The 2024 New Japan Cup continues today in Yamanashi with three opening round matches.
Shingo Takagi faces Yuya Uemura in the headline bout on today’s show.
The battle between Bullet Club War Dogs & United Empire continues in the semi-main position with Bullet Club’s Gabe Kidd taking on United Empire’s Callum Newman.
The winners of today’s main event and semi-main will square off in a second round match on March 13.
In today’s other first round matchup, Hikuelo faces Boltin Oleg. The Hikuleo/Oleg winner will advance to a second round match against EVIL on March 13. EVIL is one of four wrestlers who received byes into round two.
Five tag team matches round out today’s undercard, including a Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. United Empire matchup with LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI facing UE’s Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, TJP & Francesco Akira.
The show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, David Finlay, Gedo & KENTA)
This was the same BULLET CLUB vs. CHAOS match we’ve seen 1,000 times with a slightly different coat of paint.
BC utilized environmental offense and cheating whenever possible. After minutes of BC torturing Taguchi’s rear, Ishii tagged in, leading to a CHAOS rally. The rest of CHAOS maintained this momentum long enough for Bishamon to hit Shoto, winning the match.
ELP held his own against TMDK before tagging out to Honma. TMDK established and maintained a lead against Honma early. A hot tag to ELP led to an extended comeback, but in the end, TMDK held on. Nicholls hit Honma with the Mikey Bomb to win the match.
El Desperado, Shota Umino & YOH defeated House of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL & Jack Perry)
Jack Perry filled in for SHO again tonight.
The match opened with a HoT brawl. As the match calmed down, Perry and Umino squared off. Once Perry established a lead, he passed the momentum to his partners, who used typical HoT tactics to stay ahead. This continued as the rest of the babyfaces entered the fray. Eventually, YOH was able to gain some footing before hitting Togo with direct drive, winning the match.
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA & Taichi) defeated House of Torture (Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)
More HoT stuff here. Nothing special.
After minutes of isolation segments and a bit of cheating, SANADA hit the ring. Once he established the lead, HoT rushed him to put him back on the defense. SANADA avoided a face full of whiskey just as Taichi and DOUKI started providing backup. With the ring cleared, SANADA hit Yujiro with a shining wizard and locked in Skull End to secure the win.
United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & TJP) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji)
This was a fairly basic match, here to tease the upcoming Cobb vs. Tsuji match.
UE established a lead early, working to isolate Naito. Once he tagged out, Cobb and Tsuji traded heavy strikes. The match calmed down as BUSHI entered, but a full-scale match breakdown followed moments later. The ring eventually cleared out, leaving Cobb free to hit BUSHI with Tour of the Islands, winning the match.
New Japan Cup: Hikuleo defeated Oleg Boltin
I love Oleg, but this could have been better. It was the biggest match of Oleg’s career thus far, and he performed well, but some pacing issues held it back.
Before the match, an amateur Kazakhstani wrestler in a Japanese exchange student program gifted Oleg with a bouquet.
Oleg’s first-ever New Japan Cup match opened with a test of power. Both men fought for control, utilizing holds and throwing themselves at each other. Oleg overwhelmed Hikuleo early, forcing him into the corner to recover.
Once Hikuleo worked his way to the center of the ring, he knocked Oleg to the mat. A big body slam scored Hikuleo a two-count. A second slam and an elbow drop yielded another. Hikuleo then worked a hold on the mat, forcing Oleg into the ropes.
Once both men were standing, they began trading chops to the chest. Oleg forced Hikuleo into the corner and hit a belly-to-belly suplex for a quick nearfall. Oleg then locked in the Boston crab. A massive standing suplex followed by a German scored a convincing nearfall.
Hikuleo caught Oleg on a rebound with a scoop slam. He then hit Oleg with a chokeslam, winning the match and advancing to the second round.
New Japan Cup: Gabe Kidd defeated Callum Newman
This match was great. It was a total burst of energy filled with fun offense. Easily the best match of the tournament as of now.
As soon as the opening bell rang, Newman tried stealing a win with a quick pin. A lightning-fast back-and-forth followed that soon spilled to the floor. On the outside, Newman slammed Kidd into the barricade before attempting a dive. On the descent, Kidd hit Newman with a forearm before throwing him into the railing and a sea of chairs.
Back in the ring, Kidd taunted Newman, prompting a barrage of strikes. Kidd responded by sitting Newman on the top rope and pushing him to the floor. With Kidd holding onto control, the taunting continued.
Newman caught Kidd with a suplex followed by a tope to reverse momentum. Newman then used some stiff kicks to further his lead, but Kidd answered with a dropkick and a suplex. During Kidd’s follow-up, Newman landed a few strikes and a Spanish fly, stopping Kidd in his tracks.
Newman missed a dive from the top, and Kidd spit on his face. Newman responded by attempting a slew of moves, eventually scoring a nearfall. Newman attempted another dive but missed. Kidd knocked him down with a lariat, a brainbuster, and a piledriver to win the match.
After the match, Kidd promised to kill his second round opponent.
New Japan Cup: Shingo Takagi defeated Yuya Uemura
This was a very disappointing match. It bored me to tears for nearly all of its runtime. The only thing positive I have to say about it is that, hopefully, I won’t remember it this time next year.
The match opened with some basic wrestling. Uemura gained control of the arm, taking the action to the mat. Shingo answered Uemura with a lariat before taking the match to the outside. On the floor, Shingo whipped Uemura into the barricades, establishing a strong lead.
Back in the ring, Shingo worked Uemura on the mat. Uemura fired back by turning his attention back to the arm. They eventually worked their way into the corner, where Shingo delivered a superplex.
Shingo tried to get Made in Japan, but Uemura cut him off with a strike; a back-and-forth exchange followed. Uemura won out, hitting two suplexes for a nearfall. Uemura then hit a dropkick and a slam for another.
Shingo fired back by hitting a pumping bomber and Made in Japan, but Uemura kicked out. To answer, Uemura caught Shingo with an awkward rana, which he transitioned into an armbar, forcing Shingo into the ropes. Uemura then dropped Shingo with a headbutt before trying for a deadbolt suplex, but Shingo avoided it.
Uemura hit the ropes, but Shingo caught him with a powerbomb. Shingo then landed a pumping bomber, but Uemura kicked out. Finally, Shingo landed Last of the Dragon to win the match.
The 2024 New Japan Cup continues today at Korakuen Hall with three opening round matches.
In the main event, David Finlay of Bullet Club War Dogs face TJP of United Empire in a New Japan Cup first round match.
A first round battle between GoD’s Tanga Loa & United Empire’s Great-O-Khan is in today’s semi-main event position.
The winners of today’s main event and semi-main will square off in a second round match on March 12.
In today’s other first round matchup, Tomohiro Ishii of CHAOS faces Bullet Club’s Chase Owens. The Ishii/Owens winner will advance to a second round match against Hirooki Goto on March 12. Goto is one of four wrestlers who received byes into round two.
Five tag team matches fill out today’s undercard, including a Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Just Five Guys matchup with Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI representing LIJ against JFG’s SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku.
Oleg and Hikuleo opened the match with a tease for their upcoming cup match. Oleg held his own before tagging out. Bishamon continued to control the pace after tagging in. To end the match, Goto hit Jado with Shoto.
Makabe opened the match by checking ZSJ. After a double tag, Nicholls gained control over Yano. Once ZSJ tagged in, he continued building on Nicholls’s success. Once Yano escaped, Makabe tagged in to square off against Nicholls. Nicholls went back and forth with Makabe before landing his sliding lariat to win the match for TMDK.
United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb) defeated BULLET CLUB (Gabe Kidd, Taiji Ishimori & KENTA)
Kidd and Akira opened the match with an electric sequence. Kidd was forced to tag out, but UE maintained their speed against KENTA. BC slowed the match down by attacking UE on the floor. To follow up, BC forced Akira into the corner to slowly pick him apart.
Cobb tagged in but also found himself on the receiving end of BC isolation; a match breakdown followed. After a scramble between teams, Cobb hit Ishimori with Tour of the Islands to win the match.
After the match, the teams continued to brawl with Kidd leading the conflict.
House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, Jack Perry & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated El Desperado, Shota Umino, Tomoaki Honma & YOH
The worst faction of all time had another bad match; imagine that.
SHO came to the ring with a sling, a neck brace, and a crutch. He then announced he wouldn’t be wrestling tonight due to his physical and emotional from last night. EVIL then announced Jack Perry would be taking his place.
Before the match could begin, Umino rushed to the ring by himself, but HoT beat him down. His partners had to run out from the curtain to back him up. From here on, HoT continued to cheat to maintain their lead.
Eventually, Umino launched a rally, turning things around for the babyfaces. Honma continued what Umino had started until a distracted referee left Narita free to hit him with his pushup bar and the double cross to win the match.
The HoT beatdown continued after the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This match opened with a bit of a mix-up between teams—Taichi squared off with Naito, Hiromu with DOUKI, and SANADA with Shingo. Eventually, Uemura tagged in, taking control for J5G.
Shingo challenged Uemura, leading to a match breakdown. TAKA out wrestled BUSHI, forcing a tag to Tsuji. With the rest of LIJ, Tsuji took control, leading to another match breakdown. Tsuji hit TAKA with Gene Blast to win the match.
