Tag: njpw new year dash

Will Ospreay gives injury update during surprise NJPW appearance

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AEW star Will Ospreay gave an update on his injury status while making a surprise appearance at NJPW New Year Dash 2026.

The 32-year-old Ospreay has been sidelined since August 2025 due to a neck injury. He’s undergone surgery and is working toward a return. Though it will be a while before that can happen, Ospreay is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and is looking forward to returning to both AEW and NJPW when he can.

“I can’t come back right now. I still need to recover. It’s going to take me a long time, but I’m getting closer and closer. I’m getting better and better — and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said at New Year Dash. “When I’m good to go, I’m going to handle some business in AEW. I’m going to come back to New Japan Pro Wrestling.”

Ospreay was part of an angle with his former United Empire stablemates at the New Year Dash event. He offered to help support Callum Newman and help get United Empire on the right track. Newman didn’t seem to have much interest in Ospreay’s offer. He initially hugged Ospreay but then went to hit him with a chair before the rest of United Empire intervened.

Speaking backstage after the angle, Ospreay called AEW his home base but said he would like to occasionally wrestle for NJPW as well.

“That’s my main stage, where I fight every week,” Ospreay said about AEW. “But I want to come back. Whether it’s two shows a year, three, or five. I’m determined to make it happen.”

Along with this New Year Dash appearance, Ospreay was in Japan for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony at Wrestle Kingdom 20.

New faction introduced at NJPW New Year Dash

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Double champion Yota Tsuji has introduced a new faction into the NJPW ranks.

At New Year Dash 2026 on Monday, Tsuji announced the formation of a new faction named “Unbound Company.” It will see former Los Ingobernables de Japon members Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi officially align with the Bullet Club War Dogs after the two sides had already been working together.

“There’s something I need to say here today. Until now, Bullet Club War Dogs and the Independents have been working together. But that ends today,” Tsuji announced. “From now on, we will fight as one unit. Our name is Unbound Co. An organization that is not bound by anyone.”

Tsuji defeated Konosuke Takeshita at Wrestle Kingdom 20 to retain the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship and win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He is now locked into a feud against United Empire, with Tsuji, Takagi, David Finlay & Drilla Moloney losing to Jake Lee, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & HENARE in an eight-man tag match at New Year Dash.

Jake Lee was added to United Empire at Wrestle Kingdom 20 and attacked Tsuji, likely putting himself in IWGP World Heavyweight Championship contention. It was revealed at New Year Dash that Gabe Kidd and Andrade El Idolo will soon face off to determine a challenger for Tsuji’s Global Heavyweight title.

At New Year Dash, Tsuji brought back the fan-favorite classic design of the IWGP Championship that had been retired in 2021.

Title change takes place at NJPW New Year Dash

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A title change took place on Monday to help kick off a new era for NJPW.

Following the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 20, NJPW was immediately back in action with New Year Dash 2026 being held at Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo. The card saw new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions crowned with the Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) prevailing in a four-way match.

Eagles & Fujita defeated DOUKI & SHO, Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X, and El Desperado & Kuukai to win the belts. House of Torture tried to interfere to help DOUKI & SHO keep their titles, but Eagles & Fujita were able to dispatch of Yoshibonu Kanemaru and pin Robbie X to become champions.

This marks the second time that Eagles & Fujita have been IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions together. Their first reign lasted for nearly four months from January-April 2025.

Eagles & Fujita are members of the NJPW faction TMDK. Their stablemates Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa had the chance to bring more gold to TMDK at New Year Dash but fell short in their attempt to win the IWGP Tag Team titles. In the main event of NJPW’s first show of the post-Tanahashi era, the Knock Out Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) defeated Sabre & Oiwa to remain the champions of the heavyweight tag team division.

NJPW New Year Dash live results: The fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 20

Posted on by Corey Michaels

With Wrestle Kingdom 20 in the books, New Japan Pro Wrestling begins the post-Hiroshi Tanahashi era with their annual New Year Dash event.

The card from Tokyo’s Ota City Gymnasium traditionally is left a mystery, but the main event was already announced. In it, the IWGP Tag Team Champions The Knockout Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) defended against World Tag League winners Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Champs Douki and Sho defended against three other teams.

New IWGP World Champion & Global Champion Yota Tsuji appeared, as did now former champion Konosuke Takeshita, following the events of Saturday night.

Other wrestlers included new NEVER Openweight Champion Aaron Wolf, members of the War Dogs, Andrade El Idolo, United Empire, House of Torture, Hontai, and TMDK.

A former United Empire leader returned, the World Heavyweight Championship received a redesign, and a new faction has been announced.

Our live coverage begins at 4:30 am Eastern.

**********

Main Card

Team 150 (Satoshi Kojima, Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated Katsuya Murashima, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura

Uemura and Taichi started the evening with the early lockup. Taichi wriggled out of Uemura’s shoulder control with a lariat. Uemura fired back at opponents Kojima and Ishii. The latter forced Uemura down and shrugged off Murashima. Kojima let loose gnarly chops on Uemura, who rebounded with dropkicks. Umino exploded onto the scene, following through with a flurry of offense to Kojima, complete with a bridging suplex.

A Koji-Cutter gave way for an Ishii rampage. The Stone Pitbull didn’t so much as flinch upon Umino’s chops, but his forearms did the trick, staggering the veteran. Ishii met his match in the young Murashima, who refused to be put down, as he pounced on his now bloody-nosed elder. Taichi attempted intervention, but Uemura trounced him, so that Murashima could slam the still-legal Ishii. Taking a clobbering, Ishii headbutted Murashima as the announcer reminded the competitors of the time limit. Mercilessly sinking in a low, deep Boston Crab, Ishii tapped Murashima out for the win.

Post-match: Uemura and Taichi stared each other down while Ishii brawled with Umino after the former spat blood in the latter’s eye.

(Always a great idea to start the night with some physicality from some absolute beef steakhouses like these men here. If your adrenaline thrives on that type of action, you’ll love this. I felt a sort of generational kinship between Ishii and Murashima, the way they brought the intensity to one another.)

The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero) defeated El Phantasmo & Shoma Kato

Phantasmo, to Takeshita’s amusement, sustained control over the Alpha’s limbs, countering him at every turn. Kato demanded to be tagged in, hoping to tangle with his fellow Osaka-native, but contended with Romero instead, resulting in a forearm laying Azucar flat. Kato and the former World Heavyweight Champion whipped each other into the barricades. Almost tauntingly, Takeshita kept the Young Lion down with several repeated pin attempts. Still bitter at his loss in the Tokyo Dome, Kato laid out all his frustrations on Takeshita, leading to a Boston Crab.

Phantasmo helped Kato in dealing with Romero, but the Westerners quickly found themselves on the outside. Meanwhile, Takeshita struck back on Kato with a Brainbuster. Exploiting his knackered opponent, Takeshita submitted the youngster with a Boston Crab.

