Tag: Njpw Dominion Results

NJPW Dominion live results: Goto vs. Shingo IWGP title match

Posted on June 14, 2025June 15, 2025 by Corey Michaels

Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship headlines today’s NJPW Dominion.

Goto will go for his sixth successful defense of IWGP gold in the main event, but Shingo holds a 3-1 edge over the champ in their four previous singles meetings.

In the semi-main, IWGP Global Champion Yota Tsuji defends his title against Gabe Kidd in a matchup of two of the company’s brightest young stars.

Bullet Club continues to implode as David Finlay of War Dogs faces House of Torture’s EVIL in a dog collar chain deathmatch.

NEVER Openweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita defends his title against Boltin Oleg/Oleg Boltin on the undercard.

Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman put their IWGP Tag Team titles on the line against Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi.

The IWGP Junior Tag titles are also up for grabs today with YOH and Master Wato facing SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

Hiroshi Tanahashi’s road to retirement continues with a singles match against Yuya Uemura.

Shota Umino and El Phantasmo take on Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa in an undercard tag team bout.

In another War Dogs vs. House of Torture matchup, Taiji Ishimori, Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney, and Chase Owens face SANADA, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, and a new mystery member of HoT in the main card opener.

A Young Lion tag team bout is set for the pre-show with Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato vs. Daiki Nagai & Masatora Yasuda.

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Pre-show

Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato defeated Daiki Nagai & Masatora Yasuda

Murashima sunk in a deep Boston Crab on Nagai to near success. Yasuda valiantly fought out of an Avalanche Powerslam, but fell to another. Murashima kept him in the center of the ring in an unrelenting Boston Crab that tapped young Yasuda out.

These four Young Lions were already good, but they’re putting their own respective feels together so finely. They’re worth keeping an eye on, particularly Murashima and Nagai.

Main show

House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SANADA & Yujiro Takahashi) & Bad Luck Fale defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Chase Owens, Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori)

SANADA emerged during House of Torture’s entrance looking like Giant Gonzalez; however, it was new House of Torture member Fale who stole the limelight to Owens’s chagrin. Rechristened to Don Fale, he no longer represented Bullet Club after 12 years in the group. He leveled him out, in addition to Moloney. Takahashi held some of the War Dogs at bay, but Ishimori fought back, nailing it with an enzigiri to Takahashi. Fale handled Moloney on the outside despite Owens’s pleas and questionings. Connors trounced Fale with a tire, proceeding to Jeep Flip Takahashi.

Moloney executed a tight Spinebuster on SANADA, who countered with a Magic Screw off of the top rope. Moloney attempted to aid Owens to finish off SANADA with a guitar shot. Owens then hit Moloney with a low blow to the shock of Osaka. SANADA finished off Moloney with a guitar shot for the win. Chase Owens joins Bad Luck Fale as a member of House of Torture.

Not a fan of House of Torture, but this development provided a shock to open the main card. All I can really say as I think that Fale and Owens fit in fine there. At least the promoters got this out of the way immediately. I don’t want to call him Don Fale though.

TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated El Phantasmo & Shota Umino

Umino and Oiwa locked up into a stalemate, whereas continued Sabre controlled Phantasmo to ground his otherwise dynamic, well-rounded style. Oiwa joined his teammate in targeting Phantasmo’s limbs like they were playing musical chairs. Umino blasted into his hot tag with a fiery comeback that toppled Sabre with a Tornado-DDT. Phantasmo saved Umino from a united front by Oiwa and Sabre, nearly capitalized with a Moonsault.

A desperate Oiwa reached for a Doctor Bomb, which failed to secure the pin on Phantasmo. TMDK wore down their opponents with sleeper holds, yet ultimately staggered to synchronized enziguris from their foes. Umino and Sabre exchanged multiple pin variations with Sabre succeeding a final one in a flash for the victory.

Sabre’s way of snatching a surprise win from the ground is why he’s such a compelling watch.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yuya Uemura

The match saw Tanahashi’s technique being seasoned to test Uemura, but not fast enough to keep up. Uemura worked the arm of The Ace, yet incurred the shock of a Flying Crossbody and Back Body Drop with a middle-rope Senton for extra measure. Uemura countered a Sling Blade into an attempted Deadbolt Suplex, but dropped from Tanahashi’s Dragon Screw Leg Whip. A successful Sling Blade teetered the match in Tanahashi’s favor.