New Japan Cup: Chase Owens defeated Tomohiro Ishii
I didn’t love this, but it was a very ambitious match. If you were expecting a Owens match, you’d be delighted to know this is much more in line with what Ishii typically delivers.
Ishii opened the match by dropping Owens with a forearm, carrying him to the floor, and slamming him into the barricade. Owens fought back on the floor, overwhelming Ishii with BC tactics to nearly steal a count-out win. Back in the ring, Owens continued implementing dirty tactics to maintain a lead.
Ishii eventually fired back, hitting Owens with much of his signature offense. Owens held on, responding with a substantial offense of his own. Ishii answered Owens by hitting a suplex and a lariat, resetting the match.
Ishii landed a huge superplex for a nearfall. A giant powerbomb scored Ishii another. Ownes tried fighting back, hitting a C-trigger in the ropes, but Ishii responded with an immediate headbutt. Before Ishii could follow up, Owens hit two more C-triggers for a convincing nearfall. Owens then a Styles Clash for another nearfall.
Now desperate to close, Owens hit a half-and-half suplex and another C-trigger. He tried hoisting Ishii into the package piledriver, but Ishii slipped free. Ishii then hit a sliding lariat and a running headbutt for a nearfall of his own. This led to another back-and-forth, with Owens emerging on top. Owens then hit the package piledriver and pinned Ishii to win the match.
Owens advances to face Hirooki Goto in round two.
New Japan Cup: Tanga Loa defeated Great-O-Khan
This was a horribly boring match.
This match opened with a grappling scramble. O-Khan forced Loa to the floor, where he kind of attacked Loa with a chair. Back in the ring, O-Khan kept up his unimpressive pressure with a variety of uninteresting offense.
After a while on the back foot, Loa fired back with his signature striking. O-Khan answered with more basic wrestling, arm drags, and holds. Once Loa returned to his feet, the pair traded more strikes. Loa won out and attempted a headbutt; he missed.
O-Khan hit an exploder suplex and locked in a choke on the mat. Once the hold was broken, O-Khan tried to follow up but was cut off by a lariat. O-Khan held on, locking in the sheep killer. O-Khan tried for an eliminator, but Loa slipped free. Loa then hit a knee strike and pinned O-Khan to advance.
New Japan Cup: David Finlay defeated TJP
This was a solid match. TJP looks really good. He bumped hard, and his offense was focused.
As the match began, TJP lept to the floor, launching his first offensive sequence of the night. Finlay fired back, using the ring to slow down TJP. Finlay then began picking apart TJP, whipping him in and out of the ring.
TJP fought back, focusing on Finlay’s arm. Soon after, the action spilled back to the floor. TJP continued focusing on the arm before returning to the ring. TJP kept up the pressure, scoring a nearfall before Finlay cut him off with an Irish curse backbreaker.
Finlay’s attack continued with another Irish curse. Finlay then attempted Oblivion, but TJP escaped. Finlay’s follow-up was interrupted by multiple reversals into octopus holds, further damaging the arm. This back and forth continued until Finlay finally landed Oblivion; TJP kicked out.
Finlay tried for another Oblivion, but TJP caught him with a DDT. With Finlay on the back foot, Gedo tried distracting the referee. Before Finlay could use his shillelagh, TJP spat a mouthful of mist into Finlay’s face. TJP then hit a splash for a nearfall.
TJP attempted a DDT, but Finlay powered out, throwing TJP into the corner. Finlay then hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. Finally, Finlay hit overkill, his GTS-esque finish to win the match and advance to the second round.
NJPW celebrates their 52nd Anniversary today in Tokyo on a show where the 2024 New Japan Cup begins.
The New Japan Cup kicks off with three tournament matches on today’s show, including the in-ring NJPW debut of Jack Perry against Shota Umino.
YOSHI-HASHI faces KENTA in another New Japan Cup contest.
Toru Yano will take on Yujiro Takahashi of Bullet Club’s House of Torture in the other New Japan Cup match on the show.
The event will be headlined by IWGP Word Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito facing IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO in a non-title match.
SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura & DOUKI of Just Five Guys face House of Torture’s EVIL, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Dick Togo in an eight-man tag.
United Empire’s TJP, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman take on Bullet Club War Dogs David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & Gedo in a trios match.
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, El Desperado & Boltin Oleg face LIJ’s Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI in another eight-man.
GoD’s Hikuleo & E Phantasmo take on TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls in another undercard tag.
Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Tanga Loa & Tomoaki Honma is the opener.
Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (United Empire) defeated Tanga Loa & Tomoaki Honma
This was a nothing match.
After a couple of minutes of silly offense, Cobb hit Honma with Tour of the Islands to win the match. After the match, O-Khan attacked Loa ahead of their NJ Cup match.
Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. (TMDK) defeated El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (Guerrillas of Destiny)
ZSJ and ELP opened the match with a flashy sequence. Hikuleo and Nicholls entered next, testing each other’s strength. Once Hikuleo won out, GoD established control.
TMDK worked together to challenge Hikuleo, targeting his leg. The tandem offense continued after ELP attempted to make the save. They held on to this lead long enough for Nicholls to hit ELP with the Mikey Bomb, winning the match.
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, El Desperado & Oleg Boltin defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji)
Ishii and Tsuji opened the match with an extended chopping battle. Ishii won out early before passing the match to Oleg. Against Oleg, Tsuji gained control took control of the match with help from the rest of LIJ.
Once Goto tagged in, he turned the match around for his team with a passionate rally. Shingo and the rest of LIJ fired back, leading to a back-and-forth between teams. In the end, Desperado won the match with a quick pin on BUSHI.
After the match, Desperado and Ishii shared an awkward handshake, perhaps teasing the future of CHAOS.
As Ishii worked his way to the back, Chase Owens ran out and hit Ishii with a package piledriver.
United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & TJP) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & Gedo)
This was very good. That said, it feels a little strange to continue this immediately after the cage match.
This match opened with an electric brawl. TJP carried this excitement into his first offensive sequence. It took Finlay tagging in to slow the match down, but the intensity remained.
The War Dogs worked to isolate Newman, eventually setting up the hot tag to Akira. Akira hit the ring hot, and Kidd tried his best to match his energy. This allowed the War Dogs to maintain their momentum until TJP hit the ring. TJP then cleared the ring and dropped Gedo to win the match.
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Yuya debuted his shaved head in this match, complete with red dye. That was the only interesting thing that happened.
The match opened with HoT shinanigans, which continued for a while. Taichi launched a rally against HoT before tagging out to Uemura, who continued the advance.
To stop Uemura from gaining any more of a lead, all of HoT attacked him. It took a full J5G rally to shift the momentum back. Uemura then hit the deadbolt suplex to win the match.
New Japan Cup: Toru Yano defeated Yujiro Takahashi
Yujiro attacked Yano before the opening bell sounded. He then removed the corner pad, which he used to strike Yano. Yujiro followed up by whipping Yano into the exposed corner and the barricade.
Yujiro handcuffed Yano onto the barricade, but Yano managed to break the railing to escape. Yano then threw Yujiro into a barricade and handcuffed him around a man on the outside. Yujiro couldn’t get loose, leaving Yano with a count-out win.
Yano advances to round two.
New Japan Cup: YOSHI-HASHI defeated KENTA
This was painfully boring.
KENTA jumped YH before the match could begin. YH answered KENTA by throwing him to the floor but missed his follow-up. This left the door open for KENTA to retake control.
Back in the ring, KENTA utilized holds and sparse kicks to maintain his lead. YH landed a pair of dropkicks to answer KENTA. A powerbomb from YH scored him a nearfall.
KENTA landed a rope-assisted DDT to reset the match. A dropkick and double foot stomp scored KENTA a nearfall. He then attempted a GTS, but YH reversed into a pin attempt, nearly eeking out a win.
KENTA dropped YH with a strike and a running knee for another nearfall. He then hoisted YH onto his shoulders, but YH reversed again, this time hitting a crucifix bomb into a pin to win the match.
Following the match, KENTA shook YH’s hand, but attacked him immediately after.
SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI is set for night five.
New Japan Cup: Jack Perry defeated Shota Umino
Jack Perry came to the ring in all black and a funny-looking goat head, completing his NJPW repackage.
The match opened with a back-and-forth strike exchange before Perry established control. Perry utilized strikes and holds to maintain his lead for some time.
Umino fired back with more strikes, knocking Perry to the floor. Another back-and-forth followed, ending with a big DDT from Umino onto the apron. Once Perry recovered, more back-and-forth striking followed.
A forearm to the back of Perry’s head left Shota in a strong position. He followed up with a variety of big moves before calling for the finish. Before Umino could close, House of Torture then hit the ring and beat down Umino. Perry followed up with a running knee and pinned Umino to advance to the next round.
After the match, HoT offered Perry a shirt. He put it on, signifying he is a part of the faction.
Tetsuya Naito defeated SHO
Before the match could begin, SHO attacked Naito. Once the opening bell sounded, Naito fired back, taking control and whipping SHO into the barricade.
