Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi will challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at NJPW’s Anniversary Event on March 6.
NJPW’s “Dream Team” going for the Tag titles against Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI will headline the 51st anniversary show on Monday, March 6 at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Okada laid the groundwork for the match following Saturday’s Battle in the Valley main event, where he defeated Tanahashi to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight title. In a promo, Okada suggested that the two join forces to go after the IWGP Tag belts.
Goto and YOSHI-HASHI defeated FTR at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4 to win the IWGP Tag titles.
A pair of first round New Japan Cup matches, plus a tag team preview of next month’s Hiromu Takahashi vs. Lio Rush IWGP Junior title bout were already set for the Anniversary Event, but now the headlining bout and the full undercard have been revealed, and can be found below.
Okada and Tanahashi will also team on March 11 in Nagoya on the first night of second round New Japan Cup action.
The March 6 lineup:
NJPW 51st Anniversary Event, Monday, March 6 —
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan Cup first round: Tomohiro Ishii vs. David Finlay
New Japan Cup first round: Shota Umino vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Lio Rush & YOH
Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & SANADA vs. Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Ren Narita vs. EVIL, SHO & Dick Togo
Tama Tonga, Toru Yano & Satoshi Kojima vs. Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis
Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita vs. KENTA & El Phantasmo
Three titles changed hands on night one of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16.
In the main event of today’s show, Kazuchika Okada defeated Shingo Takagi to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. After his win, Okada symbolically retired the v4 IWGP Heavyweight title belt that he had used to symbolize his G1 Climax 31 victory.
Okada will now face Will Ospreay in the main event of night two of Wrestle Kingdom 16 on Wednesday. Ospreay was the second IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but did not lose the title in the ring, vacating it in May after suffering a neck injury.
Shingo’s first IWGP World Heavyweight title reign ends at 211 days and three successful defenses. He originally won the title at Dominion in June 2021, defeating Okada for the title that Ospreay vacated.
World Tag League 2021 winners Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) to win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. With the win, YOSHI-HASHI claims his second career NJPW title, having previously only held the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
This will mark Goto’s second reign as IWGP Heavyweight Tag title holder, having previously held the titles with Katsuyori Shibata. Taichi and Sabre’s third reign with the Heavyweight Tag belts ends at 163 days and one successful defense.
In the night’s first title change, EVIL defeated Tomohiro Ishii to win the NEVER Openweight Championship in a match that included interference from EVIL’s Bullet Club House of Torture stablemates Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi and SHO, a YOH run-in, two referees, chair shots, and a belt shot.
EVIL ends Ishii’s sixth reign with the NEVER title at 52 days and zero successful defenses. This is the second NEVER title reign for EVIL.
Three title matches have been announced for NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Sunday, September 5.
In the main event, Shingo Takagi will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against EVIL. This match was set up at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome when EVIL attacked Shingo after his main event title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship will be on the line in a three-way at MetLife Dome. Champions Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. will defend against Tetsuya Naito & SANADA, as well as Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI. Taichi and Sabre defeated Naito and SANADA for the titles at the Tokyo Dome. Following their win, Goto and YOSHI-HASHI appeared and declared their intentions to be the next challengers.
Also announced, new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles will defend his title against the returning Hiromu Takahashi. Hiromu has been out of action with a torn pectoral, but announced last week that he has been medically cleared.
Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome will be a two-night event on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5. No matches have been announced for the September 4 show.
Here is the lineup for night two:
NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome, Sunday, September 5, 2 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. EVIL
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Robbie Eagles (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Three championships changed hands at today’s NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome event.
In the show’s semi-main event, Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito and SANADA to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in 37:58. This was the longest IWGP Tag title match in Tokyo Dome history, according to Chris Samsa.
This marks the third reign with the IWGP Tag titles for Dangerous Tekkers. Naito and SANADA’s run with the belts ended at two weeks with zero successful defenses.
Earlier in the evening, Robbie Eagles defeated El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 19:56. Eagles becomes the first Australian to capture IWGP gold.