Tanahashi baited Uemura into rage, with Uemura temporarily tiring out from a stiff exchange. He dove for Tanahashi but landed on his elbow, weakening it. Tanahashi stopped Uemura with a Dragon Suplex. The Ace almost succumbed to a juji-gatame, had he not wisely leveraged the weight of the two to sneak a pinfall.

Tanahashi taking measured approaches to overcome the spry Uemura for a win was an excellent story, as he visibly analyzed his next steps after the initial grappling. Hopefully they revisit this before Tanahashi hangs up his boots.

House Of Torture (SHO & Douki) defeated Master Wato & YOH (c) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Prior to the bell, SHO blamed Wato for the injury suffered by advertised partener Yoshinobu Kanemaru before revealing his new partner, a returning Douki. The pair immediately dispatched YOH on the outside. SHO set Douki up for a Basement Dropkick to Wato as he held up the champion’s legs. Kanemaru revealed his injury was a ruse when he chopped Wato in the crotch from the top rope before wrapping up his arm again. Wato, distressed, crawled for a rope break during a nasty Single-Leg Crab courtesy of Douki.

He and SHO continued wearing down the lonesome Wato before they dropped to his double-clothesline. YOH made the hot tag, unloading on SHO with aerial maneuvers. Wato delivered a plancha to Douki, dazing him enough to slingshot him into the barricade. Kanemaru swung with his whiskey obttle and SHO with a screwdriver but missed the champions and hit each other. Douki leveled the playing field, swinging a pipe on Wato after Kanemaru spat whiskey in YOH’s face. Douki secured Wato’s arm and knee into a hold that strained both to tap him out as SHO forced YOH to watch.

An unexpected turn from Douki and an unexpected title change. House of Torture boosted their roster tonight and I’m not overly fond of this recruitment. Still, I think the paring of Douki and SHO could bear fruit and be a net positive for the stable.

Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan) (c) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship

Newman exploded onto Taichi, overwhelming him with the quickness. Khan furthered the punishment, with a Big Sit to pour salt in the wound. Ishii barreled in with the tag, blasting through Khan and Newman, emphatically dropping the former with a vertical suplex. Khan used Ishii’s own momentum against him; he flipped the challenger over for an arm hold.

Taichi endured Newman’s flurry of attacks, grabbing a comeback with a lariat and excitedly throwing off his longer pants to reveal his short trunks. Building up to an attack, Taichi fell instead to Khan, who booted Ishii in the face when he tried to make the save. This set up Newman for a Shotgun Knee to plummet Taichi to the outside. Khan sacrificed himself to take Ishii out on the outside, leading Newman to a Spanish Fly on Taichi. Khan’s efforts were thwarted, however, as Ishii rescued Taichi. With that, Taichi sent Newman to the mat with a Black Mephisto for the win.

After the House of Torture updates, this is a welcome return to form on the level of Uemura versus Tanahashi. Though I wish Newman had more time with the belt after the confusion with Jeff Cobb months ago, he and Khan put up a valiant effort. Seeing Taichi celebrate with some gold was heartwarming though, and I’ll not say no to Two-Belts Ishii.

G1 Climax entrants announcement

Block A: Hirooki Goto, Boltin Oleg, Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, David Finlay, EVIL, SANADA, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and two winners of qualifying matches.

Block B: El Phantasmo, Shota Umino, Shingo Takagi, Zack Sabre Jr, Great-O-Khan, Gabe Kidd, Ren Narita, Konosuke Takeshita, and two winners of qualifying matches.

Oleg Boltin defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) for the NEVER Openweight Championship

LIke two rampaging bulls, champion and challenger clashed, with Boltin’s force dropping Takeshita, who returned the favor and followed up with a top rope dive. Takeshita threw everything into battering Boltin, but eventually was caught over the Kazakh wrestler’s shoulders, who sent him flying to the entrance ramp. Takeshita unleashed a loud, resonant forearm to Boltin at the top of the ramp. The champion was sent tumbling down the sloping entrance after a brief Boltin Shake.

