai Dojo. Some outsiders who became NEVER regulars included Daisuke Sasaki, Kaji Tomato, Madoka, Ryuichi Sekine and Shinobu. Kushida, who entered NEVER as a representative of the Smash promotion in February 2011, signed a NJPW contract the following month and returned to the project the following September, now representing NJPW.[3] Three NJPW trainees; Hiromu Takahashi, Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu, made their professional wrestling debuts at NEVER events. Takahashi, who debuted at NEVER.1, was the only wrestler who wrestled on all thirteen NEVER events.

On October 5, 2012, NJPW announced that NEVER was going to get its own championship, the NEVER Openweight Championship.[2][4][5] The title was originally scheduled to be defended exclusively at NEVER events, but this plan was quickly changed and since its foundation, the title has been defended on the undercards of NJPW events.[4][6] NJPW has not held a single NEVER event since the tournament, which crowned the first NEVER Openweight Champion on November 19, 2012.[7] A second NEVER title, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, was announced on December 21, 2015, with the first champions crowned on January 4, 2016.[8]

On July 18, 2015, NJPW announced "Lion's Gate", a project with a theme similar to NEVER,[9] which held its first show on February 25, 2016.[10]

## NEVER championships

[edit]

Championship  | Current champion(s)  | Reign  | Date won  | Days held  | Location  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

NEVER Openweight Championship | Konosuke Takeshita | 1 | January 4, 2025  | 117+  | Wrestle Kingdom 19

Tokyo, Japan

| [11]
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship |

House of Torture

(Ren Narita, Sho, and Yujiro Takahashi)

| 1

(2, 3, 4)

| January 30, 2025  | 91+  | NJPW Road To The New Beginning 2025 - Night 3

Sendai, Japan

| [12]

## Events

[edit]

### NEVER.1

[edit]

NEVER.1

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| August 24, 2010[13]
City| Tokyo, Japan[13]
Venue| Shin-Kiba 1st Ring[13]
Attendance| 300[13]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
-- | Next →
NEVER.2

|

The first NEVER event was held on August 24, 2010, in Tokyo at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.[13] The event featured five matches, which involved six outsiders; Taishi Takizawa from Kaientai Dojo, Kazuhiro Tamura from Style-E, Yusuke Kodama from Smash, Shinobu from 666 and freelancers Osamu Namiguchi and Madoka.[13] The opening match of the event featured the professional wrestling debut of Hiromu Takahashi.[13]

No.| Results[13]| Stipulations| Times[13]

|
|
|

1| Kyosuke Mikami defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match| 08:28
2| Taishi Takizawa defeated King Fale| Singles match| 11:23
3| Ryusuke Taguchi and Taichi defeated Kazuhiro Tamura and Yusuke Kodama| Tag team match| 10:50
4| Tomohiro Ishii defeated Osamu Namiguchi| Singles match| 11:01
5| No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Madoka and Shinobu| Tag team match| 18:04

### NEVER.2

[edit]

NEVER.2

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| September 16, 2010[14]
City| Osaka, Japan[14]
Venue| Sekaikan[14]
Attendance| 200[14]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.1 | Next →
NEVER.3

|

The second NEVER event was held on September 16, 2010, in Osaka at the Sekaikan theater.[14] The event featured five matches, which involved five outsiders; Takuya Tomakomai from Dragon Gate, Daisuke Harada and Tadasuke from Osaka Pro Wrestling and freelancers Yohei Nakajima and Yosuke Takii.[14]

No.| Results[14]| Stipulations| Times[14]

|
|
|

1| Kyosuke Mikami defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match| 06:59
2| Tama Tonga defeated King Fale| Singles match| 08:12
3| Taichi and Tomoaki Honma defeated Takuya Tomakomai and Yohei Nakajima| Tag team match| 12:04
4| Hirooki Goto defeated Daisuke Harada| Singles match| 08:28
5| No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Tadasuke and Yosuke Takii| Tag team match| 14:24

### NEVER.3

[edit]