Desperado’s first IWGP Jr. title reign came to an end following 147 days and two successful defenses.
On the Wrestle Grand Slam pre-show, Chase Owens won the provisional KOPW 2021 title in a 22-man New Japan Ranbo that went 35:36. Owens last eliminated former provisional KOPW 2021 Toru Yano by pinfall with a package piledriver to win the title.
Owens becomes the first person besides Yano to hold the KOPW title since its inception in August 2020. Yano held the KOPW 2020 title the entire time it was active. He won the first KOPW 2021 match at Wrestle Kingdom 15 in January and had held it ever since.
New champions were crowned on night two of NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo.
Tetsuya Naito and SANADA defeated Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event of today’s show to win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles. Following a battle of nearly 37 minutes, Naito pinned Sabre after hitting Destino.
The story of the match was Naito overcoming Sabre and Taichi working over his left arm, while Naito and SANADA’s offense focused on softening up Sabre’s neck to allow Naito to hit Destino. Sabre kicked out of one earlier Destino, but the second was enough to put him away.
The win marks Naito and SANADA’s first reign as a duo. Naito previously held the IWGP Heavyweight Tag titles with Yujiro Takahashi in 2010. SANADA is now a three-time IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He had two prior reigns with EVIL.
Taichi and Sabre’s second reign with the titles came to an end after 41 days. They defeated Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa to win the titles at a Road to Dominion event on June 1 in Tokyo.
Naito, SANADA, Taichi and Sabre faced off backstage in the post-match comments following the event. Taichi and Sabre proposed that an immediate rematch take place at Wrestle Grand Slam on Sunday, July 25. Naito and SANADA appeared to agree, but NJPW has yet to make the match official.
A bevy of official match announcements for Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome should be made imminently. Matches teased for the event include Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA, Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb, Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL, El Desperado defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Robbie Eagles, plus Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Rocky Romero for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles.
Already announced for the Tokyo Dome are Shingo Takagi defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi, plus a pre-show New Japan Ranbo for the provisional KOPW 2021 title.
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships are on the line today on night two of NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo.
Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. (Dangerous Tekkers) will defend the titles against Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Tetsuya Naito and SANADA in the main event.
In the semi-main, Shingo Takagi will face Master Wato in a singles match. This was changed from Shingo and BUSHI vs. Wato and Kota Ibushi after Ibushi was pulled from his second consecutive event folowing side effects from a COVID-19 vaccine. Ibushi will challenge Shingo for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome on July 25.
Kazuchika Okada and YOH will face United Empire’s Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. Cobb and O-Khan beat Okada and SHO on night one of Summer Struggle in Sapporo.
Three more tag matches fill out the undercard.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yota Tsuji will take on KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero will face the Bullet Club trio of EVIL, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo, plus SHO & Yuya Uemura will take on El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the opener.
Our live coverage begins at 1 a.m. Eastern time.
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Hiromu Takahashi began the show with a promo. He previewed the card.
Kanemaru and Uemura worked the bulk of this fine opener. Desperado was in a long main event yesterday, so I’m sure welcomed the rest.
Kanemaru is technically very good, Uemura is one of the best technical wrestlers in the company, but there was no storyline reason for this match.
Kanemaru and Uemura began. Uemura got some shine, but was quickly cut off. Kanemaru and Desperado worked him over.
SHO got a tag. SHO used a cross armbreaker. Kanemaru and Desperado tried a double team, but SHO answered with a double spear.
Uemura got a hot tag. He used a flying forearm and a full crab on Kanemaru. Desperado saved for Kanemaru. Uemura tried a double overhook suplex, but Kanemaru blocked.
Kanemaru hit a dropkick. Desperado and Kanemaru hit their tandem one-legged dropkick to Uemura. Kanemaru got cradled for two. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a near fall, then hit Deep Impact for the pin.
This served two purposes — to establish challengers for ELP and Ishimori and to further tease Ishii vs. EVIL.
It had a good closing stretch, but I’m not a fan of the formulaic Bullet Club undercard garbage brawls.