Barely making it to the ring, Takeshita withstood a Boltin Bomb, regaining control with a Blue Thunderbomb transitioned into a Boston Crab. Boltin maintained his resilience, pulling Takeshita from the top rope and dropping him over the shoulder to the mat. Takeshita tried choking him out, but the Osaka crowd gave him the will to flip Takeshita on his back. The pair matched lariat for lariat twice, with Boltin left standing each time. Boltin trounced Takeshita with a Kamikaze for his first NJPW title win, the first Kazakhstan champion in the Japanese promotion.

Astounding closing segment. Boltin’s late 2024 and early 2025 saw him interspersed with some of NJPW’s finest veterans, showing only glimpses of his brilliant, birlliant potential. He bounced off of Takeshita well, with chemistry to instill them as incredible dance partners. Onward and upward for the new NEVER Openweight Champion.

EVIL defeated David Finlay in a Dog Collar Death Match

Each man wrangled with the dog collar chain with utmost trepidation. Finlay made the first move, yanking EVIL in for a torrential rainfall of fists anywhere he could ground or corner him. The War Dog wrapped EVIL’s side of the chain onto a ring post to first choke him, then batter him with forearms. The leader of the House of Torture then fell over the top rope, with Finlay hanging him. As the House of Torture swarmed upon Finlay, the War Dogs came to their leader’s aid.

Meanwhile, SHO removed the turnbuckle pads from each side of the ring. Out in the crowd, EVIL whacked Finlay with the steel chain, bloodying his forehead and gagging him with the sheer steel. EVIL perched Finlay upside down on one exposed corner, and distracted referee Marty Asami while his stablemates choked Finlay with the chain. Finlay reached some reprieve through sending the chain into EVIL’s groin, where he proceeded to batter him with the metal.

The War Dog then threw the House of Torture landlord to the outside in a powerbomb that laid out his stablemates. EVIL earned his salvation after being left tied to a ring post when he yanked Finlay into the post, and again, in an attempt that saw his head through a chair. Hoisting his opponent back into the ring, EVIL swing the chain onto Finlay’s beaten flesh. Finlay deployed Oblivion with his knee adorned in the chain and a series of powerbombs wore EVIL down. Just as Finlay choked EVIL with the chain, EVIL did the same to Marty Asami. House of Torture attempted to interfere, but the War Dogs came to his side. EVIL removed his collar, threw a table at Finlay, and rejoiced as Don Fale dropped onto Finlay on that same table. With his Darkness Scorpion hold assisted with the chain, EVIL choked Finlay into complete unconsciousness.

The flashes of genius in this match, the creative ways that the collar and chain were used, were tragically and ironically suffocated with the overwhelming numbers. Sad, as this was a good EVIL performance without House of Torture.

Gabe Kidd defeated Yota Tsuji (c) for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship

Tsuji soared out of the ring to topple Kidd after a brawl sent him tumbling. The pair exchanged hands, almost ending in a double-countout avoided at the last second. Kidd and Tsuji engaged in a stiff series of punches, the latter suprising with a shot to the liver. The War Dog earned a breather after sending Tsuji out, greeting him with a lariat upon re-entry. A comeback swung to Tsuji’s favor after a superkick sent Kidd to the mat.

Dangling Tsuji to the top rope, Kidd overshot a senton that knocked both men’s head in a frightening manner. Tsuji staggered Kidd with a tope suicida, who fired back with a Tombstine Piledriver on the outside. Evoking Claudio Castagnoli’s Swing, Kidd sank in a deep, deep Boston Crab. Tsuji mustered enough spirit to cause a rope break. The champion traded chops with the challenger, with one echoing with a heavy wince. Kidd withstood two Gene Blasters before destroying Tsuji with a Death Rider + Piledriver combination to become the new champion.

Post-match: Kidd gave Tsuji his props before directing his attention to Hiroshi Tanahashi, opening the ropes as a sign of respect. He then challenged The Ace to a match in the near future.

It certainly doesn’t help that this followed the preceding slog of a dog collar match, but there was no sauce to this match. New Beginning in Osaka back in February positioned these two higher up as stars. Where was that? Tsuji at least reclaimed his energy halfway into the match. Kidd ended up a parody of himself—his brawling style replaced instead with a sports entertainment vibe. I watch WWE for WWE, I watch NJPW for NJPW. The saving grace was that these two put it together in the final minutes. I will say that Kidd battling between his War Dog and Death Rider identities at least made for a compelling narrative. Also, congrats on the new belt, champ.

