On New Year’s Day 2026, Tetsuya Naito captured gold in his surprise return to Japanese wrestling.
Los Tranquilos de Japon (Naito & BUSHI) defeated Naomichi Marufuji & Kenoh at NOAH The New Year to become the new GHC Tag Team Champions. For both Naito & BUSHI, it was their first match in Japan since departing NJPW in May 2025. The two had been working international indie dates since then with stops in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The Tag Team title match was billed as Marufuji & Kenoh defending against BUSHI and a mystery partner. After teasing that Los Tranquilos de Japon trainee RYUSEI would be in the match, it was revealed that Naito himself was actually the partner.
Naito — one of NJPW’s most popular wrestlers of this era — departed the company in May after the two sides did not come to terms on a new contract. He was the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon while with the promotion.
NJPW star Hiromu Takahashi was also in action at NOAH The New Year, losing the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship to AMAKUSA. Takahashi met up with his former LIJ stablemates backstage:
In their post-match comments, Naito & BUSHI did not reveal what’s next for them in NOAH. One team that could potentially challenge for their belts is The Good Brothers. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows defeated Kaito Kiyomiya & Jack Morris at NOAH The New Year and then mentioned wanting to go after the GHC titles.
Los Tranquilos de Japon will not be making their scheduled indie appearance in Germany this weekend.
Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI were supposed to compete for wXw in Limbach-Oberfrohna this Saturday (November 15) on the promotion’s 25th anniversary tour. But wXw announced that, on short notice, Naito & BUSHI have had to cancel their appearance. Those who purchased meet and greets with Naito & BUSHI will have that money refunded, and wXw said the promotion still plans on giving fans a great show.
wXw’s statement regarding the cancellation said the deal for Naito & BUSHI to work the event was identical to the one they made when Los Traquilos de Japon wrestled for the promotion back in September. There were also plans for further collaborations between wXw and Naito & BUSHI, though the statement does not say if those will still be going ahead.
In their own statement, Naito & BUSHI apologized for the cancellation and said it was due to unavoidable circumstances.
“We deeply regret that due to certain unfortunate circumstances, we have decided to cancel our appearance,” Los Tranquilos de Japon wrote. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern this has caused to all parties involved.”
Naito & BUSHI have competed in a limited number of dates globally since departing NJPW in May. They were part of Los Ingobernables de Japon in NJPW, with Naito being one of the top stars in the company. He and BUSHI have now rebranded to using Los Tranquilos de Japon as their team name. The two had been hoping to work a United States tour earlier this year, but that could not happen because of issues obtaining a work visa.
Following their NJPW departures, former Los Ingobernables de Japon members Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI are adopting a new tag team name.
Naito made a blog post earlier this week saying that, because they do not own the rights to it, he and BUSHI will not be able to use the LIJ name in their post-NJPW careers. The duo revealed today that they will instead be going by “Los Tranquilos de Japon.”
Both Naito and BUSHI shared the new logo for their team today.
“Tranquilo” is a Spanish word that roughly translates to “calm down” or “don’t worry.” It’s a catchphrase Naito adopted after time in Mexico competing for CMLL.
Naito — one of NJPW’s top stars of this era — finished up with the promotion last month after the two sides did not come to terms on a new contract. With Naito leaving, BUSHI also departed NJPW at his own request.
Los Ingobernables de Japon no longer exists as a faction despite the other members remaining with NJPW.
NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi has issued a statement to fans addressing the news that Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI are departing the promotion.
It was announced overnight Wednesday that, after conversations regarding Naito’s wrestling future, he and NJPW mutually decided not to renew his contract with the company. NJPW wished Naito success and said he is leaving under the best possible terms.
Along with that, BUSHI — a stablemate of Naito’s in Los Ingobernables de Japon — is departing NJPW as well. NJPW announced that BUSHI’s departure comes at his own request and after careful consultation. Both he and Naito will make their scheduled appearances through May 4.
“I am sorry to deliver the news that surprised and saddened everyone today,” Tanahashi said in his message to fans. “I spoke with Naito yesterday. I told him that I wanted Naito, who loves New Japan, to stay in New Japan until the end, but his will was firm and I could not change it. He will be leaving the organization in a way that respects his wishes. Please support Naito and BUSHI for the rest of [their] career.”