NEVER.3

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| October 8, 2010[15]
City| Tokyo, Japan[15]
Venue| Shin-Kiba 1st Ring[15]
Attendance| 250[15]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.2 | Next →
NEVER.4

|

The third NEVER event was held on October 8, 2010, in Tokyo at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.[15] The event featured six matches, which involved seven outsiders; Keisuke Ishii from DDT Pro-Wrestling, Keita Yano from Battlarts, Shinobu from 666, Tomato Kaji and Taishi Takizawa from Kaientai Dojo and freelancers Daisuke Sasaki and Madoka.[15]

No.| Results[15]| Stipulations| Times[15]

|
|
|

1| Keisuke Ishii defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match| 06:43
2| Tomoaki Honma defeated King Fale| Singles match| 08:12
3| Tama Tonga defeated Daisuke Sasaki| Singles match| 11:12
4| Tomohiro Ishii defeated Keita Yano| Singles match| 13:29
5| Madoka and Shinobu defeated Kyosuke Mikami and Ryusuke Taguchi| Tag team match| 17:39
6| No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Tomato Kaji and Taishi Takizawa| Tag team match| 16:47

### NEVER.4

[edit]

NEVER.4

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| November 18, 2010[16]
City| Tokyo, Japan[16]
Venue| Shin-Kiba 1st Ring[16]
Attendance| 450[16]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.3 | Next →
NEVER.5

|

The fourth NEVER event was held on November 18, 2010, in Tokyo at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.[16][17] The event featured six matches, which involved six outsiders; Keisuke Ishii from DDT Pro-Wrestling, Jun Ogawauchi from Secret Base, Shinobu from 666 and freelancers Antonio Honda, Madoka and Daisuke Sasaki.[16] The event featured Hiroyoshi Tenzan's return match, after being sidelined for fifteen months with a back injury.[16][17]

No.| Results[16][17]| Stipulations| Times[16]

|
|
|

1| Keisuke Ishii defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match| 07:04
2| Tama Tonga defeated King Fale| Singles match| 07:53
3| Tomoaki Honma defeated Jun Ogawauchi| Singles match| 10:40
4| Tomohiro Ishii defeated Daisuke Sasaki| Singles match| 11:56
5| Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Antonio Honda| Singles match| 13:07
6| No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Madoka and Shinobu| Tag team match| 16:01

### NEVER.5

[edit]

NEVER.5

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| February 24, 2011[18]
City| Tokyo, Japan[18]
Venue| Shin-Kiba 1st Ring[18]
Attendance| 350[18]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.4 | Next →
NEVER.6: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament

|

The fifth NEVER event was held on February 24, 2011, in Tokyo at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.[18] The event featured seven matches, which involved six outsiders; Kazuki Hirata from DDT Pro-Wrestling, Shigehiro Irie from Team Dera, Shinobu from 666, Kushida from Smash and freelancers Daisuke Sasaki and Madoka.[18] In the opening match, Hiromu Takahashi, six months after his debut match, picked up his first professional wrestling win over Hirata.[18]

No.| Results[18]| Stipulations| Times[18]

|
|
|

1| Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kazuki Hirata| Singles match| 06:48
2| King Fale defeated Kyosuke Mikami| Singles match| 09:12
3| Tomoaki Honma defeated Shigehiro Irie| Singles match| 09:37
4| Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Daisuke Sasaki| Singles match| 13:28
5| Yujiro Takahashi defeated Shinobu| Singles match| 09:02
6| Madoka defeated Taichi| Singles match| 09:44
7| Tetsuya Naito defeated Kushida| Singles match| 17:30

### NEVER.6: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament

[edit]

NEVER.6: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| April 7, 2011[19]
April 8, 2011[20]
City| Tokyo, Japan[19][20]
Venue| Shin-Kiba 1st Ring[19][20]
Attendance| (April 7) 250[19]
(April 8) 300[20]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.5 | Next →
NEVER.7: Go to the Next Level

|

The sixth NEVER event, subtitled "Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament", was held over two days on April 7 and 8, 2011, in Tokyo at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.[19][20] During the events, NJPW held two single-elimination tournaments, with both winners earning spots in the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.[19][20] Both events featured eight matches and thirteen outsiders; Kazuki Hirata, Keisuke Ishii, Ken Ohka and Shinichiro Tominaga from DDT Pro-Wrestling / Union Pro Wrestling, Kaji Tomato, Marines Mask and Ryuichi Sekine from Kaientai Dojo, Shinobu from 666, Kazuhiro Tamura from Style-E and freelancers Daisuke Sasaki, Madoka, Osamu Namiguchi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.[19][20]