Main Event

Hirooki Goto (c) vs Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

These beefy warriors clashed with collisions and chops in a deafening cacophony of flesh on flesh. Goto shoulder tackled Takagi so hard that he had to get a moment to recover his bearings and patience. Takagi fired back with a Tornado-DDT and a lariat to scramble Goto towards the outside. Takagi, unrelenting, suplexed Goto at the ramp and dropped a standing Senton to the weakened champion’s back. Adrenaline coursed through Goto’s veins as he caught up with Takagi enough to topple him with a lariat. Goto devastated Takagi, sending him to the outside where he broke the 20-count at 18. He evaded a GTR but ate a merciless lariat.

Takagi mounted an offense with a lariat and got some hits in, but was left rattled by an Ushigoroshi. Goto hit a GTW and relied on a GTR to no avail. Takagi was inches away from a new title with a Last of the Dragon but failed. He tried again with a Pumping Bomber and Burning Dragon. The pair battled, a seesaw of finisher attempts that saw Goto drop Takagi with a Shouten Kai. With a soul on fire, Goto ate a lariat like it was candy but collapsed to a Sliding Pumpkin Bomber to his back. After an unsuccessful GTR, Goto chipped away at Takagi as the 30-minute count ticked closer and closer. Goto ultimately retained his championship after one last GTR.

Yes. Absolutely yes. This is what tonight should have been, from top to bottom: the multi-man, tag team, and singles matches. The crowd was so loud I couldn’t even hear commentary; Osaka was completely unglued. Pro wrestling should feel this way. Props to Takagi, out on his own without a stable against a man hellbent to make up for the lost time he spent outside of the title scene. Goto and Takagi have cemented themselves as who the roster should aspire to be.

Closing thoughts

The House of Torture matches are a slog to get through. If it’s necessary to a viewing experience to witness the developments in recruitment, one would do well to fast-forward. However, the TMDK/Umino and Phantasmo match was fine. Boltin’s title win over Takeshita was a triumph that may go overlooked. Tanahashi and Uemura was a lot of fun, and I hope they run it back. Ishii and Taichi becoming IWGP Tag Team Champions off the heels of a great match at the emaciated but still strong United Empire had its own thrills. Not that it’s any surprise, but Goto and Takagi’s main event is required viewing.

NJPW Dominion live results: Double main event

Posted on June 8, 2024June 9, 2024 by Chick Fritts

The Best of the Super Juniors finals and a lumberjack death match headline NJPW Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall in a double main event.

El Desperado faces Taiji Ishimori with the Best of the Super Juniors 31 crown on the line in one-half of the double main event bill.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends his title against EVIL in a lumberjack death match in the other half of the main event.

NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against HENARE in another title bout set for the show.

Both the IWGP Tag Team and NJPW Strong Tag Team titles are on the line in an elimination tornado four-way featuring Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo, KENTA & Chase Owens, and Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI.

NJPW World TV Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Tomohiro Ishii.

NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi, Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano defend against Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI.

KOPW 2024 Champion Yuya Uemura defends against Great-O-Khan in a storm catch rules bout.

Zack Sabre Jr., Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles face Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney & LJ Cleary in a trios bout.

The show opens with Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman in a special singles match.

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Tetsuya Naito defeated Callum Newman

This was really the match you would expect it to be. Newman tried to keep up with Naito, but the veteran put him down for trying. Simple as.

Newman kicked off Dominion by attacking Naito ahead of the opening bell. This led to a short stint of offense on the floor.

Naito turned the match around by driving Newman into the apron, kicking off a prolonged period of Naito control. After surviving a Frankensteiner, Newman hit a Spanish fly, launching into a short rally. Naito brought it to an end with a Destino variation, but Newman kicked out.

Newman fired up, landing a handful of strikes. Naito responded by brutalizing the neck with strikes of his own before hitting Destino. Naito then pinned Newman to win the match.

TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) & LJ Cleary

Fujita and Connors opened the match with a short sequence. When Fujita gained the upper hand, Moloney hit the ring, leading to a short breakdown. With the numbers advantage, TMDK emerged with control.

Once Cleary involved himself, the War Dogs were able to gain some footing. Eagles and Moloney had a competitive back-and-forth before tagging into Fujita and Connors. Fujita retook control for TMDK, forcing Cleary to tag back in.

A stray slap from Cleary enraged ZSJ. ZSJ beat down Cleary, forcing the War Dogs to make the save. The match breakdown that followed was chaotic, leaving Cleary alone to fend for himself.