The 42-year-old Naito has been working with NJPW as a freelancer since his contract expired earlier this year. Tokyo Sports reports that he officially requested to leave NJPW on April 3. Negotiations for NJPW to retain Naito continued until this week.
One of the most popular wrestlers in NJPW, Naito is a five-time IWGP Champion and three-time G1 winner. His in-ring work has been hampered by accumulating injuries including knee and eye issues.
An eight-man tag match is set for NJPW Wrestling Dontaku night two on May 4 with Naito, BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi facing Shota Umino, Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku.
One of NJPW’s biggest stars is leaving the promotion.
NJPW announced Wednesday morning that they were unable to come to terms with Naito on a contract extension. He will continue to make appearances for the company through May 4, when the Wrestling Dontaku tour ends in Fukuoka.
“In recent weeks, conversations have been ongoing between New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Tetsuya Naito regarding Naito’s future wrestling activities. As a result of those conversations, both parties have mutually agreed not to renew Naito’s contract with NJPW,” the company’s website said in a statement. “Both parties have arrived at this decision after careful consideration and lengthy conversation. Naito’s contract ends on the best possible terms with NJPW, which joins fans in wishing Naito’s further success in any and all future endeavours.”
NJPW additionally announced that another Los Ingobernables de Japon star, BUSHI, would be finishing up with the company on May 4. He had been part of the promotion since 2012.
Naito started wrestling for NJPW in 2005 as a young lion. By 2014, he had reached main event status. At first, fans rejected Naito in the role, infamously voting him out of the Wrestle Kingdom 8 main event. But one year later, he started to gain steam after returning from a CMLL tour and forming the Los Ingobernables de Japon stable. He would go on to hold the IWGP World Championship twice, the IWGP Heavyweight title three times, and the IWGP Intercontinental title six times. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2022.
In a showcase match for both Impact Wrestling’s X-Division and NJPW’s junior heavyweights, a seven-way scramble will take place at next Sunday’s Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2.
The pay-per-view is set for Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on August 20th.
The participants include former Impact X-Division Champions Chris Sabin, Frankie Kazarian and Rich Swann in addition to Kevin Knight, BUSHI, Mao, and El Desperado.
That was the only new addition to the card announced Thursday. Deonna Purrazzo is expected to wrestle on the show against a Stardom talent as she recently called out the company to send their best to Philadelphia.
This is the second such co-promoted Impact/NJPW event.
Here’s the current card:
X-Division Champion Lio Rush & Trey Miguel vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Mike Bailey
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Hiroshi Tanahashi
DOUKI vs. Sami Callihan
NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste vs. Moose & Eddie Edwards
Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Rich Swann vs. Kevin Knight vs. BUSHI vs. Mao vs. El Desperado in a seven-way scramble
New champions were crowned at NJPW Dominion on Sunday.
Francesco Akira and TJP regained the IWGP Junior Tag Team titles from KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight. Akira scored the win for his team, pinning Knight after both he and TJP connected with running knees. This is their second reign with the titles.
Later in the show, Bishimon (YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto) won the IWGP Tag Team and New Japan Strong Tag Team titles, defeating Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL and Aaron Henare & The Great-O-Khan after hitting their powerbomb/GTR combo on Takahashi. Bishimon won the vacant titles after Aussie Open were forced to vacate the titles last month due to Mark Davis suffering an injury.
After the match, Alex Coughlin and Gabriel Kidd came out wearing Bullet Club t-shirts, revealing they had joined the group. They attacked Bishimon, making it clear they were next in line for a title match.
Elsewhere on the card, SANADA retained the IWGP World Heavyweight title against Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi retained the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Master Wato, Zack Sabre Jr. retained the New Japan World Television title over Jeff Cobb, David Finlay retained the NEVER title over El Phantasmo, and the team of Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tomohiro Ishii retained the NEVER Six-Man Tag Team titles against Shota Umino, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli.
This was a 2022 Bullet Club C-Team match; there wasn’t much to it.