After Naito beat on SHO for a while, SHO whipped Naito’s leg into the apron to slow the match down even more. SHO then launched a deliberate attack on Naito’s leg. Once Naito turned things around, SHO bumped the referee and attacked Naito with a chair.
After minutes on the back foot, Naito landed an enziguri and Destino from out of nowhere. To follow up, Naito hammered on SHO’s neck with strikes and a rana from the top rope.
With his back against the wall, SHO bumped the ref again. HoT rushed the ring and beat down Naito. LIJ followed them, evening the score. SHO tried hitting Naito with his wrench but ate a low blow instead. Naito then hit a Valencia and another Destino to win the match.
This was a show filled with nonsense, cheating, and House of Torture. If you were hoping New Japan was planning a post-Okada course-correct, it didn’t happen tonight.
Kazuchika Okada will say goodbye to NJPW on tonight’s The New Beginning tour closer in Sapporo.
Okada will leave the company and officially enter free agency following tonight’s show after a 12-plus year run as the promotion’s biggest star, seven IWGP Heavyweight title reigns, plus four G1 Climax wins.
Okada’s farewell match goes on second on the main card, as he teams with Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and YOSHI-HASHI against United Empire’s Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, and Callum Newman.
Hiroshi Tanahashi was originally scheduled to be part of Okada’s team, but was pulled from the card due to injury.
Tetsuya Naito will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA in the main event.
A hair vs. hair match with Yota Tsuji facing Yuya Uemura is in the semifinal position.
A series of LIJ vs. Just Five Guys bouts are the other featured singles matches on the show, with Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi, Hiromu Takahashi vs. DOUKI, and BUSHI vs. TAKA Michinoku.
New IWGP Global Champion Nic Nemeth tags with Ryusuke Taguchi against David Finlay & Gedo.
Tama Tonga also bids farewell to NJPW after today’s show, teaming with brother Tanga Loa against brother Hikuleo & El Phantasmo.
Shota Umino, El Desperado, Togi Makabe, YOH & Boltin Oleg take on House of Torture’s EVIL, SHO, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the main card opener.
The Frontier Zone pre-show match begins at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.
El Desperado, Oleg Boltin, Shota Umino, Togi Makabe & YOH defeated House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
This match opened with a brawl on the outside. In the ring, the babyfaces established control, with Oleg connecting with huge offense against HoT, forcing EVIL to take him out with a low blow. HoT then worked to isolate Oleg, whipping him into exposed corners and choking him with weapons.
After the tag to Shota, HoT continued using their usual tactics to maintain control. Oleg hit the ring to challenge HoT, leading to a match breakdown. Shota emerged from the chaos alone with Kanemaru. He hit Kanemaru with Death Rider and won the match.
After the match, YOH stole SHO’s belt, perhaps setting up a title challenge in the future.
A video teasing “the scapegoat” Jack Perry played. After the video ended, Shota asked English coms if that was “Jungle Boy”.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb) & Matt Riddle
Riddle opened the match by hammering Okada with strikes. Okada didn’t fall but failed to connect with much before tagging out.
Akira and Goto tagged in next. Akira gained success against the heavyweight early, but O-Khan hit the ring, leading to a full, CHAOS-favored breakdown. Once CHAOS left the ring, Akira was able to regain his footing before escaping to Cobb.
Cobb and Ishii traded a couple of strikes before Cobb dropped Ishii with a big suplex. Cobb hit Ishii with a tour of the islands and another suplex. Ishii powered through, hitting a suplex of his own, initiating a back-and-forth. Once both men were exhausted, YH and O-Khan tagged in.
O-Khan and YH hit each other with chops before YH dropped O-Khan with a suplex. Now that O-Khan was down, Okada was willing to tag in. Okada tried to find the tombstone, but O-Khan escaped. O-Khan dropped Okada with a lariat before tagging out to Newman.
Akira cleared the apron of CHAOS before hitting the ring with the rest of UE. They worked together to take out Okada, but Okada held on, removing all of UE from the ring singlehandedly. Okada hit Newman with a landslide, an elbow drop, and a rainmaker before pinning Newman in the middle of the ring.
Okada beat down all of UE like a bunch of geeks and dipped. Incredible.
After the match, each of Okada’s teammates hugged him with tear-filled eyes. Okada grabbed a mic, thanked the crowd for 17 years, and promised they would see more of him. There will never be another Kazuchika Okada.
El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defeated Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Before the match began, Jado came to the ring dressed in referee attire. To prove his loyalty to both pairs, Jado played the middleman and officiated the match.
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa came to the ring wearing their old face paint.
Tama and Hikuleo started the match. After a short back-and-forth, ELP and Loa tagged in. They traded quick pin attempts, tiring Jado. All four men hit the ring and started arguing over Jado, but his request for a “clean fight” calmed the tensions.
ELP and Hikuleo established a lead. ELP worked over Loa for some time, setting up the hot tag to Tama. Tama gained a substantial lead until Hikuleo hit the ring, leading to a match breakdown.
Tama and Loa emerged from the chaos with the lead. They hit Hikuleo with Magic Killer and a splash for a nearfall. In their attempt to follow up, Hikuleo hit a suplex and a scoopslam. Hikuleo and Tama went back and forth, trying for their finishes, but neither could connect.
Hikuleo hit a clothesline, but Tama kicked out at one. Hikuleo then hit a giant powerbomb, but again, Tama kicked out. Finally, Hikuleo hit Tama with his God Send chokeslam and pinned Tama to win the match.
After the match, a teary-eyed Tama shared a moment with his brothers, ELP, and Jado.
Nic Nemeth & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated BULLET CLUB (David Finlay & Gedo)
Taguchi and Nemeth gained an immediate lead by hitting Bullet Club with their rear ends rapidly. Taguchi eventually missed a B-Trigger, opening the door for a Finlay comeback. Finlay and Gedo worked to isolate Taguchi while attacking his butt.
Once Nemeth tagged in, the match turned around for the babyfaces. Nemeth cleared the ring of Finlay and dropped Gedo with Danger Zone. Nemeth pinned Gedo, winning the match.
After the match, Nemeth grabbed a microphone and requested that Tanahashi challenge for the Gloabal Championship. Tanahashi accepted the challenge, but, due to his injury, who knows when it’ll happen.
BUSHI defeated TAKA Michinoku
The opening moments saw BUSHI trying for a dive immediately. TAKA tried taking the match to the mat, but BUSHI continued to escape into the ropes. BUSHI ended TAKA’s control with a dropkick to the knee and his signature tope.
BUSHI’s control was short-lived, ending once TAKA returned to the mat. Once BUSHI escaped, TAKA tried for the Michinoku driver, but BUSHI reversed, hitting one of his own. BUSHI then tried for MX, but TAKA cut him off with a superkick.
BUSHI continued attacking the knee, landing multiple dropkicks before securing a leglock. TAKA tried everything to escape, but in the end, he was forced to tap out.
LIJ leads the series 1-0.
DOUKI defeated Hiromu Takahashi
This match opened fast, with DOUKI launching an attack before the opening bell sounded. Hiromu matched his energy, taking the fight to the floor. Hiromu drove DOUKI into the barricade, establishing the first lead of the match.
Back in the ring, Hiromu landed a falcon arrow, but DOUKI was quick to answer with a dropkick and a springboard elbow. DOUKI then hit a dive to the floor and a double stomp before locking in the DOUKI-chokey.
DOUKI went to the apron to further his offense, but Hiromu cut him off with a sunset flip powerbomb. Back in the ring, both men were on equal footing, leading to a struggle for control, with neither man landing something substantial. Eventually, Hiromu hit a Dynamite Plunger, but DOUKI kicked out. Both men then traded lariats before Hiromu landed Timebomb; DOUKI kicked out.
Hiromu was now desperate to close. He reached down to grab DOUKI, but DOUKI caught him in a deep DOUKI-chokey. Hiroumu escaped but was immediately planted with a massive DDT. DOUKI then hit Suplex de La Luna and pinned Hiromu for one of the biggest wins in his career.
The score is even. 1-1.
Taichi defeated Shingo Takagi
This match opened with both men trading strikes. This continued to escalate with both men going for bigger and bigger moves. Shingo eventually established a lead with a suplex. With Taichi on the back foot, Shingo took a second to plug his YouTube.
Taichi answered Shingo’s control with an air raid crash. Taichi then paused to remove his pants dramatically. This gave Shingo time to land a DDT, reseting the match.
Both men met in the corner, where they traded headbutts and strikes before Shingo hit Taichi with a drop from the top rope. Taichi powered up, leading to a couple of quick back-and-forth suplexes between the pair.
With both men on their last legs, they began trying for lariats. After minutes of running into each other, both men collapsed to the mat. Eventually, Shingo tried again for pumping bomber, but Taichi ducked and hit his dangerous backdrop to win the match.
J5G leads, 2-1.
Hair vs. Hair: Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura
This match was horrificly boring. I expected a little life for a match with so much on the line, but this was dreadful.
This match opened slow, with both men trying to find an opening. Yuya found a little early on utilizing basic offense. Tsuji broke this advance but kept the pace slow as he picked apart Yuya.
Tsuji eventually kicked Yuya to the floor, giving Yuya time to recover. Once Yuya returned to the ring, he retook the lead again, utilizing simple maneuvers.