Cleary tried for multiple quick pins, but ZSJ kicked out time after time. When Cleary attempted a springboard kick, ZSJ reversed into an ankle lock. ZSJ then turned the ankle lock into a suplex before finishing Cleary with the Zack Driver.

NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling Title Storm Catch Rules Match: Great-O-Khan defeated Yuya Uemura (c)

This “Storm Catch Rules Match” featured a two-rope break/ring-escape limit and a 15-minute time limit.

Uemura launched into an attack on the arm as soon as the opening bell sounded. This forced O-Khan to use his first rope break.

Once O-Khan gained separation, he bit Uemura before locking in a head-and-arm choke. This forced Uemura to use his first rope break, evening the odds.

After the second break, Uemura gained an advantage once more. He continued attacking the arm while utilizing basic slams. O-Khan fired back by biting Uemura again, creating a bit of separation. Uemura responded by bitting O-Khan himself.

Uemura threw O-Khan to the floor, stealing O-Khan’s second allotted escape. This allowed Uemura to lock in an armbar in the middle of the ring that O-Khan had to bridge out of. O-Khan fired back, hitting an eliminator to win the match and the belt.

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano (c)

The match kicked off with Yano removing a turnbuckle pad before being beaten down by all three of his opponents. Once Oleg tagged in, he returned the favor, taking out all of the challengers with ease.

Tsuji and Oleg had a powerful back-and-forth, trading strikes and slams in an attempt to establish a strong lead. Oleg eventually hit a massive dropkick before tagging out to Tanahashi.

Yano tried to prevent Tsuji from hitting the Geneblast. This led to LIJ hitting the ring, occupying the champions long enough for Tsuji to put Tanahashi back on the defense. He then landed the Geneblast on Tanahashi and pinned him to win the match and the NEVER Six Man belts for LIJ.

For the first time in his career, Tsuji is a champion in NJPW.

NJPW World Television Title: Jeff Cobb (c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii

This match kicked off with both men running at each other. Cobb was the first to score a knockdown, but Ishii responded with a tackle of his own that floored Cobb.

Cobb landed an elbow in the corner, leaving Ishii staring at the ceiling. Ishii fired back with a suplex. Cobb kept Ishii from taking advantage, hitting a German and Superplex in quick succession to retake the lead.

Ishii powered through, landing two suplexes in response. Cobb landed another suplex of his own, followed by a lariat for a nearfall. A standing moonsault from Cobb scored him another nearfall.

Ishii dropped Cobb with a forearm to retake control. When Ishii tried to follow up, Cobb answered with a dropkick and F5000 for another nearfall. Cobb then tried for Tour of the Islands, but Ishii slipped free, hitting a rana and a lariat for a convincing false finish.

With the end in sight, Ishii tried for the brainbuster. Cobb slipped free and transitioned into Tour of the Islands. Cobb hit the finisher and pinned Ishii to retain his NJPW World TV Championship.

G1 Climax 34 Format

This year’s G1 will have two blocks, with a total of 20 participants. A tournament will be held to determine the 10th man in each block.

The top three from both A and B blocks will advance to a final bracket, with the points leader advancing straight to the semi-finals.

IWGP Tag Team Title / NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Four Way Elimination Tornado Match: TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) defeated BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & KENTA) (c), Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c), & Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)

The opening minutes of this match featured everyone trying to gain an upper hand. The chaotic opening came to a close once TMDK hit Hikuleo with Tank Buster and pinned him to score the first elimination of the match.

Once GOD was eliminated, Bullet Club took control of the match. They systematically picked apart TMDK and Bishamon with relative ease.

Eventually, Bishamon fired back. Their tandem offense was enough to put Bullet Club on the back foot. Once they had the lead, Bishamon were able to hit Shoto, eliminating Bullet Club.

Once we were down to the final two teams, the intensity increased tenfold. TMDK hit YH with the Power Bottom and Tank Buster, but Goto kicked out of both. In order to close, TMDK hit YH with a super Tank Buster.

For the first time in their careers, TMDK are IWGP champions.

NEVER Openweight Title Match: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. HENARE (Draw)

This match kicked off with an intense, striking battle. Once forearms and kicks proved to be insufficient, the pair turned to headbutts. Once headbutts proved inadequate, they returned to forearms and kicks.