(I love to see some character development for the Young Lions, and that testing of Kato was it. Phantasmo, being a gentle and forgiving mentor figure in this match, was nice to see. Romero looked like he was one of those Little Debbie Chocolate Cupcakes.)

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) & Oleg Boltin defeated House Of Torture (SANADA, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

Prepared for a House of Torture ambush, Bishamon and Boltin laid out their opponents with an extra barrage of fists on Kanemaru’s back. Exposing the turnbuckle, Takahashi catapulted Goto into its steel. SANADA ate a disastrous lariat from Goto. YOSHI-HASHI stampeded Takahashi and Kanemaru before spanking and dropkicking SANADA off the ropes he was propped upon. Thanks to a low blow courtesy of SANADA, Takahashi had the opportunity to wound YOSHI-HASHI, but a Boltin save put a stop to that.

Suffering a scoop and a slam, Takahashi’s world became a blur after a Boltin Shake rattled him. SANADA and Takahashi sandwiched Boltin between their boots, but couldn’t follow up if an angry Goto had anything to say about it. Bishamon propped up Takahashi for a Boltin Splash to finish the match.

(SANADA looked like he was caught by those trawler men who almost caught Nemo and those other fish in Pixar’s Finding Nemo. I think I like the combination of Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Boltin.)

United Empire (Andrade El Idolo, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young) defeated War Dogs (Clark Connors & Gabe Kidd) & Hiromu Takahashi

Both teams spared no second, engaging in all-out war. Takahashi initially had Akira under his boot, but the freshly returned Italian retaliated with whips into barricades and dominant chops to the chest. Young chipped away with some kicks and bent the Time Bomb’s fingers with gremlin-like joy. Idolo added further punishment with stomps and elbow drops, punctuating with a dive like an exclamation point. Akira added to this with a standing moonsault.

At last, Takahashi found respite in a dropkick to Akira, with a subsequent Dragonscrew Leg Whip. Kidd delivered an onslaught of faceplants to the corners and a lariat to Idolo. La Sombra recovered with a dropkick and knees to the Madman’s face in the corner. Kidd bounced back with a Brainbuster. Connors laid out the United Empire and caught Idolo with a powerslam. After goring Idolo, Connors’s rampage begat all-out chaos. A decisive big boot from Idolo rocked Connors’s brain. He ended the match with a Hammerlock DDT to stamp out Connors for good.

Post-match: Kidd and Idolo brawled, with the former challenging the latter for a title opportunity for Yota Tsuji’s IWGP Global Heavyweight title at New Beginning in Osaka on February 11.

(Andrade wrestled like a star tonight and in the Dome. I hope NJPW and AEW make the best use of him possible because he looks like a million bucks right now. I selfishly want him slotted against Yota Tsuji in lieu of Jake Lee.)

Aaron Wolf, Master Wato, Toru Yano & YOH defeated House of Torture (Dick Togo, Don Fale, EVIL & Ren Narita)

House of Torture immediately isolated Wolf from his partners before bullying him as they pulled out all the stops. Wato, Yano, and YOH prevented their patented Dick-to-Dick Contact, allowing Wolf to hurl Togo clear across the ring. Wato bulldogged the rattled competitor. Fale laid his immeasurable weight on Wato, pressing fully on his back before stepping on him. EVIL doled out additional torment to Wato. Togo struck the ring bell during a pin attempt to cause a disruption. YOH and Yano dropped Narita, but paid dearly for it from a united House of Torture front. This resulted in a successful Dick-to-Dick Contact.

Togo failed an inside cradle to YOH, who replied with a Slingblade. He tapped out Togo with a Texas Cloverleaf for the pinfall.

Post-match: House of Torture assaulted YOH. His partners came to the rescue, but were also clobbered, especially Wolf. Narita clobbered him with a plank of wood, leaving the former judoka to be carried out by Young Lions.

(I would’ve had Wolf featured more in this match, maybe involved him in the finish. However, since it looks like Narita might be his next opponent, I’ll reserve judgment for what may look to be New Beginning in Osaka.)

United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jake Lee) defeated War Dogs (David Finlay & Drilla Moloney), Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji

Tsuji unveiled the new look of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. True to his word, the belt appeared as the classic V4 IWGP Heavyweight Championship design.

Lee frantically overwhelmed Tsuji, including a Facebreak Shot. Finlay traded forearms with Newman before grounding him with a shoulder tackle. Newman rebounded with a dropkick. HENARE picked up the scraps, nearly following through with a Fireman’s Carry, but Finlay countered with Oblivion. Takagi struggled to topple Khan and Lee in their union against him, so Moloney provided backup. Khan and HENARE sought to whip their opponents into one another, but found themselves on the receiving end instead.

Takagi toppled HENARE, yet Khan stalled his momentum with a Mongolian Chop and an Iron Claw. Moloney smashed him with a spinebuster. HENARE pinned Moloney after a Khan-assisted powerbomb.

Post-match: While Jake Lee rubbed his hands all over the newly redesigned World Heavyweight Championship, Khan and HENARE assaulted Takagi. Tsuji stood unamused by Lee’s antics with the title. The pair paintbrushed each other. Finlay had to be restrained by Young Lions and his teammates after he ripped off the ring apron and tossed chairs into the ring.

Newman took to the microphone to insult Finlay. As though addressing someone else entirely, Newman stated that this was a different United Empire he’d been carrying on his back. Will Ospreay emerged, embracing HENARE and Khan, ignoring Lee completely. Reporting that he had yet to be cleared, but once he handled business in AEW, he’d help Newman in NJPW. He even offered to do it Newman’s way. Newman seemingly agreed before teasing a chair shot. Khan and HENARE quietly prevented this while Ospreay’s back was conveniently turned.

(Lee does not move me at all. Looks like he didn’t move Ospreay either. But HENARE is off to a great start, and Finlay’s strong 2025 continues.)

Ichiban Sweet Boys (Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles) defeated House Of Torture (DOUKI & SHO) (c), El Desperado & Kuukai, and War Dogs (Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

SHO taunted all of his and DOUKI’s opponents before sliding out of the ring. Kuukai dove over the top rope to lay them out. The bell rang, with Desperado and Kuukai ready to level the playing field when DOUKI and SHO tripped them up. Desperado aided Kuukai in elevating him for a missile dropkick to House of Torture. Ishimori and X combined their offense on Desperado. X and Eagles formed a temporary alliance on DOUKI. Since both men were named Robbie, the modest Tokyo crowd chanted “Robbie.”