April 7
No.| Results[19][21]| Stipulations| Times[19]

|
|
|

1| Keisuke Ishii defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B| 08:18
2| Ryuichi Sekine defeated Kyosuke Mikami| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A| 08:56
3| Shinobu defeated Kaji Tomato| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B| 08:32
4| Madoka defeated Kazuki Hirata| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B| 08:53
5| Kazuhiro Tamura defeated Marines Mask| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A| 04:21
6| Daisuke Sasaki defeated Shinichiro Tominaga| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A| 10:08
7| Tsuyoshi Kikuchi defeated Ken Ohka| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A| 08:18
8| Taichi defeated Osamu Namiguchi| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B| 08:48

April 8
No.| Results[20][22]| Stipulations| Times[20]

|
|
|

1| Daisuke Sasaki defeated Ryuichi Sekine| Singles match; semifinals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A| 05:52
2| Tsuyoshi Kikuchi defeated Kazuhiro Tamura| Singles match; semifinals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A| 07:14
3| Taichi defeated Keisuke Ishii| Singles match; semifinals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B| 04:15
4| Madoka defeated Shinobu| Singles match; semifinals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B| 09:13
5| Hiromu Takahashi and Kyosuke Mikami defeated Kazuki Hirata and Shinichiro Tominaga| Tag team match| 10:11
6| Chaos (Gedo, Jado, Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Kaji Tomato, Ken Ohka, Marines Mask and Osamu Namiguchi| Eight-man tag team match| 15:50
7| Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tsuyoshi Kikuchi| Singles match; finals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A| 14:26
8| Taichi defeated Madoka| Singles match; finals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B| 17:45

Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament A
| First round | | | Semifinals | | | Finals |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |
| Kyosuke Mikami | Pin | | |
| Ryuichi Sekine | 08:56[19] |
| | Ryuichi Sekine | Pin |
|  |
| | | Daisuke Sasaki | 05:52[20] |
| Daisuke Sasaki | Pin |

| Shinichiro Tominaga | 10:08[19] |
| | Daisuke Sasaki | Pin |
|  |
| | | Tsuyoshi Kikuchi | 14:26[20] |
| Tsuyoshi Kikuchi | Pin | |

| Ken Ohka | 08:18[19] |
| | Tsuyoshi Kikuchi | Pin |
|  |
| | | Kazuhiro Tamura | 07:14[20] |
| Kazuhiro Tamura | Pin |

| Marines Mask | 04:21[19] |

Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament B
| First round | | | Semifinals | | | Finals |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |
| Hiromu Takahashi | Pin | | |
| Keisuke Ishii | 08:18[19] |
| | Keisuke Ishii | Sub |
|  |
| | | Taichi | 04:15[20] |
| Taichi | Pin |

| Osamu Namiguchi | 08:48[19] |
| | Taichi | Pin |
|  |
| | | Madoka | 17:45[20] |
| Madoka | Pin | |

| Kazuki Hirata | 08:53[19] |
| | Madoka | Pin |
|  |
| | | Shinobu | 09:13[20] |
| Shinobu | Pin |

| Kaji Tomato | 08:32[19] |

### NEVER.7: Go to the Next Level

[edit]

NEVER.7: Go to the Next Level

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| September 21, 2011[23]
City| Osaka, Japan[23]
Venue| Sekaikan[23]
Attendance| 200[23]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.6: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament | Next →
NEVER.8: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament

|

The seventh NEVER event, subtitled "Go to the Next Level", was held on September 21, 2011, in Osaka at the Sekaikan theater.[23] The event featured six matches and for the first time included no outsiders.[23]

No.| Results[23]| Stipulations| Times[23]

|
|
|

1| Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Takaaki Watanabe| Singles match| 10:26
2| Yujiro Takahashi defeated Kyosuke Mikami| Singles match| 08:37
3| Hideo Saito defeated King Fale| Singles match| 08:19
4| Toru Yano defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match| 08:53
5| Hirooki Goto defeated Tama Tonga| Singles match| 10:32
6| Tetsuya Naito defeated Kushida| Singles match| 12:35

