Following last night’s Best of the Super Junior finals, two new matches have seen set for this weekend’s Dominion event on 6/9.
Hiromu Takahashi defeated Taiji Ishimori to become this year’s tournament winner. As expected, he called out Will Ospreay, who came to the ring. Ospreay, after mentioning that he had beaten Takahashi twice before, accepted his challenge.
Meanwhile, Marty Scurll and Yujiro Takahashi jumped Hiroshi Tanahashi after their match which led Jushin Thunder Liger, who was at ringside on commentary, to come in and clear house. Based on commentary, it appears that Tanahashi, Liger and Rey Mysterio will team up to challenge three members of the Bullet Club, with Scurll and Takahashi being likely candidates.
Here is what we have for Dominion so far. The rest of the card is likely to be released in the coming days.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega for the IWGP title in a 2/3 falls match
Tetsuya Naito vs. Chris Jericho for the IWGP Intercontinental title
EVIL and SANADA vs. The Young Bucks for the IWGP tag team titles
Hirooki Goto vs. Michael Elgin vs. Taichi for the NEVER Openweight title
Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Jr. title
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Rey Mysterio and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. The Bullet Club
New Japan hit another milestone this morning by selling out Osaka-jo Hall.
They made the announcement this morning on Twitter. The building holds around 16,000 people, though that does change to around 13,500 for stages set up for boxing/wrestling. It would be the first time New Japan has sold out the arena since moving Dominion from the Bodymaker Colosseum to Osaka-jo Hall for the 2015 Dominion show, which is where the show has been held every year since then. Last year’s Dominion attendance was announced at 11,756.
Dominion usually winds up being one of the strongest cards New Japan puts together all year, feautring a number of high profile title matches. The fourth bout between Kenny Omega and IWGP heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada will headline this year’s show. Unlike last year, the match will not only have no time limit, but will also be a 2 out of 3 falls match.
Dominion at Osaka-jo Hall will take place on June 9.
Coming out of Wrestling Dontaku, four title matches that had been set up for Dominion are now officially confirmed.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega in a two-out-of-three falls, no time limit match will headline the show. Chris Jericho will challenge for Tetsuya Naito’s IWGP Intercontinental title after returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling and attacking Naito at Dontaku. The Young Bucks will challenge for SANADA & EVIL’s IWGP Tag Team titles, and Hirooki Goto will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against Michael Elgin and Taichi in a three-way match.
NJPW also announced that Rey Mysterio is scheduled for Dominion. He was supposed to wrestle in his first match for the promotion at Strong Style Evolved in Long Beach in March, but a bicep injury kept him from facing Jushin Thunder Liger at the show. He did end up making an appearance and set up possible future matches with Liger, Will Ospreay, and Marty Scurll.
Mysterio’s opponent for Dominion has yet to be revealed.
The winner of the Best of the Super Juniors will likely challenge for Ospreay’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Dominion. But if Ospreay wins the tournament, he would be able to select his opponent.
Dominion is NJPW’s biggest show since Wrestle Kingdom and is taking place at Osaka-jo Hall on June 9th.
After reaching twelve successful title defenses, Okada wants to make number thirteen a memorable bout.
Okada challenged Kenny Omega to a match for the IWGP Heavyweight championship at Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall this morning after defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi. He mentioned that the last time they met there, they went to a draw, so he wants to fix that.
Omega accepted the challenge, but wanted the bout to be a 2 out of 3 falls match. Okada agreed, setting the stage for a giant Dominion main event. With their rivalry tied at one win each (and one draw), the upcoming match would be the very definition of a rubber match.
Based off of angles over the last couple of days, it looks like Dominion is shaping up to be a very memorable card. Taichi and Michael Elgin have both expressed interest in the NEVER title, with Taichi repeatedly attacking both Elgin and champion Hirooki Goto behind during the tour. Roppongi 3K have also expressed interest in regaining the IWGP Jr. tag team titles.
Meanwhile, The Young Bucks officially laid out a challenge to EVIL and SANADA over the IWGP tag team titles and Jay White made it clear to Juice Robinson that he had his eyes set on him. And of course, Chris Jericho made his presence felt this morning by destroying Tetsuya Naito with a ring bell, making it clear he was not finished with him in the least bit.