After a ton of Bullet Club tomfoolery, an Owens package piledriver and ELP Thunder Kiss ‘86 led to the pinfall over Honma.
After the match, there was some bickering about ELP’s continued lack of confidence to deliver the superkick, but everything was pushed under the rug after a group “Too Sweet.”
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato defeated House of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)
Much like the last match, this was a reasonably typical House of Torture match. Tanahashi was able to elevate the match beyond the low bar set by the rest of the House of Torture catalog, but there’s only so much even he can do.
After a lot of chicanery from House of Torture, Yujiro looked to close the match with Big Juice. but Tanahashi reversed his finish attempt by pushing Yujiro nearly into the referee. Then, with the referee’s back turned, Tanahashi hit a low blow and rolled up Yujiro to score the win.
The babyface trio did score a pinfall win over the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions, which could lead to a title shot in the future.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, SANADA & Hiromu Takahashi) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOH)
Keeping with today’s theme, this was a by-the-book showcase tag with everyone having a bit of time with their divisional rivals/upcoming opponents.
YOH tried closing the match with multiple roll-up attempts, only for SANADA to catch him in Skull End, leading to the submission and LIJ victory.
After the match, Ishii and Shingo fought outside the ring, forcing their faction mates to restore order ahead of their New Japan Cup match.
United Empire (Jeff Cobb & The Great-O-Khan) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori)
This was a back-and-forth affair with some, but not an overabundance, of cheating.
O-Khan seemingly had the match in his grasp, but a distracted referee let Ishimori land a low blow. Fale followed up with the Grenade leading to the pin.
New Japan Cup first-round match: Aaron Henare defeated Yuto Nakashima
This match was good, and Nakashima truly shined.
This match opened with light striking, leading to a Nakashima takedown attempt. Henare sprawled but couldn’t maintain control. Nakashima moved to side control, but Henare bucked him off, standing the match back up. Henare tried to take control with strikes and a headlock, but again, Nakashima won out in these exchanges.
Nakashima landed a big shoulder tackle that upset Henare more than hurt him. Henare dropped Nakashima with one of his own before throwing him to the floor. Outside the ring, Henare slammed Nakashima into the barricades before rolling him back in the ropes. In the ring, the beatdown continued with heavy strikes from Henare.
Nakashima began to fight back into the match with a shoulder tackle and some light offense. When the Young Lion tried for a Boston Crab, Henare blocked the move. Thinking on his feet, Nakashima transitioned into a leg lock, forcing the rope break.
Nakashima’s momentum came to an end after losing in an intense strike exchange. Henare followed up with a rampage tackle that ended this match.
Henare moves on to face SANADA in round two.
New Japan Cup first-round match: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Ryohei Oiwa
Again, I really liked this match. Oiwa came off a little arrogant, but that’s not a bad thing. The pair meshed well, and the match had a nice flow. Good stuff.
Oiwa gained an early lead with quick answers to ZSJ. ZSJ played it cool, rolling to the outside. After ZSJ returned to the ring, Oiwa tried taking the match to the mat. ZSJ, unsurprisingly, took over on the ground. ZSJ took his time, pulling and contorting in convincing fashion. Oiwa tried using his amateur background to compete with ZSJ’s mat work, but he was outclassed.
Oiwa’s rally began with a spinebuster after ZSJ allowed him to stand. A dropkick, tackle, and gutwrench suplex left Oiwa with a two count on ZSJ. His comeback ended as soon as he tried for a Boston Crab. ZSJ took over the match again, almost forcing the submission with a headscissors. A similar exchange played out a couple of times, with each attempt at the Boston Crab leaving Oiwa a little closer.
Try as he might, Oiwa wasn’t ready for ZSJ tonight. Then, after surpassing the 10-minute mark, ZSJ locked in a toe hold that led to the tap out.
ZSJ moves on to face fellow Suzuki-gun faction mate DOUKI in round two.
New Japan Cup first-round match: Will Ospreay defeated BUSHI
What an utterly bizarre match. I have no clue why this match used four referees, as their being down had nothing to do with the rest of the bout. I feel like I must have missed something. This was actively bad structurally, and everything else was pretty mundane.