The teams began brawling before the bell. Romero started off as the legal man for his team. He was isolated on the outside and whipped into the barricade.
Taguchi got a hot tag, then he was also isolated and worked over with Ishimori and ELP’s comedy offense.
EVIL and Ishii got their tags. Ishii escaped a ref-assisted Magic Killer, then hit a vertical suplex into a double down.
Romero and ELP got tags. Romero avoided a Sudden Death and a jackknife cover. Taguchi hopped in to double up on ELP. Romero hit an assisted swing DDT.
Romero ran into a Sudden Death with his arm and sold his wrist. Romero reversed a CR2 attempt into a victory roll and got the pin over one half of the IWGP Junior Tag champs.
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Romero cut a promo after the match and declared himself and Taguchi the next challengers for ELP and Ishimori. Romero asked if they accepted the challenge. ELP and Ishimori said no. Romero said next time they meet, Romero and Taguchi will beat them.
Not sure the purpose of having the heels decline the challenge when they’re just going to go ahead and make the match anyway in about 18 hours.
I think this was the best thing on the show to this point. Tana and KENTA are beginning a feud with great intensity to it. In particular, their striking exchanges are fantastic.
Tana and KENTA began the match by trading strikes on the mat, each trading top position. Tsuji got a tag and was quickly cut off. KENTA and Yujiro took turns on Tsuji. Tsuji managed a dropkick and hot tag to Tana.
Tana hit strikes, a slam and a somersault senton. He teased a slingblade, but KENTA countered into a G2S attempt. Tana slid out and they traded strikes. They hit simultaneous slaps and both went down.
Yujiro tagged in and hit a series of kicks. Tana blocked a fisherman buster and hit twist and shout. Tana then tagged out to Tsuji.
Tsuji got a tag and hit a hurricanrana to Yujiro. He followed with a slam, a senton and a splash for a two count. Tsuji fed Yujiro to Tana for a slingblade. Tsuji then used a crab on Yujiro as Tana used his clover hold on KENTA. Yujiro forced a break.
Tsuji used a series of cradles for near falls on Yujiro. Yujiro blocked a backslide, then rolled through into Pimp Juice position. Yujiro hit Pimp Juice and got the pin.
***** Intermission *****
Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan defeated Kazuchika Okada & YOH (12:45)
This was a very good tag match. Cobb’s power moves tonight were unreal.
Cobb and Okada were in briefly at the start. Cobb used a shove to send Okada rolling outside to collect himself. O-Khan and YOH tagged in. YOH hit a forearm, then was quickly isolated as Empire took over the match.
Cobb tagged in for some impressive power spots on YOH. YOH managed a leg lariat to O-Khan, then Okada got a hot tag. Okada ran wild on O-Khan with back elbows. O-Khan blocked a DDT and used a claw to set up a tag to Cobb.
Cobb powered Okada around the ring. Cobb hit a running powerslam out of the corner for two. Okada blocked a Tour of the Islands and a spin cycle. Okada hit a flapjack into a double down.
YOH tagged in for a neckbreaker and a one count on Cobb. YOH hit a shotgun dropkick off the top rope for a two count. YOH tried a falcon arrow, but Cobb blocked. O-Khan saved as YOH tried another falcon arrow.
O-Khan hit a pump kick on YOH into a Cobb suplex for a two count as Okada saved. Okada went for a dropkick to O-Khan, but Cobb plucked Okada out of the air and hit him with a spin cycle. That was awesome.
Cobb then hit a Tour of the Islands on YOH for the pin.
Shingo Takagi defeated Master Wato (14:49)
This was the best Master Wato outing in quite some time. This was short of the level of a really good main event NJPW match, but a good semi-main.
They locked up, then traded tackle attempts. Neither went down. Wato hit a dropkick, sending Shingo stumbling to the floor. Wato then hit a tornillo to the outside. Back in, Wato covered for a quick one count.
Wato used a series of kicks for another one count. Shingo blocked a suplex attempt, then hit a slam and a senton. Shingo sent Wato to the floor with a clothesline over the top. Wato threw some flailing strikes on the outside, but Shingo shrugged them off and rammed Wato into the ring frame.