This year’s Dominion will take place on June 9 in Osaka at Osaka-jo Hall.
Chris Jericho may be heading back to New Japan sooner than you think.
PWInsider reported this afternoon that Chris Jericho will be heading to Japan to participate in the upcoming Wrestling Dontaku events that will take place over the next two days. The report says that he will appear to set up an angle for next month’s Dominion event on June 9 in Osaka Jo Hall.
Jericho participated at this year’s WrestleKingdom 12 event, losing to Kenny Omega in a no disqualification match. The next night at New Year’s Dash, Jericho jumped Tetsuya Naito after a match and the two went at it. Since then, Jericho has largely disappeared from the pro wrestling scene, focusing on touring with his band. He most recently worked the Greatest Royal Rumble event on April 27.
Back in March, Jericho said on Twitter that he wouldn’t be going back to New Japan, though in the past he has not been that transparent about his future plans in order to keep an element of surprise as to what he’ll do next.
At 5:00 PST, it’s really a dead heat for best match of the night on one
The best wrestling cards I’ve ever seen. There wasn’t a bad or underwhelming match on the show. My goodness. It will be interesting to see how this show stacks up to other ‘best shows ever’ months and years from now, but this subscriber is just blown away. NJPW pushed all the right buttons tonight and put on a show for the ages.
…and it looks like Cody is challenging Okada during the post-match press conference. Yep, Cody v. Okada in Long Beach appears to be happening.
– Casey Goldman
**********
The last time i had goosebumps like this i was at Wrestlemania a 6 years ago and I was there live but now Dominion has become my best PPV ever. As for Okada Vs Omega 2 that was maybe the best match i have ever seen though out the whole match there wasn’t a point that i was thinking “they should end this” or “this has been on too long” it was always “I love this!”, “When will this end?” [note that is not meant in a bad way] and at the end i was thinking “no not like this not a draw.”
– James McKinley
**********
Thumbs up
Best match: Okada Omega
Worst match: not sure :/ sorry Dave
60 f***ing minutes what a time to be alive.
– Brennan Whalen
**********
Dominion was a great event don’t get me wrong, but a draw? One of your most, if not, the most anticipated match in recent history arguably this century and you don’t raise a hand at the end? I understand that they’ve had previous draws but this match was different. Omega had perfect momentum at the end to hit a one winged angel for the pin.
The draw does make both look strong but to put that effort into a match and not put a new face of your company over makes no sense. KUSHIDA getting over was good, Naito and Tanahashi put in a GREAT match as well. Disappointing finish to the main event but the match was better than WK11. 6-7/5 stars no doubt.
– Jalen Miller
**********
Thumbs WAY WAY up
Best match: Okada/Omega II. But Tanahashi/Naito and KUSHIDA/Hiromu were excellent also.
Worst match: Cody/Elgin. Not bad but average, in a night of good to great matches. If Cody wins over Okada it’ll be the biggest mistake Gedo has ever made.
Okada/Omega II was better than the first one, I thought. Truly remarkable wrestling match, testing the endurance of the human spirit. Everything after the One Winged Angel was crazy, the last ten minutes when both were too exhausted to throw anything except their big signature moves were sublime.
– Peterr Olsson
**********
Thumbs up.
Best match: Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega
Worst match: Cody vs Michael Elgin
A really good show. Incredible main event which personally I think I would put above the Dome match. KUSHIDA vs Takahashi was great as well. Tanahashi vs Naito was very good but slightly uncomfortable as I think Tanahashi should be taking time off not winning titles. Both the tag title matches were good, and even the trios gauntlet was enjoyable.
– Jan Buxton
**********
Thumbs way up.
Best bout of all time in Omega-Okada 2. I’m on the verge of tears just thinking about it.
Had high expectations for KUSHIDA-Takahashi and Naito-Tanahashi which both over-delivered.
Worst bout is hard. None fell below expectations. Probably Never Openweight gauntlet match or 8 man tag. Didn’t care about the result despite having a bit of fun along the way.
Overall, best show of the year. Upcoming events can just pack up and go home.
