Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay headlines NJPW Battle in the Valley 2024.
Okada and Ospreay will square off for the tenth time in their careers on tonight’s show, but for the first time on American soil.
In the semi-main, AEW’s Jon Moxley takes on former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi in a no DQ bout.
AEW Continental Crown holder Eddie Kingston will defend his title against Gabe Kidd.
Matt Riddle will make his NJPW debut with a mystery partner teaming against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito.
NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia will defend her title against Trish Adora.
NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo put their titles on the line against Cark Connors & Alex Coughlin of Bullet Club War Dogs.
IWGP Global Champion David Finlay faces TJP in a non-title match.
Volador Jr. & Mascara Dorada face Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr. in tag team action.
Shota Umino, Fred Rosser, & Jacob Fatu face Team Filthy’s Tom Lawlor, Jorel Nelson, & Royce Isaacs in the main card opener.
The pay-per-view begins at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Kickoff Results
Matt Vandagriff defeated Goldy
Stephanie Vaquer defeated Viva Van
Fred Rosser, Jacob Fatu & Shota Umino defeated Team Filthy (Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor)
This was a solid opening match. Fatu went all out and made himself the star of this one.
Rosser and Lawlor opened the match with a back-and-forth that left both men on equal footing. When the match looked even, the rest of Team Filthy hit the ring, taking control by isolating Rosser.
Rosser escaped the isolation after a moment of inter-team conflict within Team Filthy. Fatu hit the ring and lit the match on fire, landing drops and dives before tagging out to Umino. Umino maintained this momentum until Team Filthy rushed the ring again.
Team Filthy dropped Umino with a triple powerbomb, forcing the babyfaces to make a save. They cleared the ring, leaving Isaacs and Umino alone in the ring. Both went back and forth, with Umino winning out. Umino landed a Deathrider and pinned Isaacs to win the match.
After the match, Team Filthy argued for a moment. Lawlor ignored the conflict, pushing his team to the side to shake Rosser’s hand.
As Umino was leaving the ring, a man jumped the barricade and attacked him. The mask was removed to reveal the former Jungle Boy, Jack Perry. Perry beat down Umino before pulling out an AEW contract, which he ripped in half. He then put on an armband reading “SCAPEGOAT”. This is his first appearance since his suspension following All In.
Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. defeated Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr.
Rocky and Soberano opened the match slowly, trying to get their opponents to overextend early. Dorada took the bait, which they turned into a period of control.
The faces eventually bounced back, sending Rocky and Soberano to the floor for a double dive. In the ring, Rocky recovered for a moment, but a backbreaker from Volador left him back in the driver’s seat.
A back-to-belly piledriver from Rocky led to a double tag. Dorada and Soberano went back and forth in an athletic sequence. Soberano won out before tagging out to Rocky. With Soberano, Rocky gained control of the ring, but Dorada sneakily tagged out. Dorada took out Soberano with a dive to the floor, leaving Volador free to drop Rocky with a destroyer and win a match.
David Finlay defeated TJP
TJP started the match fast, taking out Finlay with a dive to the floor and a flurry on the outside. Finlay fired back with a suplex onto the entrance ramp. This barely slowed TJP down, who slammed Finlay into the ring post to keep himself in the match.
As the match returned to the ring, Finlay interrupted a dive from TJP, which turned into a period of Finlay control. After being thrown in and out of the ring, TJP responded with a quick kick. TJP’s follow-up included attacking the same arm he drove into the post earlier in the match. TJP continued his assault, landing dives and strikes to stay ahead of Finlay.
Finlay caught TJP with a backbreaker to retake control. Another Irish Curse and a Dominator scored Finlay a nearfall. Now desperate, Finlay grabbed his shillelagh. The referee took his weapon, distracting Finlay long enough for TJP to spray him with his new mist. The follow-up knee scored TJP a near fall.
TJP continued his attack, firing off on Finlay until being caught with a sudden piledriver; TJP kicked out. Finlay then hit his new fireman’s carry knee strike to win the match.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Championship: Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors)
As expected, the War Dogs started the match by rushing the champion. GoD withstood the initial attack, but a brief pause in action allowed the Dogs to fire back with a vicious attack on Hikuleo’s legs. This left the Dogs free to control the ring, keeping Hikuleo grounded while preventing tags.
A double crossbody from ELP opened the door for a GoD comeback. ELP took out both of his opponents with a wide array of moves, giving Hikuleo time to recover.
Coughlin avoided a double-team attack from GoD. He then took out Hikuleo with a suplex and ELP with a driver. Connors then speared Hikuleo, setting up the hit and run for a nearfall. Hikuleo tried fighting back, but the damage to his legs proved to be too much. The top rope spear/suplex combination from the Dogs forced ELP to make the save.
ELP’s save brought Hikuleo enough time to land a power slam. A chokeslam to Coughlin left him laid out in the middle of the ring. GoD were then able to close with their tandem Thunder Kiss ’86.
NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Trish Adora
The match opened with a handshake that Giulia tried turning into a suplex. From here, a standoff turned into a typical feeling-out grappling sequence. Grappling turned to striking, favoring Adora.
Adora landed a pair of backbreakers and a suplex for a two-count early into her control. Adora returned to strikes after the kickout, which Giulia cut short with a takedown followed by an STF. The pair struggled for control, landing back-to-back suplexes, resetting the match.
A sit-down bomb allowed Adora to transition into cattle mutilation, forcing Giulia into the ropes. Now on the outside, Adora landed a powerslam on the floor, cementing her lead.
Adora then positioned Giulia on the top rope, but Giulia caught her, delivering a double underhook driver; Adora kicked out at one. The follow-up knee strike scored a near fall for Giulia but still failed to close the match. Ultimately, it was a Northern Lights bomb from Giulia that put Adora down for the count. Giulia is still New Japan Strong Women’s Champion.
Mustafa Ali Video Package
A video package played with Mustafa Ali giving a speech in the style of a presidential candidate. He called out Hiromu Takahashi for Windy City Riot on April 12th.
Jeff Cobb & Matt Riddle defeated TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Jeff Cobb, an old partner of Riddle, was revealed to be “X” before the match began. The Chosen Bros are reunited, at least for the night.
Riddle and ZSJ opened the match with a quick scurry on the mat before tagging out to Cobb and Tito. Tito and Cobb immediately traded strikes after entering the ring. Cobb won out and tagged back to Riddle, who worked to maintain this lead.
Tito forced Riddle into the corner, tagging out to ZSJ. ZSJ took Riddle to the mat and began working over Riddle’s legs, toes included. ZSJ and Tito worked together to control the ring, forcing a desperation tag into Cobb.
Cobb overwhelmed ZSJ as soon as he entered the match, forcing Tito to make the save. Cobb fought off Tito, but the distraction bought ZSJ enough time to dodge his follow-up. ZSJ tried for a lariat, but Cobb stuffed it. Cobb tried for Tour of the Islands, but ZSJ reversed into a stretch. A tornado DDT from ZSJ forced the double tag.
Riddle unloaded on Tito, but Tito held on, dropping Riddle with a suplex. This led to a strike exchange in the ring while ZSJ and Cobb fought on the outside. A blue thunder bomb from Tito scored him a nearfall, but a reckless toprope dive from Riddle kept him in the match.
A strike exchange between ZSJ and Riddle led to a match breakdown. Once the fog cleared, Riddle and Tito were alone in the ring. Riddle was able to close with a driver.
AEW Continental, NJPW STRONG Openweight, and ROH World Championships: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Gabe Kidd – Double Count Out
Kingston ate a boot from Kidd as he tried to enter the ring. On the outside, Kingston held his own, dropping Kidd on the floor before choking him with a shirt. Kingston propped Kidd against the barricade to continue his attack.
Kidd wasn’t totally outmatched on the outside. He eventually landed a suplex, which he followed by slamming Kingston into the ring post. He then threw Kingston into the ring, officially starting the match.
Once the bell rang, Eddie and Kidd traded chops. This extended strike-off ended with a suplex from Kingston. Kingston then worked Kidd into the corner, where he delivered a bunch of machine gun chops. Kidd bounced out the corner with strikes of his own before dropping Kingston with a suplex.
Kidd tried lifting Kingston up, but Kingston reversed into a half-and-half suplex followed by a spinning back fist; Kidd kicked out. Kidd stuffed Kingston’s attempt to follow up, landing a quick suplex in response. Kidd then planted Kingston with a piledriver for a nearfall.
Both men traded slaps on the mat before leveling up to headbutts. Once standing, Kidd spat in the face of Kingston, enraging the champion. Kingston unloaded on Kidd with slaps. Kidd tried to keep the pace but couldn’t. Kingston hit another spinning back fist, sending Kidd crashing to the floor.
The striking continued on the outside. As the count climbed, Kidd rushed Kingston, but Kingston reversed into a suplex. Kingston then tried to beat the count, but Kidd grabbed a microphone and asked, “Is that all you’ve got, you fat b*tch?”. Kingston responded by continuing his beatdown, leading to a double countout.
From here, both men brawled, with a ton of ring crew being used to keep the men apart. Kingston tried leaving the ring area, but Kidd grabbed his belts, baiting Kingston back into the fight. The War Dogs then hit the ring, taking out Kingston. Kidd then hit Kingston with a piledriver on the AEW Contential championship. Kidd then posed with the AEW belt before leaving with his faction mates.
No Disqualification: Jon Moxley defeated Shingo Takagi
Moxley and Shingo opened with a strike exchange that spilled onto the floor. On the outside, the pair dueled with kendo sticks. Moxley won out with the sticks, leaving him free to use a garbage can lid and a chain to continue his attack.