After minutes of back-and-forth striking, Shingo landed a pumping bomber to reset the match. Shingo then worked to maintain his lead with a combination of strikes before attempting Last of the Dragon. Henare avoided the finish, reversing into Streets of Rage.

During Henare’s follow-up, Shingo cut him off with a Last of the Dragon, resetting the match. Shingo and Henare traded more heavy strikes, ending with a leaping headbutt from Henare. This knocked both men to the mat. Neither was able to answer the referee’s count, resulting in a draw.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Lumberjack Match: Jon Moxley (c) defeated EVIL

This match kicked off with a short brawl on the floor. By the time the action was in the ring, Moxley had a significant lead. Moxley took his time beating down EVIL with next to no challenge until EVIL knocked Moxley to the floor.

Once Moxley was alone on the outside, H.o.T. attacked him, giving EVIL a strong advantage. Back in the ring, EVIL utilized his normal tactics, such as choking Moxley with a shirt, to maintain his lead.

A striking battle let Moxley regain some footing against the challenger. After working EVIL into the corner, Moxley hit him with a piledriver for a two-count. EVIL rolled to the floor to recover, only for Moxley to take him and all of HoT out with a tope.

As soon as it seemed like Moxley got rid of H.o.T., Dick Togo threw a handful of powder into the face of Moxley. EVIL then took Moxley’s head off with a chair before landing a superplex. EVIL then turned to the choke, but Moxley reversed into one of his own.

A mix-up with the referee ended with Moxley eating Darkness Falls. Moxley managed to hold on, securing the Nagata lock. H.o.T. hit the ring to break up the hold, leading to an all-out brawl between the lumberjacks.

EVIL dropped with Moxley with a low blow. This left H.o.T. free to hit Moxley with a triple powerbomb through a table. EVIL then hit Death Rider for a false finish.

After Moxley kicked out of his own finish, he hit EVIL with Everything is Evil. Moxley then grabbed a barbed wire-wrapped bat, which he used to take out all of H.o.T. Once the ring was cleared, Moxley hit EVIL with a cutter, a curb stomp, and a Death Rider on the bat to win the match and retain his belt.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Lumberjack Match: Jon Moxley (c) defeated EVIL

EVIL dropped with Moxley with a low blow. This left H.o.T. free to hit Moxley with a triple powerbomb through a table. EVIL then hit Death Rider for a false finish.

After the match, Moxley cut a promo, opening the door for his next challenger. Naito walked out from the back to challenge Moxley for Forbidden Door.

Best Of The Super Junior 31 Final: El Desperado defeated Taiji Ishimori

The opening feeling out process ended with a moonsault from Ishimori to the floor. Back in the ring, Ishimori whipped Desperado into an exposed corner to cement his lead. He then turned his attention to Desperado’s arm, working it over on the mat.

A back suplex and follow-up tope from Desperado left him in a seemingly-strong position, but it didn’t take long for Ishimori to fire back. After landing a sliding German suplex and a facebuster, Ishimori drove Desperado into the exposed corner and his knee.

Desperado caught Ishimori with a spinebuster. This left Desperado free to focus on Ishimori’s leg before locking in the stretch muffler.

Once Ishimori escaped, he floored Desperado with a destroyer for a match reset. After a short scramble, Ishimori bumped the referee, delivered a low blow, and nearly stole the win with a Gedo clutch. Desperado fired back with a strike, knocking Ishimori to the mat. A back-and-forth forearm exchange followed.

Desperado landed a spear and Pinche Loco for a nearfall. After Ishimori kicked out, he landed a reverse Bloody Sunday for a nearfall of his own. Ishimori tried to follow up with a Bloody Cross, but Desperado pushed him into the exposed corner.

With the end in sight, Desperado landed a snug tiger driver. He then transitioned into Pinche Loco. After hitting Pinche Loco, Desperado pinned Ishimori, winning the match and Best of Super Junior 31.

After the match, SHO came to face the winner. After a bit of back-and-forth, Desperado challenged SHO to make their title bout a steel cage match.

NJPW Dominion live results: Seven title matches

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Chick Fritts

NJPW Dominion takes place today at Osaka-Jo Hall with seven title matches, a number one contender’s bout, plus the reveal of the G1 Climax 33 field.

Headlining, SANADA defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Yota Tsuji, the newest member of Los Ingobernables de Japon. This is Tsuji’s first major match back after his international excursion, and he is starting right at the top of the card.