– Joshua Weir
**********
This is what I feel about Dominion, I give it a thumbs up, I feel this was a great show that had a lot of heart stopping moments in the end with Kenny Omega vs Okada. NJPW isn’t afraid to let them put on a 60-minute show. The WWE hasn’t allowed that kinda match where it goes full 60 without a pin since Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart which was the WWE’s best iron man match, in my opinion, everything else had pinfalls galore and really I don’t find that interesting at all.
Give it to Kenny Omega and Okada to put on an exceptional 60-minute draw with near falls and excitement, I found nothing wrong with that match and it even set up a possible match with Kenny Omega and Cody, I look forward to seeing what happens after Dominion.
Now for the worst match, I didn’t care about the Sanada, Evil, Bushi match. You have a good match going in spoiled by pre-match beat down, didn’t need to happen but gotta keep the heels strong I guess.
So in closing, yeah I stand by my thumbs up and I haven’t given that to a show this year, it’s come close but till WWE learns from NJPW on how to craft an epic tale in the ring like Kenny Omega and Okada, I don’t see them ever coming close to their level, and I very much look forward to what they have in store at the G1 Special.
– Robert “Lancer” Ruckman
**********
THUMBS UP
Best match: Okada/Omega
Worst match: Tiger Mask/Tiger Mask W/Makabe/Nagata vs Nakanishi/Liger/Tenzan/Kojima
I may still think that WK11 was the better show because it was my first NJPW event and the longer build had me more hyped, but I thought this was an excellent show.
– RJ Zavala
**********
Thumbs up, obviously.
Best Match : Omega v Okada
Worst Match : Goto v Suzuki
Just a great show from beginning to end. The main event deserves all the praise it has gotten. Just incredible. The rest of the card was fantastic as well. Bucks vs RPG Vice was a really solid tag match as was the G.O.D. vs War Machine match. The junior title match was intense and great story telling. Naito v Takahashi wasn’t as good as WK, but still a great match that really worked the crowd.
– Andrew Hall
**********
That was my first ever NJPW show that I stayed up and watched beginning to end. Being on the East Coast, I usually just wait for it to go up, wake up and have some breakfast and watch the show while avoiding Twitter. lol.
Totally thumbs up, best match was certainly Okada/Omega, with KUSHIDA/Hiromu right behind them. Worst match was the 4-way opener with Team Liger VS Team Tiger.
Thanks! Can’t wait to hear Observer Radio about this one!
– Richard Kelly
**********
Thumbs up
Best Match: Omega/Okada
Omega and Okada are the best wrestlers alive today. I wasn’t in love with the first ~25 minutes of the match (a few of the early sequences felt overly choreographed, there seemed to be a few highspots that didn’t go according to plan, Okada just stopped selling his knee for some reason), but it built well, and the second half was incredible.
I was listening to the Japanese commentary, and I didn’t understand any of the “_ minutes passed” notices, so I didn’t think they were getting near the time limit ’til the last 5 minutes. Like the 1/4 match, it flew by. I don’t think it was as good as the original (still the best match I’ve ever seen), but it was a worthy sequel. Near the end, I was almost rooting for the draw because I thought they might do their 3rd match in Long Beach, but unfortunately that hope was misplaced.
I bought tickets to the Long Beach shows hoping to see Omega either defend, or challenge for, the title. I don’t regret the purchases, but with every new development, I find myself getting less and less excited. No Suzuki, Goto, Yano, or Kojima, no Omega title match, and (I would think) no Lee/Takahashi. I think Cody’s probably a great guy, and I’m happy that he’s enjoying his post-WWE career, but I just haven’t been impressed by his matches at all.
I understand that you might not want to do Omega/Okada III on a sold out show in CA, when it could main event WK 12. Naito, Tanahashi, Ibushi, Goto, and Suzuki don’t make sense either, so you kinda have to go with Elgin or Cody, and the latter is the bigger draw. I can get the why, but I won’t be surprised if a lot of people turn on Cody over this. He’s had a good number of opportunities, and just hasn’t excelled in the way everyone hoped he would.
