Jon Moxley challenges Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship tonight in Chicago.
Naito will put his title on the line in the main event of Windy City Riot at Wintrust Arena.
Nic Nemeth faces Tomohiro Ishii in the semi-main event.
NJPW World TV Champion Matt Riddle will defend his title against the Inaugural TV champ Zack Sabre Jr.
An eight-man tornado tag no DQ match features a team captained by Eddie Kingston against a team captained by Gabe Kidd. The other team members will not be revealed until bell time.
Mustafa Ali makes his NJPW debut facing Hiromu Takahashi.
“Scapegoat” Jack Perry takes on Shota Umino.
El Phantasmo & Hikuleo will defend their NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles in a four-way against Filthy Tom Lawlor & Fred Rosser, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste, and Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs.
Stephanie Vaquer defends the Strong Women’s Championship against AZM.
Minoru Suzuki vs. Ren Narita rounds out the main card.
Matt Vandgriff defeated Zane Jay
This was a 50/50 match built around athletic sequences. Vandagriff won the match with a Styles Clash.
Alex Windsor & Trish Adora defeated Mina Shirakawa & Viva Van
This was a fairly standard Mina-led match while she was in ring. The match was a little more serious when Mina wasn’t legal, but it wasn’t much better. In the end, Windsor pinned Van to win the match.
Ren Narita defeated Minoru Suzuki
Suzuki kicked off the math by rushing Narita, slamming him into barricades, choking him with a cable, and kicking him against the apron. Back in the ring, Suzuki continued the beat down before locking in a sleeper. Once the hold was broken, Suzuki argued with the referee, giving Narita time to land a kick.
Narita went to the floor and grabbed a chair. Suzuki took control of the chair, but the referee fought him for it. This allowed Narita to hit Suzuki with his pushup bar and the Double Cross to win the match.
NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) defeated AZM
This match was great. Everything Vaquer does in the ring looks mean and intentional. She’s amongst the best in the world.
AZM launched into a quick sequence early, but Vaquer responded with a well-timed reversal, kicking off a deliberate stint of control. From here, Vaquer connected with teeth-clinching offense, from headbutts to a nasty dragonscrew.
A kick on the apron allowed AZM to regain some footing. She landed a dropkick before beginning to work the arm. AZM tried for a double stomp but missed, allowing Vaquer to land a backdrop for a match reset.
After a short back and forth, Vaquer locked in a hold, forcing AZM into the ropes. Vaquer then climbed to the top, where AZM reversed momentum with a superplex. This left AZM free to land the double stomp from the top for a convincing nearfall.
It didn’t take long for momentum to swing back into Vaquer’s favor. AZM tried to rally again, but Vaquer cut her off with a back breaker to win the match.
After the match, Alex Windsor met Vaquer in the ring to challenge her for the Strong title. Vaquer accepted, setting the match for Resurgence,
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship: TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) defeated Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c), Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor, and The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
This match began with all four teams trading spots in the ring. The West Coast Wrecking Crew were the first team to gain a lead in the ring, but Lawlor tagged in to stunt their momentum. This only led to the Wrecking Crew to tagging back in with particular attention paid to Rosser.
Hikuleo turned the match around for GoD. After a double chokeslam to Rosser and Lawlor, the Wrecking Crew hit the ring to challenge Hikuleo. They hit ELP with their finish, only for Lawlor to break up the pin. This led to a full-fledged scramble occupying everyone’s attention. In the chaos, Nichols was able to hit the ring and secure a quick pin to win the match.
For the first time, TMDK hold tag belts in New Japan.
After the match, The West Coast Wrecking Crew attacked Rosser and Lawlor. After dropping Lawlor with a piledriver, they held him down and cut his hair. They then fed Lawlor’s hair clippings to Rosser.
This post-match beatdown was by far the most compelling part of this match.
Shota Umino defeated Jack Perry
Before the match could begin, chants of “CM Punk” echoed through the arena. Guards armed with body armor, shields, and batons surrounded the ring ahead of Perry’s entrance. Perry received a mixed reaction during his entrance, even with a Chicago flag draped around his body.