SHO launched Fujita at Kuukai, who ducked and united with him for the latter’s missile dropkick. Dissolving their brief partnership, Fujita and Kuukai collided. Ishimori sent Fujita and Eagles down in a Tower of Terror spot. Before X could get the 3-count, Yoshinobu Kanemaru pulled the referee out of the ring. He, SHO, and DOUKI teased weaponry, but Fujita laid them out with SHO’s black sheet pan. A double-Thrillride from Fujita and Eagles lent the former a pinfall win over X. Ichiban Sweet Boys are the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

Post-match: As Chris Charlton mentioned, a new faction was forming backstage via Yota Tsuji as “Unbound Company”. Francesco Akira laid out the competitors from the match, with special attention directed to Ishimori. Hiromu Takahashi came to their rescue.

(I so wish Kosei Fujita could win some singles gold. But he and Eagles are so good together, so I’m not mad at it. I’m moreso curious as to Tsuji’s new faction.)

Main Event

Knockout Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) (c) defeated TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship

Oiwa and Yuto-Ice initiated the bout with a slobberknocker brawl that saw the Knockout Brother laid flat. Sabre equalized OSKAR as he joined Oiwa to stretch Yuto-Ice’s limbs. OSKAR returned, his size nearly circumventing TMDK’s attempts to topple his giant stature. Back on his feet, Yuto-Ice fired back at Sabre, kicking him down with an assist from OSKAR.

Sabre challenged the towering OSKAR and paid the price with the German’s knee pressed on his chest. Yuto-Ice was equally as unforgiving, beating down on the blonde Brit. Oiwa decapitated Yuto-Ice with a lariat and stomped the back of OSKAR’s knee from the bottom rope. Yuto-Ice flung Oiwa’s face into OSKAR’s large boot. Sabre incurred the wrath of OSKAR for the sin of a Penalty Kick, eating stiff forearms as recompense. The Knockout Brothers maintained their dominance with a Backbreaker + knee strike combination.

Sabre planted his boot on OSKAR’s head, wrenching his arm back behind his shoulder as he screamed sweet agony, climaxing into a rope break. OSKAR bore down upon the Englishman with a booming elbow drop. By a miraculous last-second resurgence, Sabre thudded the ring with a Zack Driver for a nearfall. Oiwa matched Yuto-Ice’s fire with his own to land a Tenzan Suplex. Beheaded by lariats, Yuto-Ice watched in hazy eyes as Oiwa vertically suplexed OSKAR. Sabre tagged in, peppering Yuto-Ice with slaps until he lost focus; this gave way for Oiwa to bridge a suplex for Sabre to exploit a jackknife pin. Yuto-Ice bypassed Oiwa’s Grip for a rolling elbow. OSKAR broke Sabre’s Ankle Lock on Yuto-Ice for a life-squeezing sleeper hold. Leaking blood from his nose, Oiwa tried another Grip on Yuto-Ice. Knockout Brothers pinned Oiwa with a ruinous K.O.B. to retain their gold.

Post-match: Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura approached Knockout Brothers while the crowd was still chanting for Ryohei Oiwa. While Yuto-Ice was receptive towards Uemura, OSKAR sidestepped Umino. Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi joined the quartet, positioning themselves as next in line. Knockout Brothers suggested that the two teams face each other before taking them on at New Beginning in Osaka. Alone, OSKAR and Yuto-Ice thanked the crowd. Following the emotional retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi the night before, Ice declared himself the “Ice” of NJPW in a compelling promo that rallied the fans and commentary.

(The long build to this match continues to pay off. This isn’t some technical chess game; this is physicality and hatred made manifest by two teams with ill regard for each other. Just as the match seemed in its final gear, another was added, and yet it was hard to pull away for even a second of its engrossing action. But the post-match promo itself is required viewing, because this is the burning passion that the roster should have following the end of its star performer’s illustrious career.)

Final thoughts

New Year Dash was a successful follow-up to Wrestle Kingdom 20. Many questions to be asked and storylines continued. Yota Tsuji’s new faction amid his new championship redesign adds interest to the main event, even amid a lukewarm Jake Lee return. The United Empire drama with the excitement of a Will Ospreay reunion adds a wrinkle with the Emerald faction turning heelish. SANADA teased leaving NJPW or wrestling as a whole, so I’m curious about that and what it means. Andrade El Idolo’s involvement left me excited for what’s to come from him in 2026, now that he’s free from WWE’s despicable year-long non-compete clause.

My only complaints are that the follow-up to Aaron Wolf’s impactful Wrestle Kingdom 20 performance didn’t feel as strong as it could be, and Jake Lee was done a disservice in this push he’s receiving. Hopefully, the booking sees Yota Tsuji as the future and keeps him a strong champion. Ideally, he should mow over Lee to establish himself as a force to reckon with.

Congratulations to Ichiban Sweet Boys for the title win. That Junior Heavyweight Championship match, in my opinion, was the match of the night. As a whole, New Year Dash is the show to watch for the many new developments spiraling out of it.

What is the NJPW New Year Dash? Everything you need to know

Posted on by Jake Skudder

NJPW New Year Dash is New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s annual “reset button” show, traditionally held the night after Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo. If Wrestle Kingdom is the promotion’s biggest stage, New Year Dash is the first chapter of what comes next: new rivalries, new alliances, and the first clear hints of where NJPW is headed for the early months of the year.

When does NJPW New Year Dash take place?

New Year Dash is usually held on January 5, the day after Wrestle Kingdom (which is traditionally January 4). In years when Wrestle Kingdom expanded to multiple nights, New Year Dash has shifted to January 6. The event did not take place in 2022, but it returned when Wrestle Kingdom went back to a one night format.

Why fans care about New Year Dash

The easiest way to understand New Year Dash is this: it is where NJPW starts the year’s next wave of storylines after Wrestle Kingdom wraps up major feuds and title programs. This is the show where you often see unexpected tag matches, fresh matchups, and the early seeds for programs that lead into The New Beginning events and beyond.

Because it is built around momentum and surprise, New Year Dash has a reputation for feeling unpredictable compared to a typical touring card. Even when the matches are mostly multi man tags, the combinations can reveal who is being positioned for bigger singles bouts, title shots, or faction drama in the weeks ahead.

Is the New Year Dash card announced in advance?

Traditionally, New Year Dash leans into mystery. In many years, NJPW has kept matchups under wraps until the show begins, sometimes even revealing matches as wrestlers make their entrances.

That said, NJPW can change the approach year to year. For example, reporting around the 2026 event noted the “mystery card” tradition while also pointing out that NJPW released more details than usual this time.

How to watch NJPW New Year Dash

New Year Dash typically streams live on NJPW World, NJPW’s direct subscription service, with replays available after the event. If you are a newer fan, it is one of the easiest shows to jump into because it quickly tells you what matters right now and who is aligned with who coming out of Wrestle Kingdom.