What could arguably be New Japan Pro Wrestling’s second biggest show of the year takes place tonight as Dominion will air live from Osaka-jo Hall.
In the main event, Kazuchika Okada once again defends the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kenny Omega, a rematch from their match at the Tokyo Dome which was awarded a six-star rating by our own Dave Meltzer.
Expectations and interest are high, with the biggest question being who will be champion not only heading into the G1, but also at New Japan’s debut in Long Beach.
The co-main event has some big implications as well, with Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Naito has gone out of his way in recent months to destroy the physical state of the title, leaving it a dirty, broken mess. He has gone on to say that if he wins this match, he will have nothing to do with the title going forward.
Other title matches include Best of the Super Juniors winner KUSHIDA challenging Hiromu Takahashi, Roppongi Vice defending their Junior tag titles against The Young Bucks, War Machine defending their Heavyweight tag titles against Guerrillas of Destiny, and NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki facing Hirooki Goto in a lumberjack match.
Our live coverage starts at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT.
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David Finlay, Tomoyuki Oka and Shota Umino defeated Tetsuhiro Yagi, Katsuya Kitamura and Hirai Kawato
Solid opener. Crowd looks huge for today’s event. Kitamura worked a lot of the match, then tagged in Yagi who went at it with Finlay. The latter connected with a European uppercut then got the win with a stunner.
Tiger Mask, Tiger Mask W, Togi Makabe and Yuji Nagata defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger, Satoshi Kojima and Manabu Nakanishi
Another solid tag bout, not a whole lot to talk about. Tiger Mask W didn’t do much of note, though did work with Tiger Mask IV early to take out Nakanishi. It boiled down to Togi Makabe and Manabu Nakanishi, with Makabe getting the better of things and getting the win with the king kong knee drop.
EVIL, SANADA and BUSHI won the Gauntlet match to retain the NEVER Six Man tag team titles
First two teams in were Bullet Club (Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi and Bad Luck Fale) and Chaos (Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI). There was some good action here, especially when Hangman Page and Tomohiro Ishii were working together. Yujiro holds Yano as Hangman Page hits the ropes, but Yano shoves Yujiro in front as they both collide into one another, then Yano hits a low blow and rolls up Yujiro for the win.
The Suzuki-gun contingent followed, consisting of Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Taichi. This didn’t last long at all — Yano tried to go for the same exact finish, but it backfired as Sabre Jr. grabbed him, twisted him up and pinned him with a bridge.
Taguchi Japan, consisting of Ricochet, Ryusuke Taguchi and Juice Robinson followed. This was fun while it lasted, some comedy but in a good way. Robinson went for the pulp friction but Taichi grabbed the ref. This was supposed to give Kanemaru the chance to spit whiskey in Robinson’s face, but it instead hit Taichi, blinding him instead. Robinson finished off Suzuki-gun with the pulp friction.
The champions, Los Ingobernables (EVIL, BUSHI and SANADA) followed. Sabre Jr. wasn’t done, however, and put Robinson in the Octopus Hold until LIJ made it to the ring. Ricochet just barely avoided disaster after trying to powerbomb SANADA in the middle of a superplex attempt — looked ugly in real time.
Taguchi hit the dodon on BUSHI and went for the ankle lock. SANADA came back with the Skull End and allowed BUSHI to go to the top rope and hit the MX to retain the titles. Overall, a pretty good match with lots of action.
Young Bucks defeated Roppongi Vice to win the IWGP Jr. tag team titles
This was a good match, different than your usual Young Bucks match. There were plenty of cool spots, but this told more of a story with the Bucks dominating a lot of the match. Hope spots were great and both teams looked really good.
Matt dominated Romero early with a powerbomb on the apron, rammed his back on two ringside posts then powerbombed him on the apron again for good measure. Bucks dominated Baretta. Even when Romero managed to get back onto the apron, Nick grabbed him, ran all the way to the entrance ramp and powerbombed him right in the middle.
Bucks continued to work on Baretta. They went for the more bang for your buck, but Baretta escaped and managed to fend them off. Baretta and Romero both managed to lay out Matt with the strong zero, but Nick broke it up with a swanton bomb, landing right in the back of Baretta.