I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this. Perry felt like a star tonight. Say what you will about this situation, but Perry is making the absolute most of it.
The match started with Perry soaking up the crowd’s reaction, both in and out of the ring. Once the actual action began, Umino established a lead in the ring, but Perry answered with a rake to the eyes. The crowd launched into dueling chants of “You got choked out” and “No, he didn’t,” prompting Perry to use a choke of his own.
Umino fired back with a DDT on the apron to end Perry’s early lead. A by-the-book offensive sequence followed.
Perry reversed Umino’s momentum with a hangman’s DDT to the floor and a tiger driver for a nearfall. He then utilized basic strikes to maintain his lead against a loopy Umino.
After Perry spit in Umino’s face, a strike battle ensued. Umino won out with a dropkick. Umino launched into another rally, but he failed to land deathrider.
Perry landed a poison rana and an unprettier for a nearfall. He then landed a glass-jaw knee strike for another. After Umino kicked out, Perry hit a Punk-style knee in the corner. Perry followed up by attempting the GTS, but Umino reversed into a DDT.
With Perry grounded, Umino hit an elbow strike. This allowed Umino to close with Death Ridder.
After the match, Perry offered Umino a handshake, which Umino accepted.
Mustafa Ali defeated Hiromu Takahashi
The match opened with quick pin attempts, leaving both men on equal footing. Hiromu then went into the corner, clutching his stomach, before tagging out to his stuffed cat, Darrel. Ali engaged with the cat, prompting Hirmou to hit the ring again. This distraction was enough for Hiromu to take control.
On the floor, a chase ensued. Ali took advantage, landing a DDT to the floor to take the lead. Back in the ring, Ali found a significant offensive success. Instead of taking full advantage, Ali taunted Darrel, allowing Hiromu to reverse momentum.
Hirmou landed a dropkick that sent Ali crashing into the barricade. This led to a rally in the ring, which lasted for quite a while. Hiromu placed Ali on the top rope, where a strike sent him flying, but Ali landed on his feet.
Ali responded with a dive, but Hiromu held on, sending Ali crashing into the corner in the ring. Hiromu then hoisted Ali back to the top, but Ali reversed again, landing a sunset flip and a 450 splash to win the match.
After the match, a bloody Ali shook hands with Darrel.
Gabe Kidd, KENTA, Clark Conners, & David Finlay (BULLET CLUB/Team Kidd) defeated Eddie Kingston, TJP, Jeff Cobb, & Homicide (Team Kingston)
The fight kicked off with a brawl in the aisleway. It didn’t take long for weapons to become involved, from a barbed wire-wrapped chair to a ring bell.
The first pairing to find the ring was Connors and Kingston, but this lasted only moments. Finlay and TJP hit the ring next for a short sequence before United Empire set up a table.
The match worked its way back to the floor, where everyone traded strikes with more furniture. TJP used the deck of a skateboard on the back of KENTA while the rest of the wrestlers continued to brawl on the floor.
A highlight of the fighting on the floor was Kidd and Homicide. They eventually worked their way to the ring where Kidd beat down everyone with a ladder. Cobb cut Kidd off with a suplex, but Connors answered with a spear. TJP cut off Connors with a face full of mist before driving barbed wire into his forehead.
Homicide drove a fork into the head of Connors before KENTA made the save. KENTA hit TJP with a G2S but Cobb prevented him from making the pin. Finlay hit the ring next, where he drove Cobb into a barbed wire chair. Kingston cleared Finlay from the ring with a kendo stick, leaving the ring cleared for the highlight confrontation of the match.
Kidd met Kingston in the middle of the ring for a strike exchange. Kingston won out before suplexing Kidd through a table. Kingston then grabbed a hadfull of barbed wire, but Bullet Club made the save.
Bullet Club wrapped a chain around Kingston, setting up for something diabolical. Homicide tried to make the save, but Finlay cut him off with a shillelagh strike. Kidd then hit Homicide with a piledriver to win the match.
After the match, Kingston initiated another brawl. Both teams continued to fight for quite a while.