Back in the ring, Shingo hit some stomps and posed. Shingo hit chops and a vertical suplex for a two count. Shingo used a chinlock on the mat, but Wato forced a rope break. Shingo remained firmly in control.
Wato hit a series of strikes for a hope spot. Shingo dropped Wato with a double sledge to the chest. Wato stopped a lariat attempt by hitting a springboard uppercut forearm. Wato fired off some kicks and an enzuigiri for a one and a half count.
Shingo hit his jab and lariat combination. He then used a back suplex for a two count. Wato avoided a sliding lariat and hit a buzzsaw kick into a double down.
Wato was first up. He teased a piledriver, but Shingo hit a backdrop out of it. Shingo dared Wato to throw strikes at him. Shingo ate all the strikes, then hit a series of forearms. Wato ducked a strike and hit recientemente. He followed with a TTD.
Wato went for the RPP off the top, but crashed and burned on landing. Shingo hit a lariat. Wato blocked a Pumping Bomber. Shingo hit a pop-up powerbomb with a stack cover for a near fall. Shingo used an STF to set up a cradle for a near fall.
Shingo hit a sliding lariat. Wato reversed a Last of the Dragon into a crucifix bomb for a near fall. Wato caught another quick near fall, then Shingo cut him off with a sliding forearm strike. Shingo hit the Pumping Bomber, but Wato kicked out.
Shingo then looked into the camera and called out Ibushi. He then hit Last of the Dragon and got the pin.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Tetsuya Naito & SANADA defeated Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (w/Miho Abe) to win the titles (36:57)
This was paced slowly, but turned into quite the main event. The match never dragged despite going nearly 37 minutes.
Naito and Sabre postured as though they were going to start off with one another. Both ended up tagging out. Sabre and SANADA started with some mat work. They grappled to a stalemate for the first five minutes.
Taichi and Naito tagged in. Naito twice knocked Sabre down off the apron. Naito sent Taichi rolling outside. Naito teased a dive, but hit his Tranquilo pose in the center of the ring instead.
Sabre tagged in, finally wanting to face off with Naito. Naito immediately tagged out, but interfered from the floor to allow SANADA to take control of Sabre. SANADA isolated Sabre in the LIJ corner. Naito tagged in and used a crucifix hold on the mat.
SANADA tagged in and continued to soften up Sabre’s neck. Naito tagged in and worked over the neck as well. Sabre kicked at Naito’s left arm to set up a tag to Taichi. Taichi sent Naito outside and into the barricade.
Taichi and Sabre continued to methodically work on Naito’s left arm as the match returned to the ring. Naito came back with a neckbreaker to Sabre. Naito managed to tag SANADA. SANADA hit an interfering Taichi with a leapfrog dropkick.
Sabre avoided a SANADA plancha. SANADA hit a dragon screw in the ropes and a high crossbody off the top for a near fall. SANADA avoided an octopus hold. The two traded a series of clutch holds for near falls.
Sabre caught SANADA in a triangle choke. SANADA escaped and tried a TKO. Sabre avoided the TKO and went after SANADA’s left arm at the 20 minute call.
Taichi tagged in. Taichi fired off kicks as SANADA fired back with forearm strikes. They traded big boots. Taichi hit a gamengiri for a double down. Sabre caught Naito in a kimura on the floor to prevent a tag.
SANADA ducked a buzzsaw kick. SANADA used a TKO attempt to set up Skull End. Taichi escaped and teased Black Mephisto. Taichi connected on a high kick. SANADA answered with a TKO into another double down.
Naito sent Sabre into the barricade, then tagged in. He was still doing a masterful job of selling his left arm as he hit a combinacion to Taichi. Naito tried for a top rope frankensteiner. Taichi blocked at first and tried a Black Mephisto off the top. Naito blocked that and hit the frankensteiner for a near fall.