Nick laid out Baretta while Matt had Romero in a sharpshooter. Romero escaped, allowing RPG Vice to regain momentarily, but it was all for naught as the Bucks countered with the Indytaker, then Nick latched on the sharpshooter, giving Romero no other option but to tap.
Guerrillas of Destiny defeated War Machine to win the IWGP tag team titles
This was a really hot back and forth match, even early. War Machine looked great, they always have their working boots on and this time was no different. Guerillas of Destiny held their own, they’ve also really improved in the last few months.
War Machine laid out Tama Tonga with their decapitation clothesline and were set to finish with Fallout, but Tanga Roa took out Hanson with a suplex off the top rope. Rowe was taken out but Hanson came back as they both cleared house. Hanson hit a splash from the top rope then took out Roa with a suicide dive.
They lifted up Tonga but he laid out Hanson with a gun stun. Rowe countered Tama Tonga using a chair, but didn’t see Roa coming in with another chair as he was laid out. Guerillas of Destiny followed with the guerilla warfare for the win.
Cody defeated Michael Elgin
Good match. This was designed to get Cody his first big win in New Japan against an established guy and it worked well here. I thought the finish was a bit anticlimactic, but the work in the match itself was good stuff.
Cody did a lot of posing and mocking during the match, which Elgin would usually respond by attacking him and occasionally mocking him right back. A lot of good back and forth action. Cody took out Elgin with an STO and went for the crossroads but Elgin came back with a clothesline.
Elgin went for the deadlift superplex but Cody cut him off and laid him out with the crossroads to pick up the win.
Cody took the headset from one of the announcers after the match and said that he wanted Okada.
KUSHIDA defeated Hiromu Takahashi to win the IWGP Jr. heavyweight title
This was the first really great, awesome match of the night. Just an intense, incredible performance from both of these two. Every spot mattered as they went in there and had a battle to end all battles, with KUSHIDA’s story of redemption finally coming into fruition.
They started off early with stiff back and forth shots, brawling in and out of the ring until Takahashi gave KUSHIDA a overhead belly to belly suplex into the turnbuckle. He went for the sunset flip bomb off the floor, but KUSHIDA countered it with an armbreaker.
KUSHIDA set up a chair in the crowd, but Takahashi there and ran halfway across the arena with a dropkick that sent Takahashi into the crowd. After some back and forth, he went for the hoverlock board off the top rope and managed to get it. KUSHIDA went to go for the Back to the Future but Takahashi blocked it.
KUSHIDA went for a sunset flip bomb of his own, but Takahashi escaped and countered with one of his own, landing successfully. He followed that with a time bomb attempt, but KUSHIDA countered with a roll up. They meet on the top rope where KUSHIDA lands a fisherman’s suplex off the top rope.
They tore into one another once again with stiff shots. KUSHIDA stomped the head of Takahashi, actually causing the fans to boo, as they were behind Takahashi in this match the whole time. KUSHIDA snaps in the hoverboard lock and drives it in hard, eventually causing Takahashi to tap.
KUSHIDA went to cut a promo, but BUSHI came in from behind and misted him, setting up the next title defense.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Hirooki Goto to retain the NEVER Openweight title
This was also pretty good. Since Suzuki-gun constantly interferes anyway, this played into the match well, and the last few minutes were really good.
As one would expect, all of Suzuki-gun, as well as most of Chaos were out there as lumberjacks. And as soon as it got out of the ring, all of Suzuki-gun jumped on Goto, and even attempts by Chaos to rectify the situation failed.
Suzuki focuses on Goto’s arm, wrenching it and bending it where it shouldn’t belong. Goto started making his comeback and hitting the ushigiroshi. Suzuki countered a shouten kai attempt and threw Goto right into the referee, allowing all of Suzuki-gun to come in. YOSHI-HASHI managed to clean house, sending them all out of the ring and launched himself with a tope con hilo, sending everyone to the floor.
Suzuki had the sleeper in, but Goto kept countering. Goto finally hit the GTR in the front, then to the back. Goto had it won, but suddenly Taichi, who wasn’t a lumberjack in the match, came in and pulled out the referee.
