The New Beginning in Sapporo 2024 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on two nights on February 23 and 24, 2024, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center. Both nights featured eight matches, two of which was contested for a championship, while the second night featured one championship matches out of also eight matches overall. The first night was main evented by David Finlay defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Nic Nemeth. The second night was main evented by Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA in a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom 18. This was the thirty-sixth event under the New Beginning name and the sixth to take place in Sapporo.
Storylines[]
The New Beginning in Sapporo 2024 featured eight professional wrestling matches in two nights that 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.
David Finlay, the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion, who defended his title in the main event of the first night of the event
The first night of the event by David Finlay defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Nic Nemeth. On January 4, 2024 at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Nemeth made his debut for NJPW, appearing ringside as a spectator along with his brother Ryan. After David Finlay won the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, Nemeth confronted Finlay, leading to a brawl between the two men, which carried overt into the backstage area, with Nemeth challenging Finlay to a title match. On January 9, it was announced that Nemeth would make his NJPW in-ring debut by challenging Finlay for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship at the first night of the event.
On January 5, 2024 at New Year Dash, Matt Riddle made his NJPW debut in a pre-taped vignette, challenging NJPW World Television Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi to a title match, which he accepted. The title match was announced four days later.
At Wrestle Kingdom 18, Tetsuya Naito defeated SANADA in the main event to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. After a brief interruption by House of Torture, who were fought off by SANADA, Naito managed to fulfill his childhood dream and closed the show with his signature roll-call, after being cut off by KENTA four years prior, with SANADA requesting a rematch between the two. The following day, at New Year Dash!, after Just 5 Guys defeated Los Ingobernables de Japón, SANADA issued a challenge for a rematch, which Naito accepted, setting up the match for the event. The angle resulted in a various matches between both stables. Following a match, between the two sides, on February 5, Yota Tsuji challenged Yuya Uemura to a Hair vs. Hair match, which Uemura accepted.
EVIL, the NEVER Openweight Champion, who defended his title in the first night of the event
On December 6, in the final round robin match of the 2023 World Tag League, Ren Narita turned on Shota Umino to join the House of Torture. This led to a feud, which culminated in a match on January 24, where Umino defeated Narita, despite the interference from House of Torture. Afterwards, Umino was asked by Tama Tonga, who helped him fend off the House of Torture, to challenge for the NEVER Openweight Championship, before Umino declared himself as the "new ace" of the new generation. The following day, NJPW announced the title match.
Also on January 23, El Desperado successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Afterwards, in a post-match interview, his House of Torture stablemate Sho, attacked Desperado, before stealing his title belt and challenging him to a title match. The following day, during a eight-man tag team match, Sho stole Desperado's mask. Later that night, following the match between Narita and Umino, Desperado refused Sho's challenge claiming that a lot of champions were soft on challengers demanding a shot, and instead he would give Sho a singles match to get his stolen mask back. The following day, NJPW announced the match. Shortly after, Desperado stole Sho's torture tool of an iron wrench, and proclaimed that he would return it for his mask. On February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka, Desperado and Umino faced House of Torture in a eight-man tag team match, which they lost. Afterwards, Sho stole IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and demanded a title match at The New Beginning in Sapporo, which he accepted. Meanwhile, EVIL disrespected and tarnished the NEVER Openweight Championship by spray painting the title belt with black ink.
On January 27, during a Stardom event, Mina Shirakawa made a challenge to Mayu Iwatani for the IWGP Women's Championship, with Iwatani accepting, stating that she would later decided when their title match would take place. On February 4, it was announced that Iwatani would face Shirakawa on the first night of The New Begnning in Sapporo. Shirakawa had previously showed interest in challenging for the title during Mercedes Moné‘s reign as champion in early 2023.
The event also featured Kazuchika Okada's last match in NJPW, after he decided to not renew his contract at the end of January, with Okada facing Hiroshi Tanahashi in the last match between them of their long standing rilvary at The New Beginning in Osaka.
Results[]
Night 1[]
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toru Yano and Tomoya defeated Tomoaki Honma and Shoma Kato | Tag team match Frontier Zone |
7:10 |
| 2 | Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Yuji Nagata by submission | Singles match | 7:56 |
| 3 | House of Torture (Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi and Oleg Boltin | Six-man tag team match | 7:15 |
| 4 | CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Yoshi-Hashi and Yoh) defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira and Callum Newman) | Ten-man tag team match | 10:55 |
| 5 | Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI) defeated Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI and Taka Michinoku) | Ten-man tag team match | 10:07 |
| 6 | Mayu Iwatani (c) defeated Mina Shirakawa | Singles match for the IWGP Women's Championship | 12:28 |
| 7 | Sho defeated El Desperado (c) by countout | Singles match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Had Sho lost, he would be forced to join Strong Style |
16:13 |
| 8 | EVIL (c) defeated Shota Umino | Singles match for the NEVER Openweight Championship | 15:45 |
| 9 | Matt Riddle defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) | Singles match for the NJPW World Television Championship | 8:53 |
| 10 | Nic Nemeth defeated David Finlay (c) (with Gedo) | Singles match for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship | 23:07 |
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Night 2[]
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomoya and Toru Yano defeated Tomoaki Honma and Katsuya Murashima | Tag team match Frontier Zone |
7:48 |
| 2 | Shota Umino, Togi Makabe, El Desperado, Yoh and Oleg Boltin defeated House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) | Ten-man tag team match | 7:50 |
| 3 | CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi and Toru Yano) defeated Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, HENARE, Francesco Akira and Matt Riddle | Ten-man tag team match | 11:34 |
| 4 | Guerrillas of Destiny (Hikuleo and El Phantasmo) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) | Tag team match with Jado as special guest referee | 14:04 |
| 5 | Nic Nemeth and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay and Gedo) | Tag team match | 7:35 |
| 6 | BUSHI defeated Taka Michinoku | Singles match | 9:13 |
| 7 | DOUKI defeated Hiromu Takahashi | Singles match | 14:45 |
| 8 | Taichi defeated Shingo Takagi | Singles match | 16:28 |
| 9 | Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura | Hair vs. Hair match | 28:20 |
| 10 | Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated SANADA | Singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | 24:05 |
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