BUSHI landed a big dropkick that sent Ospreay to the floor just as the bell rang. BUSHI followed up with a tope and some barricade slams but couldn’t maintain his hot start back inside the ring. A chop from Ospreay sent BUSHI crashing to the floor, letting Ospreay take control for the first time.
Ospreay slowed the match down significantly, playing into a heavyweight heel role. BUSHI continued to fight, landing a big dropkick and rana to the floor, but Ospreay wasn’t on the back foot for long. Ospreay tried to bring the match to an early end with the OsCutter, but BUSHI pulled the referee into Ospreay’s path. After the official ate Ospreay’s finish, another referee came to the ring. He too ate a move, this time a BUSHI dropkick. With two referees down, a third came to the ring only to take a faceful of BUSHI mist and an Ospreay head kick.
As the fourth referee found his way to the warzone, Ospreay tried for the OsCutter two more times, hitting it on the third attempt. BUSHI kicked out. A powerbomb led to another Ospreay near fall. It was a Hidden Blade from Ospreay that brought this strange match to its actual end.
Ospreay moves on to face El Phantasmo in round two, a very likely win for the British Heavyweight Champion.
The 28th NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament continued today in Shizuoka.
El Desperado faced BUSHI in the main event, and Hiromu Takahashi took on Master Wato in the semi-main.
The other tournament action was comprised of Robbie Eagles vs. SHO, El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, YOH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, plus Taiji Ishimori vs. DOUKI.
Young Lions Yuto Nakashima and Ryohei Oiwa faced off in the non-tournament opener.
Here are today’s results:
Yuto Nakashima drew with Ryohei Oiwa (10:00)
The Young Lions went to a time limit draw.
Best of the Super Juniors: Taiji Ishimori defeated DOUKI (10:23)
Ishimori used the Bone Lock to pick up the submission win.
Best of the Super Juniors: YOH defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (12:11)
YOH got the pin with the Five Star Clutch.
Best of the Super Juniors: El Phantasmo defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (15:12)
This was a comedy master class. ELP won by submission with a wrist lock after hitting a low blow.
Best of the Super Juniors: Robbie Eagles defeated SHO (14:06)
Eagles used the Ron Miller Special to get the submission victory.
Best of the Super Juniors: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Master Wato (16:30)
Hiromu got the pin after hitting Time Bomb II.
Best of the Super Juniors: El Desperado defeated BUSHI (21:08)
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion won by pinfall after hitting Pinche Loco.
The 28th NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament continued today in Korakuen Hall.
Hiromu Takahashi faced BUSHI in the main event, while tag partners Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo battled in the semi-main.
The other tournament action was comprised of El Desperado vs. DOUKI, SHO vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Robbie Eagles vs. YOH, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Master Wato.
Kosei Fujita and Ryohei Oiwa faced off in the non-tournament opener.
Here are today’s results:
Kosei Fujita drew with Ryohei Oiwa (10:00)
The Young Lions went to a time limit draw.
Best of the Super Juniors: Master Wato defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (12:09)
Wato won by pinfall with the RPP.
Best of the Super Juniors: YOH defeated Robbie Eagles (13:48)
YOH got his first win of the tournament with the Five Star Clutch.
Best of the Super Juniors: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated SHO (8:08)
Kanemaru stole a win with a rollup and continues his improbably great tournament.
Best of the Super Juniors: El Desperado defeated DOUKI (15:08)
Desperado won by submission with Numero Dos.
Best of the Super Juniors: El Phantasmo defeated Taiji Ishimori (15:53)
ELP caught Ishimori in a cradle to steal the victory.
Best of the Super Juniors: Hiromu Takahashi defeated BUSHI (21:16)
After testing positive for COVID-19, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI have been medically cleared to appear at NJPW’s Wrestle Grand Slam.
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo will return at NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Sunday, according to Tokyo Sports. BUSHI’s return has been announced for a tag team match on night one on Saturday.
Shingo and BUSHI were pulled from a Summer Struggle show on August 15 after presenting with fevers. Both would undergo PCR tests. NJPW announced on August 18 that both had tested positive for COVID-19. They missed the rest of the Summer Struggle tour.