In the semi-main, Hiromu Takahashi defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Best of the Super Juniors winner Master Wato.

AEW’s Jon Moxley, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, and Shota Umino will challenge Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship.

David Finlay defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against El Phantasmo.

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) will face House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) and United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare) in a three-way for the vacant IWGP Tag Team and NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships.

Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the NJPW World TV Championship against Jeff Cobb.

KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against TJP & Francesco Akira.

Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku face Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Titan.

In the opener, Will Ospreay takes on Lance Archer in a tournament final to decide the number one contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Championship.

The participants for this summer’s G1 Climax 33 tournament will also be revealed during the show.

Our live coverage begins at 3 a.m. Eastern time.

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IWGP United States Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match: Will Ospreay defeated Lance Archer

This match was built around Ospreay surviving Archer’s physical advantage. It worked quite well and made for a great opener.

Archer opened the match by flatlining Ospreay and taking the fight to the floor. A forearm and a dive from Ospreay turned the match around, setting up an extended rally.

Back in the ring, Archer regained control, using his size to maintain advantage. A blackout from the top rope scored Archer a near fall.

Archer’s extended control ended when Ospreay hit a hidden blade. After the first, Ospreay landed multiple hidden blades to secure the win.

After the match, Ospreay called out Kenny Omega, “in Canada”.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Titan) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

The match opened with an LIJ-initiated brawl. J5G held their own, establishing an early control despite the early rush. From here, the teams struggled for the lead with multiple back-and-forths.

J5G used tandem attacks to maintain control when possible, which forced LIJ to rush the ring. Ultimately, J5G’s willingness to use tandem attack’s backfired as LIJ fired back, clearing the ring and allowing Titan to submit TAKA to win the match.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Catch 22 (Francesco Akira & TJP) defeated Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA) (c)

The match opened with a rapid back-and-forth between the teams. IJS was the first to gain advantage, emerging from the four-way fight with a short lead, but Catch 22 was quick to fire back.

TJP and Akira worked to isolate Knight, forcing a hot tag. KUSHIDA’s attempt for a rally wasn’t met without resistance, as Catch 22 fought off his attempts to finish. Catch 22 connected with a double knee, forcing Knight to make the save and forcing KUSHIDA on the back foot.

A double stomp from Akira forced a nearfall, but IJS bounced back with an extended rally. Even with the rally, Catch 22 was able to hold on, landing a double knee to Knight and securing the win and securing a second tag title reign.

After the match Clark Conners and Dan Mahoney of Bullet Club attacked the new champions, almost definitely setting up a future title challenge.

NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated Jeff Cobb

This was another fantastic ZSJ NJPW World TV Championship defense.

The match opened with a back-and-forth, favoring neither man. ZSJ attempted to take the match to the floor while Cobb tried using his power in an attempt to establish a lead. The totally fluid match featured nothing but back-and-forths from the men, a kind of trademark from the TV title scene.

A suplex from ZSJ allowed him to establish a lead around the halfway mark. Cobb answered back with a throw of his own, a spin cycle, and a suplex. Looking to close, Cobb attempted Tour of the Islands, but ZSJ transitioned into a pin and squeaked out with another win in his TV title reign.

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan) and House Of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)

Before the match could begin, HOT rushed UE. YH and Goto helped to fight off the initial HOT rush, but the chaos continued for quite some time, with UE and HOT trading control with Bishamon providing a constant check.

UE eventually isolated Yujiro and scored a pin on him, but Dick Togo interrupted what would have been a title win. This led to an extended period of chaos, with all three teams trading momentum. Through the fog, Bishamon emerged, hitting Yujiro with Shoto to win the match and win the IWGP tag belts.

After the match, Alex Coughlin and Gabrial Kidd Rushed the new champions while wearing Bullet Club colors.

G1 Climax Lineup

Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, Will Ospreay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay, Shota Umino, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo, Hirooki Goto, Yoshihashi, Toru Yano, KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr, TAICHI, Eddie Kingston, El Phantasmo, Ren Narita, EVIL, Chase Owens, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare, Gabriel Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Shane Haste, Mikey Nichols, Yota Tsuji, & Kaito Kiyomiya

NEVER Openweight Championship: David Finlay (c) defeated El Phantasmo

This match opened with a brawl on the outside, and ELP took advantage, landing a dive to wipe Finlay out. Back in the ring, ELP maintained this lead, landing everything he wanted for some time. Finlay took the lead by using the outside to establish a BC-style lead.