Taichi blocked Gloria. Sabre and SANADA jumped in. SANADA hit a dropkick to Sabre’s left knee. Sabre hit a neck twist to Naito. SANADA hit Sabre with a dragon screw. Taichi avoided Skull End from SANADA and hit a high kick in the corner to Naito. All four were down in the ring just past the 25 minute call.
Naito hit a swing DDT to Taichi. Taichi popped right up and hit a backdrop suplex for yet another double down. Sabre got a tag and used a neck crank on Naito. SANADA ran in for the illegal double team and tandem offense.
Naito used a jackknife cradle for a two count to Sabre as Taichi saved. SANADA took out Taichi with a plancha. Naito hit esperanza for a near fall. Sabre reversed a Destino attempt into a cobra twist. Taichi caught SANADA in a dragon sleeper to stop the save 30 minutes in. Sabre switched the cobra twist to an octopus hold, but Naito forced a rope break after a long struggle.
Sabre taunted Naito with short kicks. Naito caught a PK and hit a back elbow, again going after Sabre’s neck. Naito hit a series of hard elbows to the neck and a flying forearm. Sabre blocked Valentia and hit a dragon suplex for a near fall as SANADA saved.
Taichi took out SANADA with a chokeslam, then hit an axe bomber to Naito. Naito fought off Zack Mephisto at the 35 minute call. Taichi hit a last ride to Naito. Sabre hit a PK, then covered for a two count.
Naito avoided the Zack Driver and hit Destino for a near fall on Sabre as SANADA used Skull End on Taichi. SANADA hit a moonsault to Sabre.
Naito hit Sabre with a second Destino for the pin to win the titles.
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BUSHI and Shingo Takagi came to the ring to celebrate after the match. Hiromu Takahashi also joined his stablemates after sitting at the commentary table for the show.
Naito closed the show with the LIJ roll call promo.
New IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions were crowned at today’s NJPW Road to Dominion event in Korakuen Hall.
Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa to regain the titles.
Tonga and Loa had defeated Taichi and Sabre at Wrestle Kingdom 15 on January 4 to win the titles, then successfully defended the belts in a rematch at The New Beginning in Hiroshima on February 10.
The teams have continued to feud over the last several months. Taichi and Tonga faced each other in a ladder match for control of the iron fingers on night one of Wrestling Dontaku on May 3.
Sabre and Loa faced off that night as well, with the stipulation that if Sabre lost, he and Taichi could never challenge for the titles again, but if he won, he and Taichi would get another rematch.
The win marked Taichi and Sabre’s first win over G.O.D. in a two-on-two tag match, with Tonga and Loa having won their previous five meetings.
This was a good opener. Suzuki did some cool spots and Uemura and YOH were given the opportunity to shine. SHO’s role was to sell.
YOH, SHO and Uemura fought off a sneak attack by Suzuki-gun at the opening bell. Suzuki-gun tried a second time and succeeded. SHO was cut off and worked over.
Suzuki got SHO in a heel hook. Uemura tried to make the save, but Suzuki put him in a heel hook as well, while still keeping the hold on SHO.
SHO came back with a double spear to Desperado and Kanemaru. YOH got a hot tag and had an extended exchange with Desperado. YOH hit a Pele kick into a double down. YOH tagged Uemura. Uemura and SHO doubled up on Desperado.
Desperado blocked an overhook suplex and hit Uemura with a spinebuster. YOH saved as Desperado tried Pinche Loco on Uemura. Uemura cradled Desperado for a two count.
Desperado used the threat of a ref bump to hit a right hand to Uemura. He followed with Pinche Loco and got the pin.
This was kind of a mess. Not enough comedy to be a good comedy match, not enough good wrestling to be a good wrestling match.
Hontai briefly got the advantage on Owens. Honma tagged in and was quickly cut off and worked over. Taguchi got a tag and ran wild with hip attacks.
Tanahashi and EVIL tagged in for the first real wrestling of the match. Togo tripped Tana from the floor. Tana hit two twist and shouts. He went for a third, but EVIL turned it into a fisherman buster.
Tiger and Ishimori got tags. Tiger hit a Tiger superplex for a near fall. ELP jumped in for an airplane spin neckbreaker, then Ishimori followed with a Bloody Cross to pin Tiger.
Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan defeated Kota Ibushi & Yota Tsuji (12:31)
Cobb went after Ibushi before the opening bell and the match started off hot. They did a couple of teases of signature spots, then Cobb rolled outside to slow the pace. O-Khan and Tsuji got tags.
O-Khan quickly cut Tsuji off with a back elbow and a slam. O-Khan hit Mongolian chops and a double palm strike to the chest. Cobb tagged in for an impressive throw. O-Khan tagged back in and sat on Tsuji’s neck in the corner. Ibushi tried to save Tsuji, but he was sent outside.
Cobb came back in for a delayed vertical suplex and a near fall. Tsuji hit a dropkick to Cobb for a hope spot. A second dropkick allowed him to tag Ibushi.
Ibushi hit a springboard dropkick and a plancha to Cobb. He nailed O-Khan with a back elbow on the outside, then peppered Cobb with kicks inside. Ibushi hit a standing moonsault for a two count.
Ibushi called for Kamigoye. O-Khan saved Cobb, then Cobb hit a pop-up powerslam for a near fall. Cobb called for the Cobbgoye. Ibushi blocked, but Cobb hit a lariat. O-Khan tagged in. He used a standing choke. Ibushi came back with a flying mid kick.
Tsuji tagged in to meet his doom. He hit a series of strikes to O-Khan. O-Khan fired back with a chop. Tsuji hit a tackle and a splash for a near fall. Tsuji went for a crab, but O-Khan blocked and used a triangle. Tsuji slid out and hit a spear.
Cobb saved O-Khan. Cobb and O-Khan doubled up on Tsuji. O-Khan hit a facebuster for a two count as Ibushi saved. Tsuji used two quick cradles for near falls. He went for a third, but O-Khan caught him in the claw and hit the Eliminator for the pin.
Ibushi and Cobb stared each other down after the match, but there was no big angle here.
This looked like it would be the best match on the show on paper. Had they been in the main event spot and given ten more minutes, they really could have done something special. Still, this was very good.
Shingo and Okada began. Shingo hit a chop. Okada took Shingo down with a snapmare, then sent him rolling outside after a sliding dropkick. They clearly didn’t want to give away too much this early.
YH and BUSHI tagged in. BUSHI hit a rana and a dropkick and YH was cut off quickly. LIJ traded tags as they worked on YH. Okada, Ishii and Goto saved for YH and helped him cut Naito off. YH and Naito traded chops. Ishii tagged in and backed Naito into the corner. Naito hit a series of forearms. Ishii no-sold, then hit a brutal series of chops and forearms.
Naito and Ishii traded forearms in the center of the ring. SANADA and Goto jumped in. Naito used the distraction to hit Ishii with a neckbreaker and a dropkick for a double down.
Okada and Shingo got tags. Shingo hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Okada sold that big. Okada ducked a lariat and hit a running back elbow. He hit a back elbow in the corner and a DDT for a near fall.
Shingo blocked the air raid crash neckbreaker. They traded strikes. Okada missed a dropkick. Shingo missed a sliding lariat. Shingo ran off the ropes into an Okada dropkick. This was more what would you expect from a tag preview of a big singles match. Good stuff.
BUSHI and Goto tagged in. Ishii and YH cleared the LIJ apron and they went 3-on-1 against BUSHI. BUSHI blocked an ushigoroshi attempt and hit a backstabber to Goto. SANADA got a tag. Shingo, Naito and SANADA went 3-on-1 against Goto. SANADA hit a TKO for a near fall as Okada made the save.
SANADA rolled through off a missed moonsault. Everyone jumped in for a big move. Naito took a flip bump for a YH lariat.
YH hit a headhunter to SANADA, then Goto cradled SANADA for the flash pin.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (w/Miho Abe & DOUKI) defeated Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (w/Jado) to win the titles (26:08)
This was absolute madness. It was probably the best match these two teams have had this year. Technically it was far from a masterpiece, but it was a wild brawl between two teams who hate each other.