### NEVER.8: Go to the Next Level

[edit]

NEVER.8: Go to the Next Level

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| February 10, 2012[24]
City| Osaka, Japan[24]
Venue| Sekaikan[24]
Attendance| 220[24]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.7: Go to the Next Level | Next →
NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament 1st.

|

The eighth NEVER event, also subtitled "Go to the Next Level", was held on February 10, 2012, in Osaka at the Sekaikan theater.[24] The event featured seven matches, which involved one outsider; freelancer Shoichi Uchida.[24] The event featured King Fale's farewell match, before going on an overseas learning excursion.[24]

No.| Results[24]| Stipulations| Times[24]

|
|
|

1| Kushida defeated Shoichi Uchida| Singles match| 08:32
2| Yoshi-Hashi defeated Takaaki Watanabe| Singles match| 08:08
3| Captain New Japan defeated Gedo| Singles match| 07:46
4| Toru Yano defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match| 06:54
5| Karl Anderson defeated Tama Tonga| Singles match| 09:59
6| Yuji Nagata defeated King Fale| Singles match| 08:14
7| Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tomoaki Honma| Singles match| 11:48

### NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament 1st.

[edit]

NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament 1st.

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| April 13, 2012[25]
City| Tokyo, Japan[25]
Venue| Shin-Kiba 1st Ring[25]
Attendance| 250[25]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.8: Go to the Next Level | Next →
NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament Final

|

NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament 1st. was held on April 13, 2012, in Tokyo at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.[25] The event saw the start of a single-elimination tournament, where the winner would earn a spot in the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.[25] The event featured six matches, which involved six outsiders; Hiro Tonai, Kaji Tomato and Ryuichi Sekine from Kaientai Dojo, Yusuke Kodama from Wrestling New Classic (WNC) and freelancers Black Tiger and Madoka.[25]

No.| Results[25]| Stipulations| Times[25]

|
|
|

1| Ryuichi Sekine defeated Takaaki Watanabe| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament| 07:45
2| Black Tiger defeated Yusuke Kodama| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament| 08:23
3| Hiro Tonai defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament| 07:48
4| Madoka defeated Kaji Tomato| Singles match; first round in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament| 09:38
5| Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Taka Michinoku) defeated Gedo and Jado| Tag team match| 12:50
6| Chaos (Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano) defeated Captain New Japan and Tetsuya Naito| Tag team match| 09:29

### NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament Final

[edit]

NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament Final

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| April 15, 2012[26]
City| Tokyo, Japan[26]
Venue| Shin-Kiba 1st Ring[26]
Attendance| 250[26]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament 1st. | Next →
NEVER: Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament 1st Round

|

NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament Final was held on April 15, 2012, in Tokyo at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.[26] The event featured the semifinals and finals of a single-elimination tournament, where the winner would earn a spot in the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.[26] The event featured six matches, which involved six outsiders; Hiro Tonai, Kaji Tomato and Ryuichi Sekine from Kaientai Dojo, Yusuke Kodama from Wrestling New Classic (WNC) and freelancers Black Tiger and Madoka.[26] The winner of the tournament, Black Tiger, never entered the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors, as on May 25 NJPW publicly fired the character's performer Kazushige Nosawa, a day after he had been arrested under suspicion of smuggling cannabis.[27]

No.| Results[26]| Stipulations| Times[26]

|
|
|

1| Madoka defeated Hiro Tonai| Singles match; semifinals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament| 08:49
2| Black Tiger defeated Ryuichi Sekine| Singles match; semifinals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament| 06:29
3| Yoshi-Hashi defeated Takaaki Watanabe| Singles match| 09:05
4| Chaos (Gedo, Jado and Tomohiro Ishii) defeated Captain New Japan, Kaji Tomato and Yusuke Kodama| Six-man tag team match| 15:02
5| Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Taka Michinoku) defeated Hiromu Takahashi and Kushida| Tag team match| 14:08
6| Black Tiger defeated Madoka| Singles match; finals in the Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament| 09:56

Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament
| First round | | | Semifinals | | | Finals |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |
| Hiromu Takahashi | Sub | | |
| Hiro Tonai | 07:48[25] |
| | Hiro Tonai | Pin |
|  |
| | | Madoka | 08:49[26] |
| Madoka | Pin |

| Kaji Tomato | 09:38[25] |
| | Madoka | Pin |
|  |
| | | Black Tiger | 09:56[26] |
| Takaaki Watanabe | Pin | |

| Ryuichi Sekine | 07:45[25] |
| | Ryuichi Sekine | Pin |
|  |
| | | Black Tiger | 06:29[26] |
| Yusuke Kodama | Pin |

| Black Tiger | 08:23[25] |

### NEVER: Inaugural NEVER Openweight Championship Tournament 1st Round

[edit]

NEVER: Inaugural NEVER Openweight Championship Tournament 1st Round

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| November 15, 2012[28]
City| Tokyo, Japan[28]
Venue| Shibuya-AX[28]
Attendance| 250[28]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER.9: Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament Final | Next →
NEVER: Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament Final

|

See also: NEVER Openweight Championship § Championship tournament

NEVER: Inaugural NEVER Openweight Championship Tournament 1st Round was held on November 15, 2012, in Tokyo at Shibuya-AX.[28][29] The event featured the start of a tournament to determine the inaugural NEVER Openweight Champion.[28] The event featured nine matches, which involved six outsiders; Hiro Tonai, Kengo Mashimo, Ryuichi Sekine, Shiori Asahi and Taishi Takizawa from Kaientai Dojo and freelancer Daisuke Sasaki.[28] Technically, Masato Tanaka was an outsider, being signed to Pro Wrestling Zero1, but due to having been a regular for NJPW for several years, he was co-billed as a representative of the NJPW stable Chaos.[30] The opening match of the event saw the professional wrestling debut of Sho Tanaka.[30]

No.| Results[28][29]| Stipulations| Times[28]

|
|
|

1| Takaaki Watanabe defeated Sho Tanaka| Singles match| 04:53
2| Shiori Asahi defeated Hiromu Takahashi| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 06:14
3| Yoshi-Hashi defeated Ryuichi Sekine| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 07:14
4| Taishi Takizawa defeated Captain New Japan| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 07:22
5| Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Hiro Tonai| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 08:19
6| Tomohiro Ishii defeated Daisuke Sasaki| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 08:39
7| Kengo Mashimo defeated Bushi| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 08:02
8| Karl Anderson defeated Yujiro Takahashi| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 11:12
9| Masato Tanaka defeated Kushida| Singles match; first round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 13:02

### NEVER: Inaugural NEVER Openweight Championship Tournament Final

[edit]

NEVER: Inaugural NEVER Openweight Championship Tournament Final

Promotion| New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Date| November 19, 2012[30]
City| Tokyo, Japan[30]
Venue| Shibuya-AX[30]
Attendance| 300[30]
NEVER chronology
| ← Previous
NEVER: Shodai NEVER Musabetsu Kyu Oza Kettei Tournament 1st Round | Next →

|

NEVER: Inaugural NEVER Openweight Championship Tournament Final was held on November 19, 2012, in Tokyo at Shibuya-AX.[30][31] The event featured the second round, semifinals and finals of a tournament to determine the inaugural NEVER Openweight Champion.[30] The event featured ten matches, involving the same wrestlers who had taken part in the "1st Round" event four days earlier.[30] The opening match of the event saw the professional wrestling debut of Yohei Komatsu.[30] In the main event of the show, Masato Tanaka defeated Karl Anderson to win the tournament and become the first NEVER Openweight Champion.[30][32][33] NJPW has not held a single NEVER event since.[7]

No.| Results[30][31]| Stipulations| Times[30]

|
|
|

1| Takaaki Watanabe defeated Yohei Komatsu| Singles match| 06:48
2| Kengo Mashimo defeated Ryusuke Taguchi| Singles match; second round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 07:54
3| Karl Anderson defeated Shiori Asahi| Singles match; second round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 03:59
4| Masato Tanaka defeated Taishi Takizawa| Singles match; second round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 04:28
5| Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yoshi-Hashi| Singles match; second round in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 06:57
6| Karl Anderson defeated Kengo Mashimo| Singles match; semifinals in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 06:14
7| Masato Tanaka defeated Tomohiro Ishii| Singles match; semifinals in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 10:47
8| Yujiro Takahashi defeated Captain New Japan| Singles match| 05:55
9| Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi and Kushida defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hiro Tonai and Ryuichi Sekine| Six-man tag team match| 11:12
10| Masato Tanaka defeated Karl Anderson| Singles match; finals in the NEVER Openweight Championship tournament| 14:11