NJPW New Year Dash quick facts

TopicWhat to know
What it isAnnual NJPW event held after Wrestle Kingdom
Usual dateJanuary 5 (sometimes January 6 in two night years)
What to expectPost Wrestle Kingdom storyline resets, surprises, new feuds
Card announcementOften a mystery until show time, but can vary by year
Where to watchNJPW World

Title match to headline NJPW New Year Dash 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Gold will be on the line at NJPW New Year Dash 2026 when Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa get their shot at the IWGP Tag Team titles.

The main event of the January 5 show will see Sabre & Oiwa challenge OSKAR & Yuto-Ice for the belts. It’s a title shot that Sabre & Oiwa earned through winning NJPW’s World Tag League tournament. Though the winners traditionally get their title shot at Wrestle Kingdom, that won’t be the case this time.

NJPW explained Sabre & Oiwa waiting to get their title shot by highlighting how important of a position the New Year Dash main event is this time around. It’s a chance to help kickstart a new era for NJPW following the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi.

“Of course, I want to be in the Tokyo Dome match too,” Oiwa said in an interview. “But the main event of the next show after Mr. Tanahashi leaves is the one that will most impact New Japan’s future. I feel a sense of mission because I think it’s an absolutely crucial event we cannot fail.”

Tanahashi’s last match will headline the January 4 Wrestle Kingdom show at the Tokyo Dome. He’s facing off against longtime Kazuchika Okada at the event.

Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo will then host New Year Dash. The show — which is traditionally a mystery card with little announced in advance — will air live on NJPW World.

During World Tag League, Sabre & Oiwa lost to OSKAR & Yuto-Ice in block action. But both teams were able to make it to the semifinals out of B Block. Sabre & Oiwa went on to win the tournament, while OSKAR & Yuto-Ice fell to Yota Tsuji & Gabe Kidd.

NJPW New Year Dash notes: Moxley, Danielson, Ospreay, Riddle, new programs

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW shot angles for all of its key players at Friday’s New Year Dash show. 

Notes from the event:

Jon Moxley —

Shingo Takagi challenged Moxley to a match at next Saturday’s Battle in the Valley pay-per-view in San Jose. Moxley accepted the challenge and proposed a no-DQ match.

Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii teamed with AEW’s Moxley & Bryan Danielson in the show’s main event against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Kosei Fujita. TMDK came away with the victory.

Bryan Danielson —

Sabre talked trash to Danielson in his post-match comments, with Danielson responding that Sabre can’t tap him out. Sabre vs. Danielson could be set for as early as Battle in the Valley next Saturday, a show that will be headlined by Okada vs. Will Ospreay as the company announced Friday.

Will Ospreay —

In addition to Ospreay vs. Okada being made official, Ospreay announced that February 11th’s The New Beginning in Osaka will be his “last NJPW match,” agreeing to team with United Empire ‘s TJP, Francesco Akira, HENARE & Jeff Cobb against Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) in a ten-man tag. Finlay accepted the challenge and announced that the match will be held inside a steel cage. 

Matt Riddle —

Matt Riddle appeared on the show in a video promo challenging NJPW World TV Champion and company president Hiroshi Tanahashi to a future match. Tana made his first successful defense of the TV title in the opener against Ryusuke Taguchi.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship —

SANADA issued a challenge to new champ Tetsuya Naito following a ten-man tag with SANADA’s Just Five Guys defeating Naito’s LIJ. The conclusion to Wrestle Kingdom left you to believe that either SANADA or EVIL would face Naito next. 

NEVER Openweight Championship —

EVIL attacked new NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga on the show and cut Tonga’s hair, which would appear to set a program between the two over the NEVER title in motion and keep EVIL out of the World title picture for the moment.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title challenge —

The main event also led to Fujita, Nicholls & Haste challenging Okada, Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles at a later date. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship —

Yoshinobu Kanemaru was involved in House of Torture’s attack on Tonga and Junior champ El Desperado, with Kanemaru posing with Desperado’s title belt to establish himself as the next challenger. 

IWGP Tag Team Championship —

New title holders El Phantasmo & Hikuleo were attacked after their match as Chase Owens laid out ELP with a piledriver and challenging the new champs to a title match with KENTA as his partner.

KOPW —

The first KOPW 2024 Champion was crowned after Taiji Ishimori scored the final pinfall in a four-way with a ten-minute time limit. 

Young Blood sendoff —

Phantasmo & Hikuleo defeated Young Blood (Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima) in Young Blood’s final outing before they will be sent away on their international excursion.

Matt Riddle issues challenge to Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW New Year Dash

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Bro vs. Ace looks to be in the cards for NJPW in 2024. 

Former WWE star and UFC fighter Matt Riddle issued a challenge to NJPW President and NJPW World TV Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi in a video promo played during Friday’s New Year Dash event in Tokyo. 

In the video, Riddle said that he has his eyes set on Tanahashi, and promised to see Tanahashi soon. Tanahashi responded with a promo translated by NJPW commentator Chris Charlton as something to the effect of “I will have to do some research as I have no idea who that is.”

Charlton followed up by saying that this was a mind game being played by Tanahashi, and that Tana must be aware of Riddle. 

No date was announced for the likely Riddle vs. Tanahashi match.

After being released by WWE in September 2023, Riddle is set to make his MLW debut this weekend against Jacob Fatu at Kings of Colleseum on Saturday in Philadelphia. 

In WWE, Riddle is a former two-time Raw Tag Team Champion, a former United States Champion, and former NXT Tag Team Champion and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winner with Pete Dunne. 

Tanahashi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to win the NJPW World TV title at Wrestle Kingdom 18 in Tokyo Dome on Thursday. 

Riddle’s promo is embedded below.

NJPW New Year Dash live results: Wrestle Kingdom 18 fallout

Posted on by Chick Fritts

NJPW New Year Dash takes place today from the sold out Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo. 

Only one match is official for the show, with the rest of the lineup a mystery, a format introduced with last year’s event. 

The provisional KOPW 2024 title will be on the line in a four-way match featuring the final four from the New Japan Ranbo at yesterday’s Wrestle Kingdom 18 event, with Toru Yano, Taiji Ishimori, Great-O-Khan, and YOH set to square off. 

Every title match at Wrestle Kingdom 18 featured a new champion crowned, as Tetsuya Naito won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, David Finlay won the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, El Desperado won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions El Phantasmo & Hikuleo won the IWGP Tag Team titles, Tama Tonga won the NEVER Openweight title, Hiroshi Tanahashi captured the NJPW World TV title, and Catch 2/2’s TJP & Francesco Akira won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles.

NJPW World Television Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi

This was a goofy opener. It was nothing comparable to the TV title sprints you would expect from ZSJ, but it was a Taguchi match. I have no doubt Tanahashi will deliver as TV champion in his coming defenses.