Goto fights back a resurgent Suzuki, but Taichi comes back with a steel chair. Suzuki follows with a dropkick, sleeper and the Gotch piledriver to retain the title.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP Intercontinental title
An excellent match that told a brilliant story. These two are so awesome at cultivating and creating a dramatic, intense match and they showcased it here. Despite his injury Tanahashi looked like he was one of the best wrestlers in the world today.
Tanahashi starts off hot, jumping Naito as he enters as they both brawl around the ring. Naito wins that battle, poses, then begins to work on Tanahashi’s partially torn bicep.
Naito dominates him, completely working over Tanahashi and the bicep. Tanahashi finally manages a comeback, hitting a big time high fly flow off the top rope and to the floor. Tanahashi focuses on Naito’s leg, tries to go for the cloverleaf but can’t get it in.
Naito comes back and wrenches the bad arm of Tanahashi. He counters with a twisting slam and goes to the top rope but Naito cuts him off and beats on the bicep again. Naito lands a hurricanrana off the top rope, but Tanahashi floats over and scores a near fall.
Tanahashi misses a high fly flow attempt as he battles to finish off Naito. He goes for a Dragon suplex but Naito has the arm again, at least until Naito takes out his leg. Naito hits a German suplex, then lays out Tanahashi with a reverse DDT.
A Destino attempt by Naito dooms him as Tanahashi counters. Naito dodged one slingblade, but ate two as Tanahashi connected with the high fly flow but Naito kicked out. Tanahashi responds with the cloverleaf and leaves it in for a long, long time until Naito has no other option but to tap, giving the win (and whatever’s left of the title) to Tanahashi.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega went to a time limit draw
I’m sitting here wondering if this is one of the best sixty minute matches I’ve seen. I think in terms of dramatic flair, yes, because the last ten minutes were some of the most dramatic moments in a match I’ve witnessed in a long time, maybe going back to Okada/Tanahashi from Invasion Attack 2013, one of the best matches of this decade.
The big question would probably be this: did it surpass the Tokyo Dome? It’s all subjective, but I’ll say sure. While that match had a string of amazing sequences that this match did not, the drama in this match managed to even things up and then some. They managed to have a match on par with their original in a totally different way, and you have to give credit to both Okada and Omega for accomplishing such a big feat.
They start it out slow, similar to last year. Omega manages to get Okada out of the ring, but Okada comes right back in, sends Kenny out and hits a big tope con hilo…but in the process, he manages to tweak his knee, giving Omega ample opportunity to take advantage.
He works over Okada’s tweaked leg, including throwing Okada knee first into an announcer’s table. Okada gets a few brief moments in until he sinks in the red ink. They go to the outside, where Kenny blocks an Irish whip into the barricade attempt and hops on top of it, but Okada shoves him off, sending him face first into another set in the crowd then flies off with a big crossbody.
Omega doesn’t stay down for long, as he hits a giant Asai moonsault to the floor. He tries for the One Winged Angel but Okada blocks. Omega slams him on the ground and goes for a springboard moonsault but Okada gets the knees up.
Omega attempts to go for a dragon suplex off the top rope, and after about three attempts Okada takes him to the apron and hits a death valley driver. Okada hits him full force with a shotgun dropkick to the barricade.
A table is set up as Omega briefly gains advantage. Okada does the rainmaker pose, but Omega immediately fights back. He meets Omega at the top rope and eats a suplex, with his bum leg taking the brunt of the damage.
Omega nails the v-trigger and tries the One Winged Angel but Okada miles away. Okada fires back with rolling German suplexes. Okada hits the rainmaker, but Omega kicks out. More back and forth follows. Okada wipes out Omega with the dropkick off the top rope that sends Omega to the floor. Omega crawls to the table as Okada sets up a big splash onto the table…and executes it, sending Omega through the table.
Okada remains in control as Omega has been weakened. He hits a rainmaker and retains wrist control and hits another. Omega calls for the ref as the rest of Bullet Club come out. Cody has a towel and acts like he’s going to throw it. This gives Omega enough time to recover, hit two knee strikes and hits a reverse hurricanrana.