Once the teams were separated, Kingston challenged Kidd to a no-ropes, last-man-standing match for Resurgence.
NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Matt Riddle (c)
This match was awesome. It was filled with great sequences that made the fifteen minutes fly by.
This match opened with a fierce scramble on the mat. Riddle was outclassed on the mat, forcing him to use his strength to overwhelm ZSJ.
Try as he might, ZSJ repeatedly caught Riddle. ZSJ tortured Riddle, attacking all of his limbs and his exposed toes. This played out multiple times, with ZSJ gaining a little more each time.
Riddle eventually landed a suplex to put ZSJ on the back foot. A powerbomb and knee strike scored Riddle a nearfall. ZSJ was sure to answer with a choke, initiating another mat war.
Riddle tried for a powerbomb, but ZSJ reversed into a Zack Bomber for a nearfall. ZSJ tried to follow up with a penalty kick, but Riddle reversed into a half-crab. Once ZSJ escaped, Riddle hit Floating Bro for a near fall.
With three minutes left on the clock, both men began throwing strikes. Riddle tried for a tombstone, but ZSJ reversed into a Euro-clutch that nearly won him the match. Riddle tried for another knee strike but missed. ZSJ responded by quickly pinning Riddle to win the match.
ZSJ is once again NJPW World TV champion.
As soon as the match was over, Riddle rolled out of the ring and walked to the back with a smile on his face. This almost seemed like the end of his time in New Japan.
After ZSJ addressed the crowd as champion, Jeff Cobb walked to the ring to challenge him for the belt.
Nic Nemeth defeated Tomohiro Ishii
Some basic grappling opened this match. Soon after, both guys turned to striking. Eventually, Ishii leveled Nemeth with a forearm to establish control. Ishii landed a superplex to cement his lead.
Ishii tried for a sleeper, but Nemeth reversed into an Olympic slam. A DDT scored Nemeth a nearfall.
Nemeth tried for a strike, but Ishii caught him and reversed into a powerbomb. Ishii didn’t really follow up. Instead, Nemeth hit a famouser to reset the match.
Ishii landed a huge lariat for another nearfall. A superkick from Nemeth scored him one. Ishii landed Danger Zone on Nemeth, which he followed with a lariat; Nemeth kicked out at one. Nemeth dropped Ishii with a superkick; Ishii kicked out at one.
Late in the match, the pair began trading bombs. After dropping Nemeth with a headbutt, Ishii tried for a pin, but Nemeth kicked out again. Another back-and-forth followed. Nemeth hit the Danger Zone and pinned Ishii to win the match.
IWGP World Heavyweight: Jon Moxley defeated Tetsuya Naito (c)
This was another fantastic match on this card. Even more importantly, this feels like New Japan taking a significant risk for the first time in a long time.
Naito started the match with one of his standard openings, trying to get into Moxley’s head. Moxley responded by taking the fight to the floor, where he drove Naito into the barricades. Back in the ring, Moxley hit a piledriver for a two-count.
Moxley continued to make advances against Naito until Naito created separation with a neckbreaker. This marked the beginning of Naito working the neck, setting up his finish.
It took a DDT to the apron for Moxley to retake the lead. Moxley tried to follow up with a dive, but Naito cut him off with a chair shot. Once Moxley emerged, he was pouring blood.
Moxley landed a lariat to reset the match. A back-and-forth strike exchange followed. Naito won out before locking in a deep sleeper hold.
Naito escaped the choke and attempted Destino. Moxley reversed and landed a Death Rider for a nearfall. Before Moxley could follow up, Naito hit Destino for a nearfall of his own.
Naito tried for another Destino, but Moxley escaped. After a short back and forth, Moxley hit another Death Rider for another nearfall. Moxley hit a lariat and Death Rider to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
After the Match, Moxley cut an emotional promo. He thanked Chicago before calling out Shota Umino, his former protégé.
Before he could finish, Ren Narita attacked Moxley with a pushup bar. Umino hit the ring to make the save.
This was easily the best New Japan show of the year. A fantastic crowd, a handful of great matches, and booking decisions that will be felt for a long time. Fantastic.