NEVER Openweight Championship tournament
| First round | | | Second round | | | Semifinals | | | Finals |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  | | |  |  | | |  |  | | |  |  |
| Karl Anderson | Pin | | | |
| Yujiro Takahashi | 11:12[28] |
| | Karl Anderson | Pin |
|  |
| | | Shiori Asahi | 03:59[30] |
| Hiromu Takahashi | Pin |

| Shiori Asahi | 06:14[28] |
| | Karl Anderson | Pin |
|  |
| | | Kengo Mashimo | 06:14[30] |
| Ryusuke Taguchi | Pin | |

| Hiro Tonai | 08:19[28] |
| | Ryusuke Taguchi | Sub |
|  |
| | | Kengo Mashimo | 07:54[30] |
| Bushi | Pin |

| Kengo Mashimo | 08:02[28] |
| | Karl Anderson | Pin |
|  |
| | | Masato Tanaka | 15:12[30] |
| Kushida | Pin | | |

| Masato Tanaka | 13:02[28] |
| | Masato Tanaka | Pin |
|  |
| | | Taishi Takizawa | 04:28[30] |
| Captain New Japan | Pin |

| Taishi Takizawa | 07:22[28] |
| | Masato Tanaka | Pin |
|  |
| | | Tomohiro Ishii | 10:47[30] |
| Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | |

| Daisuke Sasaki | 08:39[28] |
| | Tomohiro Ishii | Pin |
|  |
| | | Yoshi-Hashi | 06:57[30] |
| Yoshi-Hashi | Pin |

| Ryuichi Sekine | 07:14[28] |

## See also

[edit]

* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
* Lion's Gate Project

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Nextジェネレーション育成 新プロジェクト「NEVER」シリーズがスタート!!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). July 12, 2010. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
2. ^ a b Caldwell, James (October 5, 2012). "News items: Velvet Sky launches clothing line, Details on Nash's next int'l tour, NJPW introducing new title". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
3. ^ "Kushidaの"新日本入団会見"にTajiri&酒井代表も出席！ 3.18Smash後楽園には棚橋が来場!!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). March 8, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
4. ^ a b "あの『NEVER』がリニューアル!! "無差別級王座"も新設!! 11.15＆11.19Shibuya AXで再出発!!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). October 5, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
5. ^ 新日若手興行ＮＥＶＥＲで王座決定戦開催. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). October 5, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
6. ^ 復帰の内藤 標的はＮＥＶＥＲ王座. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). May 24, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
7. ^ a b 内藤「俺の使命はＮＥＶＥＲ復権」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
8. ^ 【WK10】1.4東京ドームは“8大選手権”！ 第2試合は初代NEVER無差別級6人タッグ王座戦！ 第3試合はROH世界選手権に！ NJランボー参戦選手も追加！. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). December 21, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
9. ^ 木谷オーナーが「ファーム設立プラン」「21世紀のIWGP構想」、そして「新日本プロレスは株式上場を目指す」と宣言! 【7.18戦略発表会】. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). July 18, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
10. ^ Rose, Bryan (February 25, 2016). "Lion's Gate Project 1 results: Nagata vs. Kitamiya; NJPW and Noah rookies shine". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
11. ^ "Konosuke Takeshita Wins NEVER Openweight Championship At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
12. ^ Black, Ethan (2025-01-30). "NJPW Road To New Beginning Night 3 Results – January 30, 2025 - PWMania - Wrestling News". Retrieved 2025-01-31.
13. ^ a b c d e f g h i "NEVER．1". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
14. ^ a b c d e f g h "NEVER．2". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
15. ^ a b c d e f g h "NEVER．3". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
16. ^ a b c d e f g h i "NEVER．4". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
17. ^ a b c 天山がどん底から1年3カ月ぶりに復帰！ファンの大声援を受けて男泣きした天山だが、次なる標的に小島聡を指名！. Battle News (in Japanese). November 18, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
18. ^ a b c d e f g h i "NEVER．5". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "NEVER．6 ～Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament～". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "NEVER．6 ～Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament～". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
21. ^ "BOSJ予選トーナメント1回戦で菊地に敗れた大家、本戦出場の夢☆破れる！大物ルーキーの片鱗を見せた冨永だが、佐々木に惜敗！". Battle News (in Japanese). April 7, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
22. ^ "2日間に渡る予選トーナメントを制してタイチとフリーの佐々木がBOSJ出場権を獲得！大家と対戦した内藤が健闘を称えたが..." Battle News (in Japanese). April 8, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
23. ^ a b c d e f g h "NEVER．7 ～Go to the Next Level～". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
24. ^ a b c d e f g h i "NEVER．8 ～Go to the Next Level～". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "NEVER．9 ～Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament 1st．～". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "NEVER．9 ～Road to the Super Jr. 2Days Tournament Final～". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
27. ^ 新日本がＢ・タイガーの欠場を正式発表. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. May 26, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "NEVER". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
29. ^ a b "新生NEVERで新設された無差別級王座を争うトーナメント！田中や田口らが順当に勝ち上がる中、内藤が注目した選手は..." Battle News (in Japanese). November 15, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "NEVER". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2014.
31. ^ a b "田中将斗が石井との激闘を制したあと、G1準優勝者のアンダーソンを撃破して初代NEVER無差別級王者となる！". Battle News (in Japanese). November 19, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
32. ^ 将斗 死闘を制して初代王座／新日本. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). November 20, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
33. ^ ＮＥＶＥＲ初代王者・将斗１・４でＷヘッダーだ. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). November 23, 2012. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* The official New Japan Pro-Wrestling website