This match opened with a silly exchange. First, Taguchi refused to lock hands with Tanahashi. Then, Taguchi ran the ropes, repeatedly missing the champion. Tanahashi punished Taguchi with spanks on the bottom and some hip attacks.

Taguchi answered Tanahashi with a hip attack of his own and a plancha. Back in the ring, both men fought for control in position for a suplex, which Taguchi won out. Another hip attack scored Taguchi a near fall, which he transitioned into an ankle lock.

Tanahashi and Taguchi traded quick pin attempts. In the final seconds, Taguchi pulled down Tanahashi’s tights, revealing his tiny black briefs and quite a bit of his backside. Tanahashi reversed Taguchi’s last pin attempt into one of his own, which won him the match.

After the match, a video played. Matt Riddle appeared on screen and challenged Tanahashi. Tanahashi accepted his challenge but said he had no clue who Riddle was, and would have to do some research.

YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto (Bishamon) defeated Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa

Kaito and Oiwa worked together early to gain an advantage, but as soon as Bishamon did the same, the match turned around. Bishamon isolated Oiwa for some time, leading to a hot tag into Kaito. Kaito took out both former champions on his own with firey offense until a Goto lariat reset the match.

A double dropkick from Oiwa and Kaito forced YH to hit the ring. Together, Bishamon was able to rid the ring of Kaito, freeing them to focus on Oiwa. They hit him with a violent flash and Shoto to win the match.

El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (Guerrillas of Destiny) defeated Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima (Young Blood)

Before the match began, there was an announcement that Leube & Nakashima were being sent off following this match. I love both of these guys, and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.

Before the opening bell, Young Blood blindsided the champions. They then worked together to isolate ELP, securing a deep crab in the ring. Hikuleo eventually made the save. Leube stepped up to the challenge, trading strikes with Hikuleo. Hikuleo won out, leading to a period of GoD control. Leube escaped after landing a dropkick, leading to a similar sequence between Nakashima and ELP. Nakashima held his own until he contested a referee’s call, which opened the door for a UFO from ELP.

Leube hit the ring, but Hikuleo quickly responded with a chokeslam. Another chokeslam to Nakashima and a super Thunderkiss 86 to both men secured the GoD win.

After the match, GoD showed their support for the leaving lions. Young Blood shared a hug and a bow. Once Young Blood left the ring, Chase Owens ran in and hit ELP with a piledriver. He challenged GoD to a title match with KENTA as his partner. Hikuleo accepted. 

Dick Togo, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita (House of Torture) defeated Shota Umino, El Desperado, Master Wato, Tama Tonga, Tomoaki Honma, & Togi Makabe

This was a big House of Torture stinker. 

This match opened with a brawl. Once things calmed down, Honma and Kanemaru traded blows in the ring. After Honma missed a headbutt, another brawl broke out. This time, HoT established control by isolating Honma, which they took advantage of for some time. The eventual tag to Makabe only led to more HoT shenanigans.

Once Umino tagged in, he unloaded on Narita, but another HoT run in ended his rally. Another inter-team back and forth followed, with nearly everyone getting someone in. The babyfaces won out, leaving Togo alone in the ring with Umino. Umino hit Togo with Death Rider and won the match.

After the match, Narita hit Umino with the pushup bar, leading to a full-fledged HoT beatdown. After destroying everyone, EVIL handcuffed Tama and cut his hair. EVIL posed with the openweight belt while Kanemaru showed off the junior title. 

No Contest: Fransico Akira, TJP, HENARE, Jeff Cobb, & Will Ospreay (United Empire) vs. Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, & David Finlay (Bullet Club War Dogs)

This was an incredible blood-filled war. This was as good or better than nearly all of the ittenyon card. Amazing.

The match broke down before it started, with both teams fighting into the isle. Akira dove from a balcony onto everyone in sight to slow the bout down.

In the ring, Ospreay focused Finlay, gaining a bit of an upper hand. Kidd hit the ring to save Finlay, leading to an extensive back and forth between teams. A referee bump led to Caughlin attempting to use a chair, but HENARE punched through it. HENARE tried to use the chair, but a new referee stopped him. Connors took advantage of this distraction, raking the eyes of HENARE. The referee pushed Connors after he refused, leading to Connors hitting the official with a spear.

Another rapid back-and-forth followed the second ref bump. In the chaos, Kidd was thrown into the turnbuckle, drawing a ton of blood. The crimson mask infuriated the War Dogs, who filled the ring with chairs from the crowd. This forced a no-contest. An intense, bloody, weapon-filled beatdown followed.

United Empire survived the beatdown, eventually gaining the upper hand on the War Dogs. As Ospreay looked ready to finish Finlay, Gedo hit the ring and landed a low blow. Another scuffle followed, and again, the United Empire won out. Ospreay then grabbed Gedo and delivered a brutal powerbomb into a table in the corner.

Once United Empire, Ospreay took the microphone and called out Bullet Club. He announced that February 11th was his last NJPW match and promised to fight alongside United Empire. Five-on-five, United Empire vs. Bullet Club in Osaka, with Finlay picking the rules. Finlay took the mic and accepted the challenge; he decided the match would be contested in a steel cage.

SANADA, TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, DOUKI, Yuya Uemura (Just 5 Guys) defeated BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, & Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon)

Uemura and Tsuji opened the match with a quick exchange before passing the ball to Hiromu and DOUKI. After a short back-and-forth, Hiromu tagged out to Naito, who forced the tag to SANADA. Naito tagged out, allowing SANADA to take on the rest of LIJ successfully.

Taichi tagged in next, leading to a strike exchange between him and Shingo. A TAKA/BUSHI sequence followed, with both teams getting involved. Once the fog was cleared, TAKA hit BUSHI with a Michinoku driver and won the match.

After the match, both teams shared a tension-filled ring. Before coming to blows, SANADA challenged Naito for one more match. There was a staredown, but Naito said nothing. LIJ left the ring, leaving TAKA free to cut a J5G hype promo.

KOPW 2024 Championship 10-Minute Pinfall Scramble Match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Great-O-Khan, Toru Yano, & YOH

The rules of this match are simple. There is a 10-minute time limit. The last man to score a pin leaves with the KOPW title.

The match opened with a less-than-serious exchange. Everyone tried for quick pins while going for their normal shenanigans. YOH was the first to score a pin after dropping Yano. Minutes passed without a pinfall, with YOH making a few saves to maintain his lead.

With two minutes left, O-Khan hit YOH with the eliminator and pinned him twice. With one minute left, Ishimori dropped O-Khan with a low blow and stole a pin. Ishimori then interrupted O-Khan’s pin attempts, baiting him into a chase around the ring. The clock expired, leaving Ishimori as the winner.

Ishimori is the KOPW 2024 champion.

Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, & Kosei Fujita (TMDK) defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Jon Moxley, Kazuchika Okada, & Bryan Danielson

This was a fantastic main event. Everyone looked terrific, and the stories in the match left me excited for things to come.

Danielson and ZSJ opened the match with a slick grappling sequence, with neither man getting the upper hand. Both men slowly introduced strikes before pulling apart and tagging out.

Okada and Nicholls entered the match next. Okada established control with help from his team, but Nicholls and Haste attacked Okada’s arm to put him on the back foot. The rest of TMDK helped isolate Okada, with continued attention paid to his injured arm.

A hot tag to Moxley led to a passionate attack. After ridding the ring inside and out of TMDK, Moxley dropped Nicholls with a superplex and a kick. When Haste tried providing backup, both men ate a DDT.

Ishii continued what Moxley started, but ZSJ hit the ring to break it up. ZSJ locked in a choke, but Danielson was right behind him, leading to a back-and-forth choke exchange. Danielson threw ZSJ out of the ring and hit a jumping knee to write off ZSJ momentarily.

Fujita prevented Danielson from re-entering the ropes, allowing TMDK to isolate Ishii. Moxley saved Ishii with a suplex, leading to a full match breakdown in the middle of the ring. Multiple dives and nearfalls followed. TMDK established control in the chaos, with ZSJ tying Danielson up in the corner. Haste and Nicholls hit Ishii with a Tank Buster and pinned him.

After the match, ZSJ challenged Danielson to a rematch. Danielson accepted and both men threatened to tap each other out. Kosei Fujita grabbed the mic next and challenged Okada to a match for the NEVER Six-Man belts alongside Haste and Nicholls. Okada said Fujita wasn’t ready and left. After Okada left, Fujita asked Tanahashi to make the match happen.

NJPW New Year Dash live results: The fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 17

Posted on by Chick Fritts

In a format similar to their The Night Before Rumble on 44th Street event last October, the lineup for tonight’s NJPW New Year Dash in Tokyo, Japan, is a secret.

The event is the annual day after Wrestle Kingdom show, but this is the first time it has featured no full card in advance.

One match was made official during Wrestle Kingdom 17 as Shingo Takagi, Great-O-Khan, SHO and Toru Yano will battle in a four-way for the provisional KOPW 2023 trophy. They were the final four in the annual Ranbo battle royal prior to the start of Wrestle Kingdom 17.

Several titles changed hands at Wrestle Kingdom 17 including Kazuchika Okada defeating Jay White to reclaim the IWGP World title, Kenny Omega beating Will Ospreay to win the IWGP U.S. title, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeating FTR for the IWGP Tag Team titles, Zack Sabre Jr. becoming the first-ever NJPW TV Champion, and Hiromu Takahashi regaining the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.

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EVIL, Dick Togo, and Yujiro Takahashi (House of Torture) defeated Ren Narita, Tiger Mask, and Tomoaki Honma

This match opened with HoT rushing the babyfaces and taking advantage. HoT then worked to isolate TM while trying to remove his mask.

Ren eventually received a hot tag, where he launched a comeback for his team, but once Honma tagged in, HoT retook control. Yujiro used his cane to take out Honma’s backup. Togo and EVIL hit Honma with Magic Killer and pinned him for the win.

After the match, HoT tried beating down Narita, leading to Minoru Suzuki attempting a save. HoT overwhelmed Suzuki, so former Suzuki-gun member, Desperado saved Suzuki. The three fought off HoT and shared a moment in the ring; Narita looked confused by the gesture. It’s easy to imagine this trio will challenge for HoT NEVER Openweight Trios Championship.

Taichi, DOUKI, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (with TAKA Michinoku) defeated Will Ospreay, TJP, and Fransico Akira (United Empire)

Before the match, TAKA Michinoku cut a promo for the former Suzuki-gun guys and claimed they would change the face of New Japan as “just four guys”.

The match opened with Catch 2/2 gaining control for their team before passing the match off to Ospreay. Ospreay, visibly beaten from last night, entered the match with intensity.

Taichi took advantage of Ospreay’s weakness, writing him out of the match with a targeted attack. Without Ospreay, DOUKI was able to snag a quick pin and pull off a surprising win for his new old team.

After the match, United Empire beat down “just four guys”, which seems to be a new unit. This seems to be a setup for a Kanemaru/DOUKI title challenge and a Taichi/Ospreay singles match in the future.

Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, and Shane Haste (TMDK) defeated YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, and Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS)

The CHAOS trio gained an early lead in the match, but TMDK challenged this by turning the match into a free-for-all. As the match carried on, ZSJ and Ishii spent a lot of time in the ring together, as did the two established tag teams.

After clearing the ring of the rest of CHAOS, Nicholls and Haste hit YH with a tank buster and pinned one-half of the tag team champions.

After the match, Nicholls and Haste held the IWGP Tag Team Championships over the champions. ZSJ and Ishii also had a stare-down, perhaps setting up ZSJ’s first title challenger. 

Once the posing was over, TMDK sat on the apron. ZSJ said TMDK needed a fourth, and he knew exactly who it should be. ZSJ pulled Kosei Fujita from ringside, took off his Young Lion garb, and gave him a TMDK shirt. So for the first time, at least to my knowledge, a Young Lion is a part of a unit.

Shota Umino, Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe, and YOH defeated BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, and SANADA (Los Ingobernables de JapĂłn)

The match opened with a brawl, leading to an extended period of chaos. Once the fog cleared, Umino commanded the match, scoring a near fall on SANADA and forcing the tag to Naito.

Naito and Umino is clearly a program New Japan is trying to build, and they had a lot of time in this match together. Both men landed big moves, with Umino even getting the better of his senior in their first prolonged interaction.

Once Naito and Umino tagged out, the match fell apart again. Hiromu and YOH spent a lot of time fighting in the ring, even though the brawling. YOH eventually landed Direct Drive and pinned the Junior champion, setting up a title challenge in the future.

After the match, YOH grabbed a microphone to make the title challenge official. 

Master Wato, Hikuleo, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Tama Tonga defeated Jay White, KENTA, El Phantasmo, & Taiji Ishimori (Bullet Club)

The match opened with some silliness that Bullet Club used to establish an early lead. Hikuleo eventually tagged in and reset the match, leading to an ELP and Tama faceoff after a double tag.

After a scramble between both teams, ELP and Tama were left alone in the ring again. Gedo tried interfering but ate a gun stun. With the referee turned, ELP tried using the NEVER belt as a weapon but was caught in the act. The referee disqualified ELP, leading to Bullet Club viciously beating down the rest of the babyfaces.

After the match, Jay White grabbed a mic and cut an intense promo against Hikuleo, blaming him for his loss against Okada. White then challenged Hikuleo to a loser leaves Japan match.