Yuya worked on the mat, targeting Tsuji’s arm. Tsuji escaped but remained on the mat, locking Yuya in a Boston crab. The pair continued going tit-for-tat like this for some time.
Eventually, Yuya landed a double under-hook suplex. He then climbed to the top rope, where Tsuji met him. Tsuji hit a Spanish fly from the top, but Yuya kicked out. Yuya then fired back, hitting the deadbolt, but he failed to follow up. With both men down, the referee began a double count, forcing both men to their feet.
With five minutes left in the time limit, both men began to rally. Yuya hit a backdrop and tried for a crossbody, but Tsuji reversed into a curb stomp. Tsuji tried for a gene blast, but Yuya reversed into an arm drag. Tsuji tried again, but Yuya reversed into a cutter. Yuya hit a German, but Tsuji popped up, hit a gene blast spear, and won the match.
After the match, Tsuji cut Yuya’s hair in the center of the ring. Yuya cut him off and cut some of the hair himself.
The score is even heading into the main event, 2-2.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated SANADA
This was easily the best match on the card. It was a big step down from their WrestleKingdom match, but it was still enjoyable.
This match opened with a standard feeling-out process from this pair. SANADA switched things up by attacking Naito on the floor, but Naito welcomed the attack, taking control and landing a DDT on the floor. From here, Naito continued focusing the neck with high-impact offense.
SANADA bounced back with a plancha. Instead of keeping up the pace, SANADA turned his attention to the crowd. This allowed Naito to retake the lead and keep focus on SANADA’s neck.
A dropkick in the corner sent Naito crashing into the ring post. SANADA then drove Naito’s neck into his knee to establish control. SANADA locked in Skull End, tiring Naito. SANADA then attempted a moonsault, but Naito blocked with his knees.
Naito hammered SANADA’s neck before hoisting him back to the top rope. This time, Naito was able to connect with an avalanche rana. Naito then tried for Destino, but SANADA slipped free. Both men then began attempting their finishes, but neither could connect. After a prolonged struggle, SANADA dropped Naito and hit two moonsualts. Naito held on long enough to respond with a partial Destino.
Naito wanted a full Destino, but SANADA slipped free, hitting a shining wizard. SANADA then tried for Deadfall, but Naito reversed into a choke. Naito then hit a Deadfall of his own, but SANADA responded with a pair of shining wizards. SANADA then tried for Deadfall again, but Naito reversed into a tornado DDT/inside cradle combination, earning him a sudden win.
Naito is still IWGP World Heavyweight champion. LIJ wins the series 3-2.
In his show-ending promo, Naito called attention to Okada, thanking him on his last night in New Japan. He then welcomed Okada to the ring. He offered Okada the LIJ salute. Okada accepted, but Naito spit in his face. The two had a playful scramble before Okada left the ring for the last time.
Nic Nemeth makes his NJPW in-ring debut challenging David Finlay for the IWGP Global Championship at today’s The New Beginning in Sapporo.
Finlay vs. Nemeth for the Global title headlines today’s show that also features the first night of Kazuchika Okada’s two-night NJPW farewell tour, with The Rainmaker taking part in an eight-man tag.
Four more title bouts are also set for the card.
In the semi-main, Hiroshi Tanahashi defends the NJPW World TV Championship against Matt Riddle in Riddle’s first match in Japan since joining NJPW earlier this year.
EVIL defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against Shota Umino, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado defends against SHO, and Mayu Iwatani defends the IWGP Women’s Championship against Mina Shirakawa in the other title matches.
Okada teams with Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, & YOH against United Empire’s Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, & Callum Newman. HENARE was pulled from this match due to an injury.
LIJ face Just Five Guys in a 10-man tag, Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Boltin Oleg take on Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a trios match, plus Zack Sabre Jr. faces Yuji Nagata in a singles bout to kick off the main card.
Toru Yano & Tomoya take on Tomoaki Honma & Shoma Kato on the pre-show beginning at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Nagata opened the match with leg kicks that sent ZSJ to the mat. ZSJ responded with a kick to the arm, which he focused from here on. Nagata fired back with more kicks before hitting a suplex.
On the mat, Nagata turned to the Nagata-Lock 1, forcing ZSJ into the ropes. The groundwork continued from Nagata as he transitioned to the Nagata-Lock 2. ZSJ eventually slipped free, transitioning into a cross-arm breaker, which won ZSJ the match.
House Of Torture (Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Oleg Boltin, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tomoaki Honma
House of Torture opened the match with a team attack on their opponents. Oleg responded by taking out all of HoT by himself. Taguchi tagged in after Oleg and unloaded on HoT with a barrage of B-triggers.
Taguchi’s momentum was short-lived. After a missed B-trigger, HoT began picking him apart. Once Makabe tagged in, the babyfaces saw a little more success before falling again to HoT tactics. With a distracted referee, Narita hit Makabe with his pushup bar before landing the Double Cross to win the match.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb)
Okada and O-Khan opened the match to raucous chants for Okada. O-Khan caught Okada with a slap before turning to the claw. In a strong position, O-Khan attempted the eliminator, but Okada reversed. Okada then tagged out to YH.
After a bit of a back-and-forth, Akira and YOH entered the fray. They had a competitive athletic sequence before Ishii joined the match. Ishii took out all of UE before facing off with Cobb. Ishii hit a suplex before tagging back to Okada.
Cobb dropped Okada and tagged out to Newman, who wanted to prove himself against the departing Okada. He unloaded with strikes before hitting an OsCutter, which forced Ishii to make the save. A match breakdown followed, with everyone hitting the ring. CHAOS emerged from the struggle with control, allowing Okada to drop Newman with a rainmaker, winning him the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This match opened with a brawl between teams. Things continued to escalate until Uemura and Tsuji were left alone in the ring. Uemura avoided a Gene Blaster, locking in a Boston crab in response. Tsuji fought back, leading to a competitive back-and-forth ending with a match reset.
Taichi and Shingo entered next. They traded heavy strikes, forcing a tag to TAKA. Shingo overwhelmed TAKA on his own, but the rest of LIJ helped him keep the ring clear. He dropped TAKA with a pumping bomber, winning the match for LIJ.
IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa to retain the title
This was comfortably the best match of the night. It wasn’t quite fantastic, but it kept moving in exciting ways.
This match opened with both women running at each other, kicking off a fast back and forth. The frantic pace continued as Mina began to focus the legs, establishing control. Mina then hoisted Mayu onto her shoulders, but Mayu reversed into a poison-rana.
A striking battle led to another stent of Mina control. After landing her electric chair variation, Mina turned her attention back to the legs, locking in a figure four. After an excruciating battle on the mat, Mayu escaped to the bottom rope. Mina dropped Mayu with heavy strikes, followed by a DDT.
Mina attempted the glorious driver, but Mayu escaped to hit a tombstone. Mayu followed up with a top rope dropkick, a top rope double stomp, and a moonsault for a convincing nearfall. A dragon suplex scored another near-fall for the champion. After another dragon suplex, Mayu successfully pinned Mina, winning the match and retaining her belt.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: SHO defeated El Desperado (c) to win the title
This match was painful. When it wasn’t slow, it was frustrating. The reign of SHO is going to be dreadful.
This match opened with a brawl on the ramp. Desperado dominated SHO in the opening, gaining a solid lead before the match even started. After the opening bell, Desperado attacked the legs, locking in the stretch muffler, forcing SHO into the ropes. SHO tried to escape to the outside, but Desperado maintained his pursuit.
On the floor, SHO shoved the referee and hit Desperado with the IWGP Junior belt. Back in the ring, SHO hit a lariat and locked in a snake bite. A nasty power breaker set Desperado up for a package piledriver, but SHO’s leg failed him. Desperado then turned his attention back to SHO’s leg, but he struggled to follow up.
SHO attempted another piledriver, but Desperado reversed into a spinebuster. A dragonscrew led to a stretch muffler in the middle of the ring, but the lights turned off before SHO tapped. Once the lights turned back on, Yoshinobu Kanemaru was attacking Desperado. Before SHO could deliver a strike with his wrench, Taguchi ran to the ring, landing two hip attacks before carrying Kanemaru to the back.
With HoT gone, Desperado continued his attack, driving SHO into the ring post before returning to leg whips. Desperado locked in the stretch muffler again, but SHO powered out. SHO shoved Desperado into the referee and hit a low blow to stop his advance.
SHO tried hitting Desperado with the belt again, but Desperado responded with a punch. Desperado attempted to follow up with a tope, but SHO cut him off with a stunning chair shot. SHO landed another chair shot while the referee tried to come to.
SHO attempted a third chair strike but was interrupted by the referee. This distraction allowed Desperado to hit a low blow and a baseball swing chair shot of his own. As the referee’s count climbed, SHO managed to roll into the ring. As Desperado tried to beat the count, Ren Narita emerged from under the ring and held him down. The referee counted to twenty, leaving SHO with a stolen win and the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion.
NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) defeated Shota Umino to retain the title
This was another insufferable House of Torture match.
Shota opened the match by striking down EVIL. Once Shota established a bit of a lead, he tried taking care of Dick Togo on the outside. This gave EVIL the time to catch Shota and gain control.
