The Road To King of Pro-Wrestling tour opened with a championship shake-up at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, where The Knockout Brothers captured the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from The United Empire. OSKAR and Yuto-Ice defeated The Great-O-Khan and HENARE in the main event, giving New Japan Pro-Wrestling a new heavyweight tag team titleholder combination heading toward one of the company’s major upcoming events.

The October 6 event drew an announced crowd of 1,041, and its closing moments did more than establish new champions. Following their victory over Great-O-Khan and HENARE, OSKAR and Yuto-Ice brought Jeff Cobb to the ring. Cobb was revealed as the third member of their side for a scheduled NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match at King of Pro-Wrestling.

The newly formed trio is set to challenge Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan and HENARE for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles later next week. That development immediately raises the stakes for the conflict between The Knockout Brothers and The United Empire. OSKAR and Yuto-Ice have already taken the IWGP heavyweight tag championships away from O-Khan and HENARE, while the six-man championship bout gives the former champions a prompt chance to regain momentum alongside Ospreay.

The Knockout Brothers Take the Top Tag Team Prize

The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match was positioned as the centerpiece of Road To King of Pro-Wrestling Night One, and The Knockout Brothers emerged with the biggest win of the evening. Great-O-Khan and HENARE entered as champions representing The United Empire, but OSKAR and Yuto-Ice left Korakuen Hall carrying the titles.

For more background on this topic, read Gedo and Knock Out Brothers Set for wXw Wrestling Academy Seminar in Germany.

The result makes The Knockout Brothers the new focal point of the heavyweight tag division at a crucial time on the New Japan calendar. A title victory at Korakuen Hall has added significance in any NJPW tour, and the champions will now have to prepare for the fallout from an aggressive United Empire group that has not simply lost its tag belts, but also finds itself immediately scheduled for another title defense involving the same emerging opposition.

For Great-O-Khan and HENARE, the defeat represents a major reversal. The pair will not have an immediate rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships announced from this show, but their involvement in the NEVER Openweight Six-Man title match ensures that the issue with OSKAR and Yuto-Ice is far from settled. Their partnership with Will Ospreay could be especially important, as the six-man champions will be tasked with containing a trio that now includes Cobb.

OSKAR and Yuto-Ice’s post-match decision to unveil Cobb also turned their title win into a broader statement. Rather than celebrating only the heavyweight tag championship victory, The Knockout Brothers made clear they have reinforcements and ambitions extending into another championship division.

Jeff Cobb Revealed as the Third Man

Cobb’s appearance after the main event was the pivotal angle of the night. He joins OSKAR and Yuto-Ice for their NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship challenge against Ospreay, Great-O-Khan and HENARE at King of Pro-Wrestling.

Known as a former WWE Superstar, Cobb brings a powerful and accomplished presence to the challengers’ lineup. His alignment with The Knockout Brothers changes the complexion of the impending title match, giving the new IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions an experienced third man for a bout against an established unit. It also creates a direct collision between Cobb and his former United Empire associates.

The six-man title picture now carries an unusual layer of pressure for The United Empire. O-Khan and HENARE will enter the match after having their IWGP tag title reign ended by two-thirds of the challenger team. Ospreay, meanwhile, joins them in a situation where the group’s NEVER Openweight Six-Man championships are on the line against a side carrying the confidence of a fresh championship victory.

With both sets of teams already tied together through the result at Korakuen Hall, the King of Pro-Wrestling encounter has the potential to determine whether The United Empire can stop the momentum of The Knockout Brothers or whether OSKAR and Yuto-Ice can leave the event connected to another title-changing result.

Road To King of Pro-Wrestling Night One Results

The card featured a mix of established factions, tournament-level talent and younger wrestlers as NJPW continued to build toward King of Pro-Wrestling. House of Torture picked up two victories on the show, while TMDK and The Unbound Co. were also successful in multi-man action.

  • House of Torture’s SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi, DOUKI, SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Yuya Uemura, Boltin Oleg, Taichi, El Desperado and Taisei Nakahara.
  • Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori of The Unbound Co. defeated YOH and Tatsuya Matsumoto.
  • Ren Narita, Shun Skywalker and Dick Togo of House of Torture defeated Shota Umino, Toru Yano and Master Wato.
  • Jeff Cobb and Daiki Nagai of The Unbound Co. defeated Callum Newman and Zane Jay of The United Empire.
  • Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr. and Robbie Eagles of TMDK defeated Aaron Wolf, Hechicero and Masatora Yasuda.
  • Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi of The Unbound Co. defeated Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson of TMDK.
  • The Knockout Brothers, OSKAR and Yuto-Ice, defeated The Great-O-Khan and HENARE of The United Empire to win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.

House of Torture and TMDK Build Momentum

House of Torture was prominently featured on the opening night of the tour. SANADA, Takahashi, DOUKI, SHO and Kanemaru defeated the team of Uemura, Oleg, Taichi, Desperado and Nakahara in the opening multi-man contest. Later, Narita, Skywalker and Togo defeated Umino, Yano and Wato.

The first House of Torture match also included a noteworthy development involving Taichi and Kanemaru. Taichi wants Kanemaru to be Naomichi Marufuji’s partner later this month. The situation adds another point of interest to Taichi’s ongoing interaction with Kanemaru, particularly given Kanemaru’s House of Torture affiliation.

TMDK secured a victory in its six-man bout as Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr. and Eagles defeated Wolf, Hechicero and Yasuda. The win continues a productive night for the group, even though another TMDK pairing, Oiwa and Jackson, fell to Tsuji and Takagi later on the card.

The Unbound Co. also had a successful evening in several forms. Robbie X and Ishimori defeated YOH and Matsumoto, while Cobb and Nagai beat Newman and Jay. Tsuji and Takagi added another win for the group by overcoming Oiwa and Jackson. Cobb’s later appearance alongside The Knockout Brothers gave the group’s presence on the show an even larger impact than the results alone suggested.

What Comes Next at King of Pro-Wrestling

The central consequence of Road To King of Pro-Wrestling Night One is clear: The Knockout Brothers now hold the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, and their confrontation with The United Empire will continue on a bigger stage. OSKAR and Yuto-Ice have moved from challengers to champions, but their next major assignment will see them stand beside Cobb against Ospreay, Great-O-Khan and HENARE for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles.

That bout gives O-Khan and HENARE a rapid opportunity to respond after the heavyweight tag title loss. At the same time, it presents The Knockout Brothers with a chance to prove that their Korakuen Hall breakthrough was not an isolated result. A victory in the six-man championship match would further establish their alliance with Cobb and leave The United Empire facing a much deeper setback.

Road To King of Pro-Wrestling Night One therefore delivered both a title change and a new high-profile alliance. With the heavyweight tag division altered and the NEVER Openweight Six-Man titles now connected to the same rivalry, the road to King of Pro-Wrestling has begun with The Knockout Brothers firmly at its center.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.