Back in the ring, Finlay picked ELP apart for quite some time. Finlay missed a hidden blade which opened the door for an ELP dropkick, resetting the match, but a BC distraction allowed Finlay to maintain control.

An ELP rally featuring a DDT and a strike exchange left the factionless competitor ahead for some time. Finlay fought back and led his extended period of control, but both were uneventful.

ELP tried fighting off Finlay’s backup, but this bought Finlay enough time to fight back and drive ELP through a table. Finlay closed the match with into oblivion to retain hi

IWGP Junior Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Master Wato

The match opened with a back-and-forth that had both men fighting on the floor. In the ring, Hiromu managed to establish a lead before landing a suplex on the entrance ramp.

A short rally from Wato turned into a full-blown lead after Wato landed a dive. In the ring, Wato continued to make advances, securing a submission and forcing Hiromu into the ropes.

Hiromu reversed a Wato dive into a suplex, resetting the flow of the match. From here, both men traded advantage, but Hiromu led most of the exchanges.

Wato tried for multiple quick pins before locking in a submission in the center of the ring. Hiromu eventually found the ropes and reversed Wato’s attempt to finish with a barrage of heavy offense.

Wato bounced back and landed a German suplex for a convincing nearfall. Hiromu answered with a timebomb attempt, but Wato kicked out. To finish, Hiromu hit timebomb 2 and pinned Wato.

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) & Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated The Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) & Shota Umino

This tension-heavy match opened with Tanahashi and Claudio. Both men wrestled for control, but Claudio whipped Tanashi into the corner. CHAOS fired back, rushing the ring and establishing control over Tanahashi.

Once Tanahashi and Umino came to blows, Okada cemented his seniority. Shota fought back by slamming Okada into a table, buying the rest of BCC the opportunity to tag into the match.

BCC were able to isolate Okada as a unit, forcing Ishii to involve himself in the scuffle. Even with Ishii’s involvement, BCC worked to sequester Okada, eventually causing a hot tag.

The match broke down shortly after the tag, with every man getting in significant offense. Okada broke up a pin following a Moxley curb stomp, but BCC maintained control for some time.

Ishii dropped Moxley with a lariat, opening the match up for a Shota/Okada double tag. Shota and Okada traded moves, but it was clear Okada had his number at virtually every turn.

Claudio hit the ring to interrupt Okada’s advance. He swung Okada for a while before hitting a triple powerbomb with his team.

Umino tried continuing the advance, but Okada answered with a dropkick. This led to another free-for-all. Okada emerged from the fog in the ring with Shota. He planted Shota with a rainmaker to win the rematch and retain his team’s belts.

After the match, Moxley teased Bryan Danielson before a video package played revealing Danielson as a future opponent for Okada. Okada answered by saying the forbidden door would be open, perhaps setting up a match a AEW’s upcoming PPV.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: SANADA (c) defeated Yota Tsuji

The opening saw SANADA and Yota struggle for control in a typical wrestling match. SANADA fought back, but Yota was able to use his size to maintain a lead for some time. Yota hit a big spear to send SANADA to the floor, followed by a dive to secure control early.

SANADA interrupted a spear with a knee before locking in a submission to put Yota on the backfoot. When SANADA tried for a moonsault, Yota blocked with his knees, resetting the match.

Yota and SANADA traded strikes in the middle of the ring, with Yota winning out. Yota then locked in a Boston crab, furthering his lead.

Yota missed a moonsault, buying SANADA an opportunity to recover. SANADA then lead a substantial bounce back.

A strike exchange between the pair left Yota ahead once again. Yota hit a curb stomp and a spinning bomb for a nearfall. After nearly winning the match, Yota lifted SANADA to the top rope and hit a Spanish fly for another nearfall.

SANADA tried for finishes twice, but both times Yota avoided them. Yota then hit a leaping headbutt for a nearfall.

SANADA answered Yota’s advance with a moonsault and a shining wizard. SANADA then transitioned into deadfall, which he hit to retain the belt and keep New Japan’s newest challenger at bay.

After the match, SANADA cut a promo. He hyped up Yota and J5G before promising to win the G1 as IWGP champion.