EVIL slammed Shota into the barricade and taunted him with the NEVER belt. Back in the ring, EVIL attacked the eyes, whipped Shota into an exposed corner, and attempted a couple of pins. When that didn’t work, EVIL threw Shota to the floor, allowing Togo to get in some licks.
Shota eventually landed a dropkick, leading to a short rally. A quick distraction from EVIL and a forearm left EVIL back in the lead. Shota responded with a diversion of his own to retake control. Shota locked in a crossface in the center of the ring, prompting Yujiro Takahashi to ring the bell. This distraction led to a ref bump and all of HoT attacking Shota.
EVIL attempted Everything is Evil, but Shota reversed it into twist and shout. Before Shota could capitalize, EVIL bumped the referee again. Togo choked Shota with his wire. Shota survived somehow, and launched into a rally.
Shota attempted multiple signatures, but EVIL kept slipping free. Finally, Shota hit a gun stun for a nearfall. When Shota attempted Deathrider, EVIL pushed Shota into the exposed corner and drove him into the mat. EVIL then hit Everything is Evil to retain his title.
NJPW World Television Championship: Matt Riddle defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) to win the title
This match was fine.
This match opened with a scramble that turned into standing grappling. Slightly outclassed, Tanahashi fled to the floor. On the outside, Tanahashi gained a short lead, but Riddle regained his footing back inside. A corkscrew BroTon left Riddle comfortably ahead.
Tanahashi blocked a top rope dive with his knees before hitting a twist and shout and sling blade for a nearfall. A dragonscrew into the ropes only furthered Tanahashi’s lead.
Riddle challenged Tanahashi with strikes before hitting BroDerek. Riddle pinned Tanahashi, winning the match and taking the NJPW World Television championship.
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Nic Nemeth defeated David Finlay (c) to win the title
Finlay started the match by attacking Nemeth from behind. When the bell sounded, Nemeth was ready with a superkick. Nemeth then slammed Finlay into various objects around the ring.
Finlay regained his footing by spearing Nemeth through the barricade. Back in the ring, Finlay picked apart Nemeth. As Nemeth began to wiggle his way back into the match, the action returned to the floor.
Nemeth attempted another superkick, but Finlay sacrificed Gedo. Finlay then hit Nemeth with a shillelagh before brutally attacking the leg. Nemeth eventually answered Finlay’s advance with an Olympic slam, resetting the match.
Finlay stayed on top by driving Nemeth into an exposed corner. Finlay, to continue his attack on the leg, threw Nemeth to the floor in a standing position. Back in the ring, Finlay locked in a figure four leglock. Once Nemeth escaped from the leglock, Finlay dropped him with a lariat. This left Finlay free to pick apart Nemeth even further.
After minutes on the back foot, Nemeth began to rally. He slammed Finlay into the exposed corner before hitting a famouser to score a nearfall. Nemeth’s rally was short-lived, though, as Finlay quickly responded with Oblivion.
Finlay attempted Oblivion again, but Nemeth cut him off with a headbutt. After another headbutt, Nemeth hit Danger Zone (formerly the Zig Zag) and pinned Finlay in the middle of the ring. Nic Nemeth is IWGP Global Champion.
Nemeth cut the show ending promo while being showered in confetti. Before leaving Nemeth asked Tanahashi to be his partner tomorrow. Tanahashi is already booked tomorrow, so who know how that will work out.
One of wrestling’s greatest rivalries ends today with the final Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka.
In the same building where Okada defeated Tanahashi in 2012 in the legendary Rainmaker Shock to claim his first IWGP Heavyweight title, the two legends will do battle one last time on today’s show at EDION Arena. Okada has aready announced his NJPW departure and finishes up with the promotion in two weeks.
Will Ospreay will say farewell to NJPW in the main event of today’s show in a five-on-five cage match held under War Games rules, with United Empire (Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, HENARE, TJP & Francesco Akira) facing Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors. Ospreay has signed with AEW.
AEW’s Bryan Danielson will face Zack Sabre Jr. on today’s show in a return match from WrestleDream last October where Danielson pinned Sabre.
The IWGP Tag Team Championship is also on the line today as El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defend against KENTA & Chase Owens in the show’s only title match.
Oleg opened the match against Yano, taking him down with a tackle, which prompted YOH to hit the ring. Oleg took out both of his opponents and landed a splash for an early near fall. Yano, on the back foot, grabbed the referee to buy time. He then hit Oleg with an atomic drop, removed the padding from the turnbuckle, drove Oleg into the corner, and tagged in YOH.
Once Taguchi tagged in, momentum shifted back and forth. Yano tried aiding YOH, but this led to Oleg hitting the ring. Oleg and Taguchi hoisted up their opponents and rocked them. Taguchi strained himself in this exercise, allowing YOH to transition into a quick pin. Oleg was too busy rocking Yano to notice the pin, allowing YOH to steal the win.
Newman was able to gain the upper hand early, but tandem offense from Bishamon overwhelmed him. Newman eventually landed a kick, allowing him to escape to O-Khan.
O-Khan and YH struggled for control. Once O-Khan found his footing, he tagged back into Newman. A back-and-forth between teams followed until Bishamon was alone with Newman. They planted Newman with Shoto and pinned him to win the match.
House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated El Desperado, Shota Umino, Tiger Mask & Tomoaki Honma
This match opened with a brawl. Once they found the ring, the babyface squad worked to isolate SHO. A missed KoKeshi from Honma was followed by another brawl and HoT emerging with control.
A tag to Umino led to a short rally. SHO used some of his usual tactics to slow down Umino, forcing him to tag out to TMIV. The rest of the babyfaces backed up TMIV, leading to a match breakdown. TMIV hit SHO with a tiger driver for a near fall.
Dick Togo distracted the referee, allowing SHO to hit TMIV with a low blow. Narita then dropped TMIV with his pushup bar. To close, SHO hit TMIV with a package piledriver and pinned him.
After the match, HoT continued to attack the babyfaces. EVIL spray painted an X on Umino. SHO left with Desperado’s junior belt in hand, declaring himself the champion.
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji)
Shingo and Taichi opened the match with back-and-forth strikes. TAKA and BUSHI tagged in next, with BUSHI landing a tope to secure the lead. LIJ then worked together to wear down TAKA. TAKA held his own long enough to tag out to Uemura.
Uemura unloaded on Tsuji. Uemura focused on the arm to gain a lead. Tsuji fought back, dropping Uemura for a double tag.
DOUKI and Hiromu entered next, with neither man gaining strong footing. Hiromu landed a German, but DOUKI responded with one of his own. A match reset followed, leading to a double tag to SANADA and Naito.
SANADA placed Naito in the paradise lock. After being kicked out of the hold, Naito spat in the face of SANDA and landed a dropkick of his own. SANADA tried to respond with another dropkick, but Naito ate it and landed another one himself.
From here, the match broke down. J5G dropped BUSHI with five tandem boots. LIJ hit the ring next, leading to a chaotic back and forth until SANADA locked BUSHI into a swinging Skull End, forcing him to tap.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
This match was exactly what it needed to be—an emotional sendoff for one of the greatest rivalries in pro wrestling’s history. Instead of being over-ambitious, this match focused on tying a bow on this story in an efficient, romantic way. Fantastic.
Before the match could begin, deafening “Okada” chants filled EDION Arena.
A collar-and-elbow initiated the action, with a typical feeling out back and forth following. Okada landed a dropkick, sending Tanahashi to the floor, where Okada used the barricade to establish a lead. The crowd responded to Okada’s dirty offense with boos.
Back in the ring, Okada landed Tanahashi’s signature dragon screw, drawing more boos from the Osaka crowd. He then dared Tanahashi to strike him, which Tanahashi gladly did. Tanahashi then took control with a senton and a couple of his own dragon screws. With Okada on the outside, Tanahashi climbed to the top and delivered a high-impact crossbody.
Back in the ring, Tanahashi tried running at Okada, but Okada caught him. Okada followed up with an air raid crash and an elbow drop before hitting his signature Rainmaker pose.
When Okada attempted Rainmaker for the first time, Tanahashi reversed into a sling blade; a strike exchange followed. Okada rocked Tanahashi with uppercuts, but Tanahashi answered with a twist and shout. Tanahashi followed up with a dragon suplex and sling blade.
Tanahashi climbed to the top for High Fly Flow, but Okada blocked by extending his knees. Okada then floored Tanahashi with a dropkick and a clothesline. Okada established wrist control, but Tanahashi broke it with a slap; Okada dropkick and a piledriver to gain wrist control again. Seeing the writing on the wall, Tanahashi tried to escape, but Okada landed the Rainmaker. Okada then pinned Tanahashi to win the match.
After the pin, Okada and Tanahashi embraced. Okada then took a moment to soak up the reaction from the crowd before bowing to the lion mark with tears in his eyes.
IWGP Tag Team Championship: BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & KENTA) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c)
This was a stinker from these teams.
KENTA and ELP opened the match, but it didn’t take long for a breakdown with all four men involved. ELP landed a moonsault to the floor to establish a GoD lead. BULLET CLUB fired back by isolating ELP on the outside.