King of Pro Wrestling 2023 Provisional Championship: Shingo Takagi defeated Great-O-Khan, SHO, Toru Yano

O-Khan and Shingo opened the match with a one-on-one interaction. Yano and SHO attempted a double roll-up, causing the match to break down. House of Torture, who accompanied SHO to the ring, helped their faction mate by jumping the other wrestlers. For the rest of the bout, HoT provided weapons and constantly interfered in the match.

After a match full of HoT shenanigans, the other guys took out SHO. O-Khan cleared the ring of Shingo and hit Yano with the eliminator. Shingo interrupted the pin and hit Yano with last of the dragon to win the match and the new KOPW belt.

After the match, O-Khan and Shingo had a brief stare-down.

Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada defeated Jeff Cobb and Aaron Henare (United Empire)

This was a tremendous match, and seeing the Omega/Okada pairing on the same side was a fantastic surprise.

The IWGP World and United States Heavyweight champions, Omega and Okada, received a colossal reaction for their first time teaming together.

Cobb and Omega opened the match, and Cobb quickly targeted Omega’s black eye. Cobb caught Omega in the opening exchange, forcing Okada to tag in. Likewise, Henare got the best of Okada in their opening interaction, taking advantage of Okada’s overworked midsection.

United Empire worked to isolate Okada, leading to the hot-tag into Omega. After tagging in, Omega stopped the unchallenged advance of United Empire, but the wear from his match last night slowed him down.

Okada tried for a rainmaker but missed; Omega was in position to clean up with a v-trigger. Cobb tried to stop the ending sequence by hitting Omega with a tour of the islands, but Okada saved Omega. Then the champions worked together, hitting a combination v-trigger rainmaker on Henare to win the match.

Once the match ended, Okada went to cut the show-ending promo. The new KOPW champion, Shingo Takagi, interrupted Okada and challenged him to an IWGP title match. Okada accepted the challenge, setting up a title match sometime in the future.

Four-way match for KOPW 2023 title set for NJPW New Year Dash

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Four men have qualified for Thursday morning’s four-way match for the provisional KOPW 2023 trophy.

Shingo Takagi, Great-O-Khan, SHO, and Toru Yano were the final four in the annual Ranbo battle royal prior to the start of Wednesday’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 event. El Phantasmo was the last participant eliminated, with SHO accidently eliminating him as Phantasmo and Takagi were brawling on the apron.

After the match, Great-O-Khan grabbed the KOPW 2023 belt and walked way.

As a result, the four will meet tomorrow to determine the first 2023 KOPW trophy provisional champion. Unlike the last two years, this year’s trophy has been replaced with a physical championship belt. Shingo Takagi won last year’s KOPW trophy, defeating Taichi in a last man standing lumberjack match on December 19.

New Year’s Dash on Thursday morning will be held under a mystery format. Instead of announcing the card at the start of the show, matches will not be announced at all.

NJPW New Year Dash live results: Wrestle Kingdom 15 fallout

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s New Year Dash airs live on NJPW World from Tokyo Dome City Hall tonight. 

No card has been announced for the event, as traditionally, the matches are announced at the opening of the show. 

The most intriguing element teased for the show is the announcement from Jay White yesterday that he is leaving the promotion following the conclusion of the event. The angle with White appears to be storyline, and the precedent has been set for major Bullet Club angles at New Year Dash before, as AJ Styles was kicked out of the group at New Year Dash 2016. 

The 2020 edition of New Year Dash featured the retirement ceremony for Jushin Liger. 

New Year Dash 2020 also saw the end of a four-year run where the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships had been defended at the event. 

Our live coverage for New Year Dash begins at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

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The show opened with the announcement of tonight’s lineup:

  • Yuji Nagata vs. Gabriel Kidd
  • Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI vs. Tiger Mask & Yuya Uemura
  • Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji
  • Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jay White, EVIL, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Rocky Romero, SHO & Master Wato vs. SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI

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Yuji Nagata defeated Gabriel Kidd (7:59)

Nagata gave Kidd quite a bit in this opener. Very good work from both men. 

Nagata looked to work on the left arm after locking up. Kidd countered and took Nagata down. They did some nice work on the mat. Nagata took control of the bout after a kitchen sink and a running boot in the corner. 

Nagata went after the left arm with kicks. Kidd tried for a suplex, but Nagata blocked. Kidd hit a kick, then hit the vertical suplex for a near fall. 

Kidd used a single-leg crab, but Nagata forced a rope break. Kidd tried for a butterfly suplex, but Nagata blocked. Nagata hit a sloppy high kick. 

Nagata hit a mid kick for a near fall, an exploder suplex, then used Nagata Lock II for the submission. 

Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI defeated Tiger Mask & Yuya Uemura (10:45)

This was a lot of fun. The interaction between Suzuki and Uemura in particular was a highlight. 

Uemura and DOUKI started off, but Uemura made it clear that he wanted a piece of Suzuki. Uemura twice knocked Suzuki off the apron into the barricade. Suzuki then dragged Uemura outside and beat the hell out of him with strikes and a headbutt. Uemura landed a couple of strikes, but the headbutt left him down. 

Suzuk tossed Uemura back in and tagged in for the first time. Suzuki continued working over Uemura. DOUKI tagged in to continue the assault on Uemura. DOUKI hit a double stomp for a near fall, as Tiger made the save. 

Uemura finally came back with a dropkick on DOUKI and tagged out. Tiger hit a high cross off the top and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two count. Tiger used a kneebar, but DOUKI reached the ropes. DOUKI hit an enzuigiri into a double down. 

Suzuki got a tag and traded strikes with Tiger. Tiger hit a rough-looking butterfly suplex and tagged out. Uemura hit a series of strikes, which Suzuki no-sold. Tiger jumped in to double up on Suzuki. Uemura hit a running forearm for a near fall. 

Uemura tried for a crab, but Suzuki powered out. Suzuki used a Boston crab, but Tiger broke it up. Suzuki threw Tiger outside. Uemura hit a dropkick and used two quick cradles for near falls on Suzuki. 

Suzuki used a misdirection spot to set up a rear naked choke, then hit the Gotch-style piledriver for the pin. 

Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji (9:44)

This was effective in getting The Empre their heat back after all three lost at Wrestle Kingdom. 

Empire attacked before the opening bell. Tenzan and O-Khan started out as the legal men as Cobb and Ospreay worked on Kojima and Tsuji on the outside. 

O-Khan tried to Mongolian chop Tenzan, the master of the Mongolian chops. Instead, Tenzan blocked and hit a charge in the corner and a brainbuster for a two count. O-Khan came back with a Fujiwara armbar. Tenzan forced a rope break as the brawl between the other four continued on the outside. 

O-Khan and Cobb worked on Tenzan in their half of the ring. Ospreay tagged in and continued the attack with strikes. Tenzan hit a wheel kick and tagged Kojima. Kojima hit machine gun chops on Ospreay. Cobb got a tag and hit Kojima with a spin cycle for a near fall. 