Six wrestlers who were identified as close contacts with Shingo and BUSHI worked the show on August 15, but were then pulled from the remainder of the tour. The six close contacts were Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Gedo, Dick Togo and Yujiro Takahashi.
Of those wrestlers, EVIL, Tetsuya Naito and SANADA are all still listed for the Sunday Wrestle Grand Slam show, although no specific announcement has been made regarding their status.
Here are the lineups for both nights at MetLife Dome:
NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome night one, Saturday, September 4, 4 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP United States Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
Provisional KOPW 2021 No DQ, I Quit match: Chase Owens (c) vs. Toru Yano
SHO vs. YOH
Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Pre-show: STARDOM exhibition match TBA
NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome night two, Sunday, September 5, 2 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. EVIL
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Robbie Eagles (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (c) vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
NJPW confirmed this evening that Shingo Takagi and BUSHI have both tested positive for COVID-19.
The company further said that their conditions are not becoming worse and are undergoing the appropriate treatment.
“Two wrestlers, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI, who presented with a fever and missed their match on the day of the August 15 event were immediately tested in accordance with COVID protocols, with the tests returning positive,” New Japan’s statement reads. “Their fevers went down and their conditions are not becoming worse. According to protocols and under medical advice, they are isolating and receiving appropriate treatment.”
Takagi and BUSHI were removed from the Summer Struggle tour on Sunday after both were suffering from high fevers. In the days since, six other wrestlers have been removed from the Summer Struggle tour due to COVID-19 contact tracing: Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo, and Dick Togo. Takagi, the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, is set to defend the title against EVIL at Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on September 5.
Stardom, who is under the same parent company as NJPW, has canceled several shows in the last two weeks due to COVID-19 contact tracing that led to some in their roster having to quarantine.
NJPW has pulled IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi and BUSHI from today’s Summer Struggle event due to both having a fever.
NJPW announced that the two would be undergoing PCR tests and would be absent from the show. They were scheduled to take part in an eight-man tag main event on the untelevised event in Shizuoka.
Shingo and BUSHI are currently also scheduled to take part in eight-man tags at Monday and Tuesday’s Summer Struggle events in Korakuen Hall. No announcement has been made regarding their status for those shows.
Both appeared on Saturday’s untelevised show in Nagano. They teamed with Tetsuya Naito and SANADA in the main event, defeating EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo and Dick Togo.
Shingo is still currently scheduled to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against EVIL in the main event of night two of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome in Saitama on Sunday, September 5.
The NJPW Summer Struggle tour continued today in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The only notable angle on the show came after Kazuchika Okada was victorious in a six-man tag. His Tokyo Dome opponent from this past Sunday, Jeff Cobb, appeared and laid Okada out with his Tour of the Islands finisher. That program will likely continue until the September 4 and September 5 Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome events.
After EVIL and Dick Togo attacked IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome, Shingo teamed with BUSHI to face EVIL and Togo in today’s main event.
Shingo will defend the IWGP World title against EVIL in the main event of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Sunday, September 5.
After two days off, NJPW returns Friday, Saturday and Sunday with three shows. All of the events will also be held at Korakuen Hall and will begin at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.
NJPW’s Road to Dominion tour continued today with a show in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships were on the line in the main event as Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI of CHAOS defended against Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI of Los Ingobernables de Japon.
Below are results and a report on today’s show.
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Recommended matches —
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan vs. Kota Ibushi & Master Wato (at least the post-match angle)
This was a fun opener. Lots of action and everyone worked hard.
EVIL and Uemura started off. Uemura out-wrestled EVIL, then tagged Honma. Honma tagged in and was cut off right away. EVIL hit a senton. Owens tagged in to continue the attack. Honma hit a back elbow and tagged Tsuji.
Tsuji hit Owens with a senton. He went for a splash, but Owens got his knees up. While the other six guys brawled on the floor, Owens worked on Tsuji in the ring. Tsuji got tossed outside and hit with a Togo right hand.
ELP tagged in for some break dancing and comedy offense. Ishimori tagged in and continued with back rakes on Tsuji. Owens tagged in. He hit a pump kick. Tsuji came back with a suplex, then tagged Tanahashi.