* v
* t
* e

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Championships|

| Active|

| Heavyweight|

* IWGP World Heavyweight (reigns)
* IWGP Global Heavyweight (reigns)
* IWGP Tag Team (reigns)

|

Junior heavyweight|

* IWGP Junior Heavyweight (reigns)
* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team (reigns)

Openweight|

* NJPW World Television (reigns)
* NEVER Openweight (reigns)
* NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team (reigns)
* Strong Openweight (reigns)
* Strong Openweight Tag Team (reigns)

Women's|

* IWGP Women's Championship (reigns)
* Strong Women's Championship (reigns)

Former|

* Asia Heavyweight (reigns)
* Asia Tag Team (reigns)
* Greatest 18 Club (reigns)
* IWGP Heavyweight (reigns)
* IWGP Heavyweight (original version) (reigns)
* IWGP Intercontinental (reigns)
* IWGP Third Belt (reigns)
* IWGP U-30 Openweight (reigns)
* IWGP United States (reigns)
* KOPW (reigns)
* J-Crown (reigns)
* British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight
* NWA World Junior Heavyweight
* NWA World Welterweight
* UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight
* WAR International Junior Heavyweight
* WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight
* WWF Light Heavyweight
* NWA International Junior Heavyweight (reigns)
* NWA North American Tag Team (Los Angeles/Japan version) (reigns)
* NWA World Heavyweight (reigns)
* NWA World Tag Team (reigns)
* NWF Heavyweight (reigns)
* NWF North American (reigns)
* Real World (reigns)
* WCW International World Heavyweight (reigns)
* WWF International Heavyweight (reigns)
* WWF International Tag Team (reigns)
* WWF Junior Heavyweight (reigns)
* WWF North American Heavyweight (reigns)
* WWF World Heavyweight (reigns)
* WWF World Martial Arts (reigns)