Omega eventually lands the one winged angel but Okada gets his foot on the ropes right at three. Omega gives him the gun salute, but Okada grabs him and hits the rainmaker. Omega hits the snap dragon suplex, but walks into a dropkick. Omega fires back with another v-trigger, but when going for the One Winged Angel Okada counters with the tombstone.
Okada goes for the rainmaker, but Omega collapses from exhaustion as Okada misses and falls to the floor. The two battle for tombstone attempts. At the 55 minute mark Omega nails two kicks to the face, then hits a third. Omega lifts him up but Okada hits a dropkick. Okada hits the twisting tombstone but is too exhausted to make a cover.
With two minutes left, both men are on the mat. Okada grabs Omega but Omega snatches the ropes. Omega hits a snap dragon suplex but Okada hits a dropkick and a rainmaker. Twenty seconds left, Okada struggles to make a cover……but cannot do it, as the bell rings, as the match goes to a draw.
Omega is helped to the back by the rest of the Bullet Club as Gedo talks for Okada, cutting a promo saying how this it wasn’t the best result but it was the best sixty minutes. Okada closed the show saying he’ll make it rain on the entire world.
Cody once again challenged Okada once they all got to the back. That looks to be the IWGP title match in Long Beach.
Final Thoughts —
I think this actually managed to surpass the Tokyo Dome in terms of match quality and drama — everything on this card was good, and three of the four top matches on this show were incredible. New Japan’s show quality level is hitting a peak I don’t think anyone could have ever imagined. There will be haters, there will be doubters, but it’s really hard to find flaws in shows like these.
Editor’s note: The following originally appeared in this week’s Figure Four Weekly.
With a marvelous Best of the Super Juniors in the books, New Japan Pro Wrestling heads toward Osaka-jo Hall this weekend for one of the year’s biggest shows and the rematch the world has been waiting for.
Dominion is a card that is unapologetically similar to Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. Some will complain and try to portray this as a negative, but step back and think about this. It follows the same card structure and has three direct rematches of one of the greatest shows ever.
The three matches getting redone were all considered classics. All of the main programs are quite clearly massively over with the live crowds up and down Japan if you listen to the reactions. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the show is sold out, and it sold out with increased ticket prices. This company is on fire and the card being presented is what their audience en masse wants.
Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega will take to the stage for the main event with the impossible task of following what they did in January. They’re not going to try to top that. They’re too smart to. They are going to try to make this one different, to tell a different story, and to make it stand alone but also work within their overarching rivalry. It’s going to be truly fascinating to watch.
Tetsuya Naito has only gotten hotter since the Dome and it feels like he’s set to break through onto an even bigger plain of existence that has only ever been occupied by a select handful of New Japan legends. One of those is of course Hiroshi Tanahashi, and these two will also have their work cut out trying to top what they did five months ago. How big a factor Tanahashi’s biceps injury will be, and how that may change the result of the match, is anyone’s guess.
The BOSJ winner KUSHIDA will get his title shot against Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi. KUSHIDA will attempt to avenge not only his Tokyo Dome loss but also the shocking two-minute defeat he suffered in April at Sakura Genesis.
With the form the challenger is in, this could be one of the best Junior title matches of this run. Takahashi has been can’t-miss ever since becoming champion, and this will be a defining night for him in terms of possibly taking him next level within the promotion (much like his LIJ leader Naito).
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the full card for Dominion, which will take place on June 11th at Osaka-jo Hall.
In a match that became apparent once KUSHIDA won this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, he’ll challenge for Hiromu Takahashi’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title at Dominion. KUSHIDA defeated Will Ospreay in the finals of this year’s BOSJ to become the tournament champion and receive the title shot.
There will be a gauntlet match for the NEVER Six-Man tag titles as well, with SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI defending against Ricochet, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI, Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi, and Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Zack Sabre Jr.
Tiger Mask W (Kota Ibushi) will also make his return to NJPW as he’ll team with Togi Makabe, Tiger Mask IV & Yuji Nagata to take on Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
Before Dominion, the final build to the event will take place at Korakuen Hall with a “Road to” show on June 9th, airing at 5:30 a.m. ET. The card is mostly comprised of tag team matches, with a big six-man tag headlining the show.