Tana hit a jumping forearm to Owens, cleared the Bullet Club apron, then hit a baseball slide to Togo. Tana hit Owens with a dragon screw. He went for his Texas Clover Hold. He got it applied. ELP tried to break it up, but Honma intercepted him. EVIL jumped in to break it up.
Owens blocked a slingblade attempt and hit a jewel heist. Ishimori got a tag. Tana blocked a handspring kick and hit twist and shout.
Uemura tagged in and hit a running forearm and a back suplex for two. He went for an overhook suplex, but ELP jumped in to break it up. Uemura avoided an airplane spin neckbreaker. He went for a crab, but Ishimori blocked.
Ishimori then connected with the Bloody Cross for the pin.
This was good. I expect YOH and Desperado to have a great match on Monday. Desperado really upped his game at the end of 2020 and has been very good this year.
YOH and Desperado began with a striking battle. Suzuki-gun turned it into a ringside brawl and cut SHO off. It was his role again tonight to sell most of the way. He came back with a spear to Kanemaru and Taguchi got a hot tag.
Taguchi ran wild with hip attacks. He used three amigos to set up an ankle lock. Taguchi gave up the hold and went for Dodon, but Kanemaru blocked. Taguchi hit a hip attack, then missed a bumaye.
YOH and Desperado tagged back in. YOH hit a flying forearm, then used a neckbreaker for a two count. Desperado blocked Direct Drive with a hair pull. YOH hit a jumping knee. Desperado countered with a spinebuster, then tagged DOUKI.
DOUKI, Kanemaru and Desperado tripled up on YOH. DOUKI hit a springboard double stomp for a near fall. He used a triangle, but SHO saved. Kanemaru took out SHO. Taguchi took out Kanemaru. Desperado took Taguchi out with a spear. YOH hit a dropkick to Desperado.
YOH blocked DOUKI’s Suplex de la Luna, then used the Stargazer calf killer for the submission.
YOH and Desperado faced off after the match. Desperado pie-faced YOH, but there was no physicality in the angle besides that.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki defeated Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Gedo (2:24)
They couldn’t top their effort last night, so they didn’t even try.
Bullet Club jumped Suzuki-gun in the ring before Taichi’s song had finished playing. They fought around the ring on the outside. Sabre was briefly cut off in the ring.
Tonga and Loa went for a Magic Killer on Sabre. Suzuki and Taichi saved. Sabre used a neck crank and a Clarky Cat to quickly submit Gedo.
***** Intermission *****
Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan defeated Kota Ibushi & Master Wato (9:07)
O-Khan tried a sneak attack before the bell. Ibushi fought it off and landed a flying mid kick. Wato tagged in, but O-Khan came back on him with an elbow and Mongolian chops. O-Khan and Cobb traded tags and continued beating down Master Wato.
Wato managed a dropkick and a reverse bulldog. Cobb and Ibushi got tags for a crazy sequence. Ibushi blocked a pop-up powerslam with a hurricanrana. Cobb did some of his impressive power spots and landed a deadlift throw out of the corner. Cobb landed another huge slam and tagged out. That spot was ugly.
O-Khan tied Ibushi to the tree of woe. He missed a basement dropkick. Ibushi popped up to the top rope and hit a double stomp. Wato tagged in and hit O-Khan with a springboard uppercut forearm and a dreamcast for a near fall.
Wato used a rolling heel hook, but Cobb broke it up. Cobb just started throwing Wato and Ibushi around. Cobb used a spinebuster on Wato.
O-Khan used the iron claw to set up the Eliminator on Wato for the pin.
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Ibushi and Cobb had a wild brawl after the match. Tsuji and Uemura jumped in to try to pull them apart. Just when you thought it was over, one of them would break free and the brawl would start all over again. They fought in the ring, then all around the arena.
This was intense and awesome, a great angle.
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NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI to retain the titles (31:15)
This was an excellent six-man. The first ten minutes were slow, but they had to go quite a long time and that’s to be expected.
Goto pinned SANADA in a tag yesterday, so those two began here. SANADA broke cleanly off the opening lock-up. They briefly grappled to a stalemate.