Kojima hit a cutter on Cobb and tagged out to Tsuji. Tsuji and Cobb traded tackles. Tsuji got the upper hand and hit a splash for a near fall. Kojima and Tenzan jumped in for a triple team on Cobb. Tsuji went for a suplex, but Cobb blocked. Cobb hit a running powerslam for a near fall, as Tenzan and Kojima broke it up. 

Ospreay saved Cobb from a TenKoji Cutter. While O-Khan and Cobb held up Tsuji, Ospreay hit him with an Oscutter. Cobb then covered for the 1-2-3. 

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The Empire contnued their attack after the match. O-Khan hit a tombstone driver on Tenzan. Kojima threw himself on top of Tenzan to save him, but Cobb and O-Khan hit Kojima with stomps. 

Ospreay threw the ref out of the ring and hit Kojima with a Hidden Blade. 

Ospreay cut a promo. He said the crowd thinks they’re weak, but they’re strong. Ospreay said he’s angry after Wrestle Kingdom and more hungry. Ospreay said they’re the united Empire. 

O-Khan then did his Empire roll call promo. 

They did a heavy injury angle with Tenzan, putting him in a collar and taking him out on a back board. 

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Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (w/Jado) defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (w/DOUKI) (11:35)

This was more of an extended angle than a match. Its purpose was to set up Phantasmo and Ishimori as challengers for Desperado and Kanemaru’s Jr. Heavyweight Tag titles. 

Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell to kick off this chaotic brawl. Bullet Club used a kendo stick shot from Jado on the floor to establish the advantage and worked over Desperado. Desperado was cut off in the Bullet Club corner. 

Sabre got a tag and got a rare opportunity to show some babyface fire. He tried to strike with Tanga, but Tanga used his power edge to win that battle. Sabre came back with a guillotine. Everyone jumped in and all four Suzuki-gun members used submissions on the Bulet Club side. 

Tanga hit Sabre with a spear to set up Phantasmo and Kanemaru tagging in for the closing sequence. Everyone jumped in and hit a big move. 

Kanemaru tried to swing a whiskey bottle but Phantasmo ducked the shot. Phantasmo hit one superkick and pinned Kanemaru. The English announcers teased the idea that Phantasmo loaded his boot and that’s why the superkick was so effective. 

Phantasmo and Ishimori posed with Desperado and Kanemaru’s title belts after the match. 

G.O.D. also escaped with Taichi’s iron fingers still in their grasp. 

Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Jay White, EVIL, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens (w/Gedo & Dick Togo) (13:47)

Owens and Yano began. They did some comedy with Yano’s KOPW trophy. Goto and Yujiro tagged in. The CHAOS side briefly had the advantage. Togo jumped on the apron and all five CHAOS guys pulled him into the ring and pounded on him. 

Togo recovered to trip Okada from the floor and allowed Bullet Club to take over. EVIL hit Okada with stomps. White tagged in and got a nice round of applause from the crowd. Fale, Yujiro and Owens tripled up on Okada. Fale covered for a near fall. Ishii tried to save Okada but he got dragged to the floor. 

Bullet Club pulled Okada to the floor and continued working him over. Back in, the team continued with a 5-on-1 on Okada. EVIL tagged in for a fisherman buster and a two count. EVIL went for Darkness Falls. Okada escaped and used the Money Clip. EVIL elbowed out of the submission. Okada hit an air raid crash neckbreaker into a double down at the ten minute call. 

Ishii and White tagged in. Yano and YH entered for a triple team. Ishii stacked White up with a cover for a two count. Gedo jumped on the apron and gave White a small opening to hit Ishii with a DDT. White followed with a Blade Buster for a near fall. 

Everyone entered for a move as the match broke down. When the dust settled, Ishii hit White with a sliding lariat for a near fall. White came back with a sleeper suplex for a near fall. 

Ishii escaped a Blade Runner attempt, then hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster on White and pinned him. 

**********

There was no big angle after the match. Gabriel Kidd and Gedo helped White to the back. Bullet Club left. CHAOS celebrated briefly in the ring, then left. 

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SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI defeated Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Rocky Romero, SHO & Master Wato (17:23)

This was a fun main event with a couple of teases for NEVER and Jr. Heavy title programs, with Shingo vs. Tanahashi and Hiromu vs. SHO. 

Hiromu and SHO started off with a nice striking battle. Romero tagged in and got a near fall on Hiromu. Romero hit the ropes and Naito tripped him. LIJ turned this into a brawl around ringside. 

After the trip, Hiromu isolated Romero in the LIJ corner. BUSHI tagged in and continued the attacke with a chinlock and a rake of the face. Shingo tagged in and cleared the opposing apron. He first feigned as though he was going to leave Tanahashi alone, but he then knocked Tana off the apron as well. 

Naito tagged in and hit a combinacion cabron on Romero. Romero came back with a double rana on Naito and BUSHI. He looked to tag Ibushi, but SANADA got a tag and stopped him. Romero then hit a pop-up hurricanrana on SANADA and tagged Ibushi. 

Ibushi cleared the LIJ corner and hit a running mid kick on SANADA. Ibushi hit a combination of strikes and a standing moonsault on SANADA for a two count. SANADA tried for a paradise lock and got it on his second attempt at the 10 minute call. He broke the hold with a dropkick. 

Tanahashi and Shingo tagged in. They traded strikes. Tanahashi hit a flying forearm and a dragon screw. Shingo blocked a slingblade attempt. Tana ducked a pumping bomber and hit twist and shout. Shingo answered with his own twist and shout. 

Shingo hit a series of strikes. Tana hit an open-hand slap to the face. Shingo hit a lariat and tagged BUSHI. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick on Tana. Tana came back with a twist and shout on BUSHI and tagged Wato. 

Wato hit a series of kicks on BUSHI. He followed with a springboard uppercut forearm for a near fall. BUSHI ducked a kick. Naito entered for a dropkick. Hiromu hit a dropkick as well at the 15 minute call. 

BUSHI went for the MX. Wato avoided it. Romero jumped in and hit a knee. Naito took out Romero. SHO took out Naito. Hiromu hit a thrust kick on SHO. Wato hit a flying mid kick on Hiromu. Wato went for a recientemente but BUSHI blocked. 

LIJ jumped in and attacked Wato. BUSHI blocked another recientemente and used a rolling cradle for a near fall. 

BUSHI then hit the MX and pinned Wato. 

**********

Tanahashi and Shingo, SHO and Hiromu, SANADA and Ibushi all stared each other down after the match. 

BUSHI cut a promo, asserting LIJ’s dominance. LIJ then posed for ringside photographers and closed the show with their group fist bump.