That main event will be Kazuchika Okada & Roppongi Vice vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks. It will be Okada and Omega’s final in-ring meeting before their rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion. The Young Bucks will also challenge for Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta’s IWGP Junior tag titles in Osaka.
Both shows will air live on New Japan World and will have English commentary. The full cards are:
Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall (June 11th at 3 a.m. ET) —
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Kenny Omega
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi
NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defending against Hirooki Goto in a lumberjack match
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defending against KUSHIDA
Michael Elgin vs. Cody
IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine defending against Guerrillas of Destiny
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi Vice defending against The Young Bucks
NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Champions SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI defending against Ricochet, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI, Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi, and Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Zack Sabre Jr. in a gauntlet match
Tiger Mask W, Togi Makabe, Tiger Mask IV & Yuji Nagata vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
David Finlay, Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino vs. Hirai Kawato, Katsuya Kitamura & Tetsuhiro Yagi
Road to Dominion (June 9th at 5:30 a.m. ET) —
Kazuchika Okada & Roppongi Vice vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson, Ricochet & KUSHIDA vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi
Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Zack Sabre Jr.
Michael Elgin, David Finlay & War Machine vs. Cody, Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny
Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi
Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask IV, Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka vs. Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Katsuya Kitamura
Shota Umino & Tetsuhiro Yagi vs. El Desperado & Taka Michinoku
In addition to announcing the schedule for the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, New Japan Pro Wrestling also revealed more matches for the upcoming Dominion card last night.
Minoru Suzuki will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship for the first time in a lumberjack match against Hirooki Goto at the show. Members of Suzuki-gun and Chaos will presumably be at ringside for the match.
Suzuki previously defeated Goto to win the title at a show late last month prior to NJPW’s Wrestling Toyonokuni and Dontaku events.
Two tag title matches have been announced for Dominion as well. War Machine will put their IWGP Tag Team Championship on the line against Guerrillas of Destiny, and The Young Bucks will challenge for Roppongi Vice’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag titles.
Michael Elgin vs. Cody (Rhodes) is also set for Dominion.
Dominion will take place on June 11th at Osaka-jo Hall. The updated lineup is:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Kenny Omega
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi
NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defending against Hirooki Goto in a lumberjack match
IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine defending against Guerrillas of Destiny
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi Vice defending against The Young Bucks
The most anticipated rematch of the year is officially set.
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced tonight that Kazuchika Okada will defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kenny Omega in the main event of Dominion on June 11th at Osaka-jo Hall. The two had what was widely considered a classic match at the Tokyo Dome earlier this year.
A rematch was always going to happen, but it became apparent that Dominion would be the place for it at NJPW’s Wrestling Dontaku show earlier this week. Omega first defeated Tomohiro Ishii, then Okada successfully defended his title against Bad Luck Fale before the rivals had a staredown.
Another Wrestle Kingdom rematch is also confirmed for the show, with Tetsuya Naito putting the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on the line against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
No other matches have been announced for Dominion yet. If Hiromu Takahashi doesn’t win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, whoever does will likely challenge for his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title in Osaka.
New Japan announced earlier Friday that Hiroshi Tanahashi would not be able to return for the Dominion PPV show for his scheduled ladder match with Intercontinental Champion Kenny Omega.
The 6/19 match at Osaka Jo Hall — the first ladder match ever in New Japan and scheduled for the IC title, was the No. 2 match on what is one of the company’s three biggest shows of the year. Omega will now defend his title in a ladder match against Michael Elgin, a rematch of Omega’s last title defense.
With a severe shoulder injury, Tanahashi is physically in considerably worse condition than they are letting on. An angle was shot on the first day of the Super Juniors tour where Omega “injured” his shoulder to cover for the injury. There is no word on when he will return.
The realization that Tanahashi probably couldn’t do the show was only known for perhaps the last 48 hours or so.
The other top matches on the show will be Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP title against former champion Kazuchika Okada, and Never Open weight champion Yuji Nagata defending against former champion Katsuyori Shibata.
No other matches have been announced but it is expected that Ricochet, Will Ospreay, Matt Sydal and The Young Bucks will all be wrestling on the show in key matches.