Owens attempted a package piledriver, but ELP escaped. A hot tag to Hikuleo followed, allowing GoD to establish the lead. After a strong stent from Hikuleo, ELP landed a dive for a nearfall.
KENTA hit the ring to steal the lead from GoD. BULLET CLUB worked together to isolate ELP until a sneaky tag allowed Hikuleo to re-enter the match. KENTA shoved Hikuleo into the referee and began striking the back of his head. Hikuleo held on long enough to respond with a scoop slam.
ELP dove on Owens to take him out. Hikuleo then dropped KENTA with a chokeslam, setting up the Thunderkiss 86. Owens saved the match by pulling the referee to the floor. Taiji Ishimori then hit the ring with a belt in hand, dropping Hikuleo and leaving KENTA free to pin him. Owens threw the referee in the ring just in time for a BULLET CLUB win. Owens and KENTA are tag champions.
I’ve not been a fan of this GoD reign at all, but I have a feeling that this BULLET CLUB pair will make me miss it.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Bryan Danielson
Very few matches come even close to what these two men delivered. This was a hyper-focused war filled with compelling work, bell-to-bell—a must-see.
The match opened with a standing scramble. An extended period of mat work followed, with neither man gaining an upper hand. This played out multiple times, with both men trying to break the other’s defenses; as soon as one would gain control, the other would slip free.
Eventually, Danielson whipped ZSJ into the ropes, causing him to retreat while holding his leg. Seeing an opening, Danielson began focusing solely on the leg, striking, stomping, and stretching it to establish a lead.
After minutes of Danielson brutalizing ZSJ’s leg, ZSJ flipped free and caught Danielson with a magic screw. Danielson tried to attack the leg again, but ZSJ was ready with another magic screw and a dropkick to the neck.
Danielson forced ZSJ into the corner, where he landed a few strikes and a dragonscrew. ZSJ responded with a cobra twist. The pair then worked their way to the mat, where they fought for control of the leg. ZSJ landed a handful of strikes, but Danielson responded with a mouthful of spit and a nasty kick to the ear. ZSJ, not to be outdone, began kicking Danielson himself. The pair then rolled to the edge of the apron while continuing to strike. ZSJ fell off the apron, leaving Danielson free to land a leaping knee.
Back in the ring, Danielson lept from the top rope, but ZSJ caught him. ZSJ then began to stretch Danielson with a variety of holds, forcing Danielson to escape to the bottom rope. When ZSJ tried to follow up, Danielson caught him with a kick to the injured leg.
Now late in the match, both men began trading stiff strikes in the center of the ring. A slap to the chest sent ZSJ crumbling, and a kick to the head re-established Danielson’s lead. Danielson then leaped on ZSJ’s leg before climbing to the top rope. ZSJ met Danielson on the top, leading to a back-and-forth of headbutts. Danielson won out with a back suplex, resulting in a nearfall.
Danielson landed a few of BCC’s signature elbows before attempting cattle mutilation. ZSJ escaped and landed a Zack Driver for a nearfall before Danielson could respond. ZSJ then began to hammer Danielson with kicks before attempting a triangle. Danielson slipped the hold and floored ZSJ with heavy forearms. Once ZSJ fell flat, Danielson transitioned to stomps. Danielson tried tying ZSJ up, forcing ZSJ to find the rope.
Danielson then turned to kicks to the chest. ZSJ powered up to his feet, leading to another slick back-and-forth grappling sequence. Once standing, they began to trade strikes again. After being granted a moment of separation, Danielson landed his knee strike. ZSJ reversed the second, leading to the pair trading quick pin attempts. Ultimately, ZSJ won out in this exchange, trapping Danielson with his shoulders down to eke out a win.
After the match, ZSJ offered a handshake to Danielson. Danielson hesitated momentarily but eventually shook his hand with vigor.
ZSJ gestured a missing belt on his waist before calling out the winner of Sanada and Naito.
BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, David Finlay, Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, HENARE, Jeff Cobb, TJP & Will Ospreay)
This had far too much going on for me to enjoy. It lacked the urgency that made the great staggered-entrance cage matches of the 90s and 00s special. That said, if you like modern war games or weapon-filled matches, this might be for you. There was a ton of blood, spots, and furniture. The visuals were incredible, but the meat just wasn’t there, at least for me.
There was an extended break before the match could begin so the giant cage could be set up. The cage wasn’t very tall, but it circled the ring, similar to the 2006 Cage of Death, leaving plenty of room to fight on the floor.
Ospreay and Finlay opened for their teams. Ospreay cut a promo before the opening bell, asking Finlay for an extended opening period. Ospreay wanted ten minutes instead of two. Finlay compromised, giving him five.
Once the match began, Finlay and Ospreay started to brawl outside the ring. Finlay tried using a chair but missed. This allowed Ospreay to slingshot him into the cage and establish the lead.
As the first period expired, Ospreay had the lead. Moloney entered the match, dragging a lifeless Callum Newman to the cage. He handcuffed Newman to the cage wall, distracting Ospreay long enough for Finlay to hit him with a chair. From here, the War Dogs began to beat down Ospreay, whipping him into the cage.
HENARE hit the ring to even the numbers. With HENARE’s help, Ospreay was able to regain footing. Connors entered next, again shifting momentum. Connors used a barbed wire-wrapped fist to draw copious blood from Ospreay’s forehead.
TJP was the next UE entrant. He entered the ring and wrapped his boot in barbed wire. He stomped Connors, drawing more blood. TJP’s presence was enough to swing momentum back in UE’s favor.
Coughlin came to the ring carrying 10+ chairs. He helped flip the match back, throwing TJP into the cage before burying him in a pile of chairs.
Akira was next to enter. He lept from the top of the cage immediately to catch the War Dogs off guard. He ran the gauntlet until Connors landed a spear, driving him through a table.
War Dog momentum continued as Kidd entered the match. He helped take out every member of UE before posing with his factionmates over a blood Ospreay.
Cobb came in next and managed to take out all of the War Dogs. The rest of UE began to rally around Cobb’s entrance. A sidestepped spear sent Connors crashing into a table.
Kidd made the save with a ladder that he spun around his neck. Ospreay kicked the ladder to nullify the threat. Ospreay then began to focus Finlay once more.
Connors and Moloney drove Akira into a chair multiple times. Before they could finish the match, TJP emerged from nowhere as the aswang. He helped Akira rally, taking out the standing War Dogs.
A back-and-forth between teams followed, with everyone getting a lick in. As TJP attempted a pin, Moloney hit the Driller Killer on Ospreay on top of the Aswang.
Both teams gathered in their corners before initiating a brawl in the center of the ring. Ospreay and Finlay were eventually left alone in the center, free to trade strikes. After a double knockdown, a spear drove Ospreay through a table on the outside.
Henare threw a trashcan at Finlay before kicking it into his skull. Kidd hit the ring to brawl with Henare, leading to a back-and-forth with chairs. Henare broke a chair over Kidd’s head, but it took a strike to ground him.
Coughlin stood against TJP and Akira, eating kendo stick blows. Unsurprisingly, Akira and TJP won out in the exchange, sending Coughlin to the floor. On the outside, UE set up two tables. They placed Coughlin on the table, with HENARE landing a senton to drive him through the wood.
Back in the ring, Connors covered the floor with tacks. He tried driving TJP into the tacks, but TJP reversed, sending Connors face-first into the tacks. Once Connors returned to his feet, TJP dropped him with a kick, sending him back in. Cobb then landed Tour of the Islands, forcing Finlay to break up the pin.
Finlay began attacking Cobb with a variety of weapons before pulling him to the outside. Finlay then handcuffed him to the cage, seemingly writing him off.
Ospreay hit the ring next, dropping Finlay with a Spanish fly. Ospreay attempted an OsCutter, but Finlay reversed into a cutter of his own. Ospreay responded with a hidden blade. Finlay wasn’t behind for long, hitting two Oblivions for another near fall at the forty-five-minute mark.
Gedo carried a barbed wire-wrapped table to the ring after UE failed to put down Ospreay. Great O-Khan attacked Gedo, taking his key, which he used to free Cobb and Newman.
Back in the ring, Finlay attempted to drive Ospreay into the barbed wire table. This backfired, allowing Ospreay to drag Kidd against the wire. The rest of UE then helped clear the ring of the War Dogs, leaving Ospreay free to powerbomb Finlay through the corner. Finlay was kicked out.
Moloney interrupted Ospreay’s advance by stabbing him with a fork. Kidd then hit Ospreay with a piledriver through a ladder. Moloney also stabbed Akira with a fork, but Akira fought back. Akira took control of the fork from Moloney, which he used to stab Moloney and Connors. Akira then hung Connors by his neck with a dog collar.
Once Kidd hit the ring, the match broke down once more. The War Dogs cleared the ring and removed the apron. HENARE interrupted the War Dogs here, driving Kidd into the exposed boards. Coughlin then pulled HENARE to the outside and handcuffed him back to the cage.
Akira attempted a superplex onto the exposed wood but was cut off by Kidd. Kidd then piledrove Akira into the boards, forcing Ospreay to make the save.