Naito tagged in and demanded Ishii. Ishii tagged in, then Naito immediately tagged out to BUSHI. Ishii tried to go after Naito on the apron. As soon as Ishii turned his back, Naito jumped him. LIJ tried a 3-on-1 attack, but Goto and YH saved. CHAOS then went 3-on-1 against BUSHI.
BUSHI found himself isolated in the CHAOS half of the ring. YH tagged in for some chops. Goto tagged in and the pace slowed. YH tagged back in for a vertical suplex. They were pacing themselves to go a long time.
Naito grabbed YH from the apron and turned the tide in LIJ’s favor. A brawl broke out on the arena floor between Ishii and Naito. Naito used a kravate over the barricade. YH was then isolated in LIJ’s half of the ring. Ishii and Goto tried to make saves, but Naito and SANADA sent them to the outside.
YH came back with a headhunter to Naito. Ishii got a tag and beat up all three members of LIJ on his own. Naito was the legal man. Ishii hit a back suplex for a near fall. Naito and Ishii had a crazy striking battle in the middle of the ring. Ishii got the better of the strikes. Naito hit a back elbow and sliding dropkick at the 15 minute call.
SANADA tagged in for a cool sequence with Ishii. Ishii worked for a German suplex. SANADA avoided it once. Ishii got it on the second attempt. Goto tagged in and dispatched an interfering BUSHI, then hit a wheel kick in the corner on SANADA for a two count.
Goto teased an ushigoroshi, but SANADA blocked. SANADA took his corner flip bump and hit Goto with an atomic drop. SANADA put Goto in the paradise lock, then broke it with a dropkick. BUSHI and SANADA cleared the CHAOS apron. Goto avoided a TKO and grabbed a sleeper hold. Goto used the sleeper to set up the rolling cradle he won with yesterday, but SANADA kicked out.
Goto and YH doubled SANADA up and used the finish from yesterday for a near fall, with Naito making the save for SANADA. SANADA kicked at Goto’s spine. SANADA tried an O’Connor roll, but Goto blocked with a kick to the spine. SANADA hit a TKO into a double down.
YH and BUSHI got tags. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick and a tope suicida. All six guys were down and out on the floor just past the 20 minute mark.
Back inside, BUSHI used a DDT for a two count. CHAOS went 3-on-1 against BUSHI. Naito saved BUSHI from a headhunter. Naito hit Ishii with a dropkick off a BUSHI sunset flip. LIJ went 3-on-1 against YH. BUSHI hit a swinging neckbreaker for a two count.
BUSHI missed an MX. Everyone jumped in and hit each other with a big move. Goto hit BUSHI with an ushigoroshi. YH hit a meteora for a two count.
YH locked BUSHI in the Butterfly Lock at the 25 minute call. YH rolled through and hit a sit-out powerbomb for a two count. BUSHI blocked Kharma and rolled YH up for two.
Ishii and Naito jumped in and teased their finishers on each other. Naito blocked a brainbuster with a DDT. Ishii no-sold it. Naito hit a flying forearm. BUSHI hit YH with a codebreaker and an MX. Goto jumped in to break it up. SANADA hit a plancha to Goto.
BUSHI tried the MX again, but jumped off the ropes into a YH lariat. BUSHI went for a tag to SANADA, but Goto pulled SANADA off the apron. Ishii and Goto went for stereo ushigoroshis on Naito and SANADA, but they blocked. BUSHI used the BUSHI roll on YH for a super near fall. BUSHI and YH traded kicks. YH hit a lariat for a near fall at 30 minutes in.
YH went for Kharma. BUSHI tried to turn it into a codebreaker, but YH got him in the Butterfly Lock. Naito tried to save, but Ishii caught him in a heel hook. BUSHI verbally submitted or the referee called for the stoppage with the Butterfly Lock still locked in.
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Naito and Ishii stared each other down after the match. The best part of all of this is that it looks like a Naito-Ishii singles match will happen at Dominion if they ever get around to announcing a card.
YOSHI-HASHI cut a quick promo and the champs posed with their titles to close the show.
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Here is the announced lineup for Dominion. More matches will be announced at a later date:
NJPW Dominion, Monday, June 7, 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs. YOH