Tournaments|

| Active|

* G1 Climax (winners)
* New Japan Cup (winners)
* Best of the Super Juniors (winners)
* World Tag League (winners)
* Super Junior Tag League (winners)
* Super J-Cup (winners)
* Young Lion Cup (winners)

|

Video games|

* Wrestle Kingdom
* Wrestle Kingdom 2
* Fire Pro Wrestling World

Partnerships|

| Current|

* All Elite Wrestling
* All Japan Pro Wrestling
* Big Japan Pro Wrestling
* Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
* DDT Pro-Wrestling
* Dragongate
* Ganbare☆Pro-Wrestling
* Kyushu Pro-Wrestling
* Major League Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling Noah
* Revolution Pro Wrestling
* Ring of Honor
* Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling
* World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana

|

Former|

* American Wrestling Association
* Border City Wrestling
* Catch Wrestling Association
* Full Impact Pro
* Game Changer Wrestling
* Global Force Wrestling
* International Wrestling Enterprise
* Jersey All Pro Wrestling
* K-1
* National Wrestling Alliance
* National Wrestling Federation
* Pride Fighting Championships
* Pro Wrestling Zero1
* The Crash Lucha Libre
* Toryumon Mexico
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
* UWF International
* Universal Wrestling Association
* United Wrestling Network
* Championship Wrestling from Hollywood
* WAR
* Westside Xtreme Wrestling
* World Championship Wrestling
* World Class Championship Wrestling
* World Wrestling Association
* World Wrestling Federation

Related companies|

| Owners|

* Amuse Inc. (5%)
* Bushiroad (85%)
* TV Asahi (10%)

|

Subsidiaries|

* World Wonder Ring Stardom

Personnel|

| Current|

* List of New Japan Pro-Wrestling personnel

|

Former|

* List of former New Japan Pro-Wrestling personnel

Miscellaneous|

* All In
* Asia-Pacific Federation of Wrestling
* Lion's Gate Project
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling World
* Major events
* List of NJoA events
* NJPW Strong
* List of episodes
* Special episodes
* Tiger Mask W
* United Japan Pro-Wrestling

Category

* v
* t
* e

New Japan Pro-Wrestling events

Current|

* January 4 Tokyo Dome Show (Wrestle Kingdom)
* Wrestle Dynasty
* New Year Dash!!
* Fantastica Mania
* The New Beginning
* NJPW Anniversary Show (49th, 50th)
* New Japan Cup
* Sakura Genesis
* Windy City Riot
* Wrestling Dontaku
* Resurgence
* Best of the Super Juniors
* Dominion
* Forbidden Door
* G1 Climax
* Destruction
* Fighting Spirit Unleashed
* Royal Quest
* King of Pro-Wrestling
* Super Junior Tag League
* Power Struggle
* Historic X-Over (1, 2)
* World Tag League
* All Together
* Battle in the Valley
* Capital Collision
* Strong Style Evolved

Former|

* All Star Junior Festival 2023 (2023)
* All Star Junior Festival USA 2023 (2023)
* Back to the Yokohama Arena (2014)
* Battle Autumn '22 (2022)
* Battle Formation (1996-1997)
* Battle Satellite in Tokyo Dome (1989)
* Burning Spirit (2022)
* Castle Attack (2021)
* CEOxNJPW: When Worlds Collide (2018)
* Do Judge!! (2000)
* Final Dome (1999)
* G1 Climax in Dallas (2019)
* G1 Special in San Francisco (2018)
* G1 Special in USA (2017)
* G1 Supercard (2019)
* Global Wars (2014–2019)
* Global Wars UK (2015–2018)
* Honor Rising: Japan (2016–2019)
* Hyper Battle (2022)
* Independence Day (2023)
* Invasion Tour 2011 (2011)
* Jingu Climax (1999)
* Lion's Gate Project (2016–2018)
* Lonestar Shootout (2022-2023)
* Multiverse (2022-2023)
* NEVER (2010–2012)
* New Japan Cup USA (2020–2021)
* Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace (1995)
* Rumble on 44th Street (2022)
* Sengoku Lord (2019–2020)
* Showdown (2019–2022)
* Strong (2020–2023)
* Strong Style Evolution (1997)
* Summer Struggle in Jingu (2020)
* Summer Struggle in Sapporo (2021)
* Summer Supercard (2019)
* Super J-Cup (1994, 2009, 2016, 2019, 2020)
* The Skydiving-J (1996)
* Ultimate Crush (2003)
* Uprising (2015)
* War of the Worlds (2014–2019)
* WCW/New Japan Supershow (1991–1993)
* World Wrestling Peace Festival (1996)
* Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome (2021)
* Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome (2021)
* Wrestling Hinokuni (2015–2019)
* Wrestling Summit (1990)
* Young Lion Cup (1985–2019)

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