It was now Ospreay vs all of the War Dogs. Finlay dared Ospreay to hit him, but Ospreay collapsed when he attempted the sling blade. Ospreay was then hit with a spear. Finally, Finlay hit his new finish and pinned Ospreay to win the match.
Once the War Dogs left the ring, UE came together to pick up Ospreay. He then grabbed a microphone and cut his farewell promo. He thanked everyone in the crowd and promised he would return. He asked the crowd not to forget him before signing off one last time. UE was showered in confetti as they embraced.
Kazuchika Okada will wrestle for NJPW at Korakuen Hall for the final time on today’s Road to The New Beginning event.
In the show’s semi-main event, Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tomohiro Ishii defend the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles against TMDK’s Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste, and Kosei Fujita.
Okada finishes up with NJPW next month, so a title change today is a virtual lock.
Okada’s last stand in Korakuen Hall grabs the headlines, but today’s show will feature Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita in the main event in a matchup of two wrestlers vitally important to carrying the company in the wake of Okada leaving.
Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi vs. SANADA & DOUKI is second from the top today.
LIJ’s Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji & BUSHI vs. Just Five Guys’ Taichi, Yuya Uemura & TAKA Michinoku is also set for the show.
United Empire faces Bullet Club War Dogs in another 10-man tag on today’s event.
Tama Tonga, El Desperado, YOH & Tomoaki Honma take on EVIL, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru of House of Torture.
Hikuleo, El Phantasmo & Ryusuke Taguchi face KENTA, Chase Owens & Taiji Ishimori in the second match of the main card.
Zack Sabre Jr. battles Tiger Mask in the main card opener.
The kickoff show match will feature the new Young Lions on opposite sides, with Katsuya Murashima teaming with veteran Toru Yano against Shoma Kato & Boltin Oleg.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tiger Mask
This was the exact match you would expect from this pair. TMIV landed a handful of strikes, but ZSJ repeatedly caught him. ZSJ led the match with several grappling sequences. TMIV would occasionally catch him in a hold of his own. In the end, ZSJ won out with an arm-based submission.
El Phantasmo couldn’t make tonight’s match for an unknown reason, so Jado took his place.
The BULLET CLUB team opened the match by jumping the babyfaces. From here, the heel worked over Taguchi, isolating him from his corner.
A hot tag to Hikuleo reversed momentum entirely. The BC team completely failed to answer Hikuleo. Even once Jado tagged in, the faces maintained this lead until the very end. Jado locked Ishimori into a crossfade, but Ishimori rolled into a pin to steal a win.
EVIL, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi (BULLET CLUB House of Torture) defeated El Desperado, Tama Tonga, YOH & Tomoaki Honma
YOH replaced an injured Master Wato in this match.
HoT opened the match by jumping the babyfaces. In the ring, the assault continued, with HoT focusing on Desperado. Once YOH tagged in, HoT launched into a full-fledged attack on the floor.
After a prolonged beatdown, YOH escaped to Tama. Tama took out all of HoT one by one. He survived being thrown into an exposed corner and dropped EVIL with a lariat before tagging out to Honma.
Honma fell to the pressure of HoT, but this prompted a full match breakdown. After the chaotic scrap, Honma squared off with EVIL again. EVIL won out in the exchange, dropping Honma with Everything is Evil to win the match.
After the match, HoT beat down Desperado and stole his mask.
Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, David Finlay, Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd (BULLET CLUB War Dogs) defeated Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, HENARE, TJP, & Callum Newman (United Empire)
This was another great New Beginning preview from this program.
This match opened with a melee in the isleway. The match normalized as HENARE and Kidd found the ring. Just as the match was gaining order, Kidd knocked HENARE to the mat, prompting another breakdown.
Moloney and Connors tried focusing Akira, but TJP hit the ring to make the save. An extended sequence between the two junior teams played out until Connors scored the win with No Chaser.
After the match, the fighting continued. The scuffle lasted for quite some time. The brawling was fierce and included the heavy use of weapons.
BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura (Just 5 Guys)
A short brawl opened the match but was followed by an exchange between Shingo and Taichi. Yuya and Tsuji were next to enter the match. They had a brief back-and-forth favoring Yuya, leading to a period of J5G control.
BUSHI tagging into the match opened the door for a LIJ rally. LIJ was able to focus on TAKA while maintaining momentum through tags. In the end, Shingo won the match with a pumping bomber and a powerbomb.
After the match, Tsuji attacked Yuya on the outside. Yuya fired back, leading to a lengthy brawl that the young lions had to separate.
DOUKI & SANADA (Just 5 Guys) defeated Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon)
The match opened with a Naito/SANADA tease before handing the action off to the juniors. Hiromu gained control for his team, which he worked with Naito to maintain.
A reset left Naito and SANADA as the fresh men. SANADA unloaded on Naito, gaining a substantial lead, but tags back to the juniors allowed LIJ to retake the advantage.
A timebomb scored a nearfall on DOUKI. Hiromu landed a lariat but was then caught by DOUKI. DOUKI put Hiromu in a stretch muffler with Hiromu’s shoulders pressed against the mat. This resulted in a sudden pinfall victory for J5G.
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste
This match was fantastic. It’s hard to imagine a better Korakuen send-off for Okada. Fujita was nothing short of amazing during here.
Fujita challenged Okada following the opening bell. He slapped Okada’s chest and tried for a dropkick, but Okada avoided Fujita’s follow-up. Okada then took Fujita to the floor and delivered a scoop slam. Back in the ring, Tanahashi tagged in and began his own attack on Fujita.
Ishii tagged in and began to focus on Fujita himself. Fujita stepped up to the plate, answering Ishii’s strikes with some of his own. Ishii overwhelmed Fujita before locking in a Boston crab. Once the hold was broken, Okada tagged back in. Okada mocked Fujita with an uncontested offense before passing the match back to Tanahashi.
Fujita came back to life after Tanahashi entered the match, delivering a dragonscrew of his own. Fujita escaped to Haste, who unloaded on Tanahashi with a flurry of moves. Tanahashi held on for a while before tagging out to Ishii.
Ishii put Haste on the backfoot before Nicholls entered the match. Nicholls aided Haste in delivering a top rope suplex to Ishii, re-establishing TMDK control. Okada hit the ring to answer, prompting Fujita to join the fray. Okada flattened Fujita and then turned his attention to Nicholls alongside his teammates.
Ishii tried for a brainbuster, but TMDK hit the ring again to make the save. Fujita landed a dropkick to knock Okada off the mat before hitting Tanahashi with a tope con hilo. Back in the ring, Nicholls and Haste hit Ishii with a tankbuster for a nearfall. After a short scuffle, they hit Ishii with another tankbuster, but again, Ishii kicked out.
Tanahashi interrupted a super tankbuster attempt with a dragonscrew. This led to TMDK focusing on him, giving Ishii long enough to recover. Ishii and Tanahashi reset the match with a dragonscrew.
A late double tag to Fujita and Okada set Korakuen on fire. Okada immediately dropped Fujita, drawing a smile from the rainmaker. Okada then slowed his offense, giving Fujita enough time to rally. Fujita landed a springboard dropkick and then began to taunt Okada with kicks to the head. These kicks infuriated Okada, but Fujita didn’t let up. Fujita locked in a hold, forcing Tanahashi to make the save.
Fujita tried for a deadlift German, but Okada reversed into the money clip. The rest of TMDK hit the ring to save Fujita, giving him space to hit the deadlift German for a nearfall. Fujita tried for another suplex, but Okada stuffed it. Okada landed a German of his own. Okada then tried for the rainmaker, but Fujita ducked. Okada hit a dropkick before Fujita could respond, followed by two lariats. Okada tried for the lariat again, but again, Fujita avoided the finish. Fujita then bridged into a pin for a convincing nearfall.
Tanahashi and Ishii joined Okada in the ring. Tanahashi hit Fujita with a sling blade and Ishii with a sliding lariat. Okada then landed another dropkick and an elbow drop from the top. Finally, Okada hit Fujita with a rainmaker and pinned him to retain the six-man belts.
After the match, Okada shook hands with all of TMDK (except for Fujita, who was out on the mat) and hugged ZSJ. Okada then cut a tear-filled send-off promo. He thanked Korakuen for 17 years of support. He then announced he would vacate the NEVER Six Man belts and thanked Tanahashi and Ishii.
On his way out, Okada shook hands with CHAOS members YOSHI-HASHI and Toru Yano.
Shota Umino defeated Ren Narita
This wasn’t awful, but compared to the dozens of other Korakuen matches based around brawling in the stands, it was nothing special; it was fine for what it was. The opening was hot, but I felt this lost a bit of its energy as it went on. The late House of Torture interfearance did nothing to help.
Umino launched into an attack as soon as Narita entered the ring. He landed a giant dropkick, sending Narita to the floor, which he followed with a slew of whips into the barricades. Back in the ring, Umino continued the attack, flooring Narita with a variatey of strikes.
Narita baited Umino outside the ring, buying him time to deliver a boot. Narita then returned the favor from earlier in the match, whipping Umino into the barricades himself. Narita drove Umino into the ring apron. To cement his lead while humiliating Umino, Narita pulled him up the Korakuen seats and slamed him into the section sign hanging against the wall.