Back inside the ring, Shingo dropped Moxley with a suplex. After connecting with an array of regular moves, Shingo was again put on the backfoot by a trashcan lid shot from Moxley. Moxley then took the fight back to the floor, continuing the attack on a now-bleeding Shingo.
Moxley beat, slammed, and stabbed Shingo for quite a while before attempting a pin. Shingo fought back with some strikes and a lariat that sent Moxley to the floor. Shingo’s rally was interrupted by a bite, but Shingo destroyed Moxley’s follow-up dive attempt with a trashcan lid to the head, drawing blood from Moxley. Shingo then dropped Moxley with a superplex and some Daneilson-style elbows.
Moxley popped to his feet, prompting a headbutt-off. Both men then attempted lariats, but neither fell. Both men landed suplexes, but neither fell. Moxley hit Death Rider, but Shingo responded with a sliding lariat.
Now desperate, both men went to the outside and began to fill the ring with objects from the outside. They fought with chairs before Shingo delivered a lariat with a chain-wrapped arm. Shingo then hit Moxley with a stick before setting up a table, satisfying the cries from the fans.
Shingo tried grabbing Moxley, but Moxley slipped free and began choking him with a chain. Once the life had left Shingo, he placed him on the table and climbed to the top rope. Moxley then delivered an elbow drop from the top rope, through the table, and to the floor. Back in the ring, Shingo kicked out of Moxley’s pin attempt.
Moxley grabbed another table, which he set up in the ring. Moxley then hoisted Shingo to the top rope, looking for a Death Rider from the top. Shingo stopped Moxley by spraying him with green mist and driving him through the table himself. Moxley returned to his feet, forcing Shingo to beat him with a shard of wood, a pumping bomber, and a powerbomb; Moxlet kicked out. Shingo hit Made in Japan; Moxley kicked out.
Moxley returned to his feet, leading to another strike exchange. After eating a headbutt, Moxley dropped Shingo with a cutter. Moxley then landed a curb stomp and a Death Rider; Shingo kicked out. Moxley leveled Shingo with elbows of his own before hitting a running knee, but Shingo kicked out at one. Moxley then hit another Death Rider, this time through a chair, finally winning the match.
After the match, Moxley cut a promo. He called out IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Tetsuya Naito, saying “the time has come”.
Once Moxley left the ring, a pair of graphics revealed Hiromu vs. Ali and Moxley vs. Naito were both indeed happening on April 12th at Windy City Riot.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay
The match opened with an extended staredown. Once they locked up, a period of mind games followed. Ospreay began chopping down Ospreay with some simple strikes, avoiding Okada’s offense long enough to send him to the floor. Ospreay tried for a plancha, but Okada sidestepped him and landed a DDT on the outside.
Back in the ring, Okada continued his advance, leveling Ospreay with strikes. Ospreay answered with a quick suplex to gain the upper hand. A handspring kick sent Okada back to the floor, leaving him free to attempt another plancha; this time, it landed.
Inside the ropes, Okada caught Ospreay with a flapjack to retake control. The air raid crash scored a nearfall, but Ospreay landed an enziguri moments later. Both men then tried for a while to land something but failed. This extended struggle ended with an OsCutter that scored Ospreay a two-count.
Ospreay rolled onto the apron to recover. Okada pulled him off, delivering a tombstone on the floor. Back inside, Okada hit a stunning elbow drop from the top rope before attempting the rainmaker for the first time. Ospreay fought it off and tried for an OsCutter. Okada reversed, trying for another rainmaker, but Ospreay reversed into the Spanish fly. Ospreay then hit a Styles Clash for a nearfall.
Ospreay tried for a hidden blade but was cut off by a dropkick, leading to an electric back and forth that ended with an Okada Storm Breaker. Once Ospreay kicked out, Okada hit him with a rainmaker, but again, Ospreay kicked out.
Okada tried for another dropkick, but Ospreay reversed into an insane powerbomb. After both men returned to their feet, a strike exchange followed. After rocking Ospreay, Okada took a step back only to eat a forearm, a dropkick, and a rainmaker. Okada kicked out.
Ospreay tried for Strombreaker, but Okada avoided it. A short exchange followed before Ospreay tried for Stormbreaker again, successfully this time; Okada kicked out. Ospreay then removed his elbow pad for a hidden blade, but Okada cut him off with a dropkick.
Okada established wrist control, but Ospreay escaped. With the end in sight, Okada dropped Ospreay from the fireman’s carry and pulled him back to his feet. Okada then hit Ospreay with another rainmaker, this time to win the match.
After the match, Okada and Ospreay embraced just in time for the War Dogs to attack. They cleared the ring of Okada and beat down Ospreay. United Empire hit the ring to help, as did Eddie Kingston. Together, they ran off the War Dogs.
Ospreay cut a show-ending promo. He thanked New Japan and Okada. He said he was grateful for the United Empire and was looking forward to getting to know the American audience. Before leaving, he plugged his final match in Osaka.