Jado and DOUKI made a big show of going to the back before the match began, virtually assuring their involvement later.
Tonga and Loa tried a double team on Taichi at the outset, but he fought them off. With that plan failing, then went after Miho Abe on the floor. Taichi went to fight for his wife’s honor. Tama grabbed her and forced her to watch as Loa attacked Taichi. Sabre tried to save, but got sent into the barricade.
Taichi made it back in after a countout tease. He came back with an axe bomber to Tama. Loa and Sabre tagged in. Sabre used an octopus hold. Loa reached the ropes to force a break. Sabre hit a wild tornado DDT and tagged Taichi.
Taichi hammered away at Loa with kicks. He dared Loa to strike with him, so Loa dropped him with a heavy forearm. They continued to trade. Both hit gamengiri kicks. Sabre used a neck crank on an interfering Tonga. Loa tackled Sabre. Taichi hit a backdrop suplex to Loa for a double down. Loa used an OJK. Taichi fought for a rope break. Taichi hit a rolling elbow.
Tama and Sabre got tags. Sabre used Barry from Eastenders. Jado ran in and took the ref. Gedo ran in with brass knuckles. DOUKI ran in and slipped while trying a springboard attack to Gedo. DOUKI dragged Jado to the back. Loa saved for Tama.
G.O.D. hit a Tongan Twist to Sabre for a near fall. Tama hit an assisted gun Stun for a near fall with Taichi saving Sabre. G.O.D. hit Taichi with a Magic Killer. Loa hit a diving headbutt to Sabre. Tonga hit a frog splash for a near fall.
G.O.D. tried a super powerbomb on Sabre, but he hit a rana out of it. Taichi hit a double axe bomber to G.O.D., then revived Sabre. Sabre hit a PK to Tonga for a two count. Taichi and Sabre went for Zack Mephisto, but Loa saved. Loa got hit with Zack Mephisto.
Tonga hit a low blow to Taichi and rolled Sabre up for a two count. Sabre blocked a Gun Stun and applied a choke to Tonga. Taichi jumped in for a gamengiri.
Sabre and Taichi hit a Tensho Zack Driver to Tonga, then Sabre covered for the pin.
Sabre and Taichi cut short promos after the match, then Miho Abe celebrated with the titles to close the show.
**********
Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s show:
NJPW Road to Dominion, Wednesday, June 2, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
YOH, SHO & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. EVIL, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
A NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match and an IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match will headline NJPW’s Road to Dominion tour.
On Wednesday, June 2 in Korakuen Hall, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI will defend the NEVER Six-Man titles against Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI.
That match was set up on the Road to Wrestle Grand Slam tour. After Naito and SANADA defeated Goto and YOSHI-HASHI in the main event of the May 26 show, Naito issued a challenge. YOSHI-HASHI accepted the challenge on behalf of his team, then was attacked three-on-one by Naito, SANADA and BUSHI. Goto ran in to make the save for YOSHI-HASHI.
On Tuesday, June 1 in Korakuen Hall, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles against Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi.
That bout is a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom 15 on January 4 and The New Beginning in Hiroshima on February 10. Tonga and Loa defeated Sabre and Taichi for the titles at Wrestle Kingdom, then beat them in a rematch in Hiroshima.
Tuesday’s Road to Dominion event will air for free on NJPW World. A Road to Dominion show is also currently scheduled for Friday, June 5, but no card has been announced. Three matches have been announced for Dominion, which was moved from June 6 to June 7.
Here are the lineups announced so far for the Dominion tour:
NJPW Road to Dominion, Tuesday, June 1, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time, free on NJPW World —
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (c) vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.
Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Kota Ibushi & Yota Tsuji vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. EVIL, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
YOH, SHO & Yuya Uemura vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
NJPW Road to Dominion, Wednesday, June 2, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
YOH, SHO & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. EVIL, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
NJPW Road to Dominion, Friday, June 5, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
Card to be announced
NJPW Dominion, Monday, June 7, 3 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi
Kota Ibushi vs. Jeff Cobb
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs. YOH