Back in the ring, Umino was able to fire back. He landed a suplex and a dropkick to establish a short lead, but a knee from Narita brought it to an end. Narita then began to taunt Umino with light kicks to the head, both giving Umino time to recover while making him angry. Narita tried for a suplex from the top rope, but Umino reversed, delivering a kick followed by a flurry of strikes.
Umino landed a DDT to the apron, taking the match back to the floor. Umino then grabbed a chair and drug Narita into the crowd. He slammed Narita into the chair before placing him in it to deliver a dropkick. Umino then picked up a table and set it up above a flight of stairs. Umino powerbombed Narita through the table, sending him crashing down the stairs.
After Umino pulled Narita back to the ring, he grabbed another table. Umino hit a few moves inside the ring and scored a nearfall. Narita escaped to the floor where he caught Umino with a sudden suplex through the table. Back inside, Narita hit a running knee, a low blow, and a German suplex for a nearfall.
A sudden DDT from Umino reset the match. A followup DDT from Umino brought him back to life, prompting all of House of Torture to hit the ring. They all beat down Umino together. Before SHO could deliver his wrench strike, the arena darkened and Tama Tonga appeared in the ring. EVIL hit him with a low blow. El Desperado then hit the ring and helped Tama clear off HoT.
Umino hit Narita with a half-and-half suplex for a two-count. Narita avoided the deathrider and locked in a sleeper. A gnarly belly-to-belly scored Narita a nearfall. Umino answered with a forearm and a swinging DDT for a nearfall of his own. Umino then hit deathrider to win the match.
After the match, Desperado grabbed the microphone. He denied SHO a shot at his title but offered him a special singles match.
Tama cut his last Korakuen promo with tears in his eyes. He thanked the crowd and asked Umino to take the NEVER belt from EVIL.
Finally, to end the show, Umino took the microphone. He told Narita and HoT to remember this result and praised Tama’s love for New Japan. To close, Narita used a metaphor of rain ending and skies clearing in New Japan. He promised to be the light to guide the new generation before declaring himself the “new ace”.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is on the line in the main event of today’s NJPW show at a sold out Korakuen Hall.
El Desperado will make the first defense of his IWGP Jr. title against former tag team partner Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the headline match. Desperado defeated Hiromu Takahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 18 to win the title for the third time.
Master Wato faces SHO in a special singles match in today’s semi-main event.
Los Ingobernables de Japon face Just Five Guys in a 10-man tag team match second from the top.
Tama Tonga, Shota Umino, and Togi Makabe take on House of Torture’s EVIL, Ren Narita, and Yujiro Takahashi in a six-man tag.
Kazuchika Okada will be in action for the next-to-last time as an NJPW wrestler at Korakuen Hall on the undercard, teaming with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Tomoaki Honma against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste, and Kosei Fujita in a preview of tomorrow’s NEVER Six-Man title match.
GoD’s Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, and Jado take on Bullet Club’s KENTA, Chase Owens, and Taiji Ishimori.
Members of United Empire will face Bullet Club War Dogs in a 10-man tag in the second match tonight.
In the opener, new Young Lions will be on opposite sides of a tag team encounter as Katsuya Murashima teams with Ryusuke Taguchi against Shoma Kato & YOH.
Master Wato Addresses Korakuen Hall
The show opened with Master Wato walking to the ring on crutches. He injured his left knee and will be out of action. He needs surgery before he can return. After calling off his match with SHO, SHO hit the ring and attacked Wato’s injured leg with his wrench.
SHO taunted a grounded Wato with a promo. He bragged about hurting Wato and made fun of the crowd. Before SHO could continue the attack, El Desperado cut him off.
This was a rock-solid match. Both Lions looked good. I can’t wait to see what they have in store.
Taguchi and Kato opened the match with some fine grappling. Taguchi tagged out, giving the new Young Lions a chance to square off with each other. YOH and Murashima worked together shortly before passing the action back to the Kato.
The lions traded submissions in a grappling sequence of their own. The selling was excellent—the highlight of this match. YOH and Kato then worked together to gain a strong lead.
Eventually, Taguchi re-entered the match. He hit Kato with a running hip attack, but Kato kicked out. He then locked in an ankle lock, forcing Kato to tap out.
Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, TJP, HENARE, & Great-O-Khan (United Empire) defeated Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin, & David Finlay (BULLET CLUB War Dogs)
This was a hoot. While less exciting than their Jan 5 war, this was a big step up from their preview tag from a couple of days ago.
A full-on brawl opened this match. Kidd and Henare traded strikes on the inside while the others went to war on the outside. The match calmed down as HENARE established a lead, but another breakdown was just around the corner.
After the second brawl, the War Dogs emerged with the lead. The Dogs worked together to wear down Newman. The eventual tag to TJP led to a United Empire rally. O-Khan’s sequence was ended by Kidd, prompting HENARE to finish what TJP started. Finlay hit the ring to save Kidd before turning his attention to Newman; another breakdown followed. Akira secured a schoolboy pin on Moloney in the chaos to win the match.
Taiji Ishimori, KENTA, & Chase Owens (BULLET CLUB) defeated Jado, El Phantasmo, & Hikuleo (Gorillas of Destiny)
This match opened with neither team wanting to engage. Eventually, Owens and ELP locked up. BULLET CLUB established a lead and maintained it until the hot tag to Hikuleo. Hikuleo gained firm footing until BC began to focus his leg.
Jado tried to continue the advance Hikuleo started. He was fine for a while, but KENTA eventually caught him in a trap pin to win the match.
Fujita taunted Okada before the opening bell. Haste and Tanahashi actually opened the match. Haste focused Tanahashi’s arm, forcing Ishii to tag in. On his own, Ishii was proving to be a challenge for TMDK, so they worked together to wear him down while keeping him away from his corner.
The hot tag to Okada led to him taking out all of TMDK. Fujita tried answering Okada, but Okada locked him in the money clip. The rest of TMDK made the save, leaving the door open for an offensive sequence from Fujita. Fujita dropped Okada with a dropkick and tagged out to ZSJ.
Okada cut off ZSJ’s advance with a dropkick of his own. Honma tagged in next and began to work over ZSJ himself. A short match breakdown interrupted the exchange, but once the fog cleared, ZSJ and Honma were left alone in the ring. ZSJ avoided a Kokeshi from the top, locked in an armbar, and forced Honma to tap out.
EVIL., Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita (BULLET CLUB House of Torture) defeated Togi Makabe, Shota Umino, & Tama Tonga
The match opened with a brawl on the floor. This continued for quite a while. In the ring, HoT slowly picked apart Tama. The eventual tag to Umino gave some life to the babyface squad, but Narita attacked Umino’s eyes to keep HoT on top.
A match breakdown allowed HoT to focus Makabe. Dick Togo hit his signature low blow. Makabe survived this onslaught, only for another to follow moments later. Narita hit Makabe with his reinforced pushup bar to win the match for HoT.
A brawl opened the match. Once things calmed down, Taichi and Shingo had a short exchange. SANADA and Naito were next, but again, only a little happened. The juniors, Hiromu and DOUKI, had a brief back-and-forth next before tagging out to Yuya and Tsuji. Tsuji and Yuya had a fine exchange before TAKA tagged in. BUSHI followed TAKA, and a match breakdown followed.
Once the ring was cleared, Taichi focused BUSHI. Shingo interrupted Taichi’s plum, leading to another breakdown. After the ring was emptied, Taichi and BUSHI were alone again. Taichi hit BUSHI with a superkick and pinned him to win the match.
After the match, Taichi cut a promo. He challenged LIJ to a gauntlet match on Feb 5. The winner stays in until only one team remains. The format seems to be identical to the legendary Team Inoki vs. Ishin Gundan gauntlet from 1984.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
This match was not good before the HoT interference. It only went further downhill after the run-ins. The last 90 seconds were fine, I guess.
The opening exchange saw Kanemaru gaining the upper hand with basic wrestling. Kanemaru then took the match to the floor, using the ring and barricades to cement his lead. Back in the ring, Kanemaru continued wearing down Kanemaru with basic holds and strikes.
Desperado eventually landed a dropkick to Kanemaru’s leg, opening the door for a comeback. He continued to focus on the leg, utilizing leg whips and a stretch muffler to establish a lead. Kanemaru played chicken, baiting Desperado to approach.
Kaneamru’s follow-up was cut off by a spine buster, letting Desperado return to the stretch muffler. With Kanemaru in trouble, SHO walked from the back to distract the referee. The rest of HoT then hit the ring and attacked Desperado. Shota Umino and Hiromu Tanahashi hit the ring to run HoT off.
Once the ring was cleared, Kanemaru drove Desperado into an exposed corner. Kanemaru hit a rounding body press for a near fall and locked in a Boston crab after the kick out. Desperado found the bottom rope to break the hold. Kanemaru tried to follow up with a suplex, but Desperado stuffed it and delivered a suplex of his own.
Desperado dropped Kanemaru with a spinebuster. Desperado tried to lock in the stretch muffler three times, with the first two being reversed into pin attempts from Desperado. On the third attempt, Desperado locked in the hold, but HoT hit the ring again and beat down Desperado. This time, Tama Tonga hit the ring, helping Desperado hit EVIL with a low blow.
Desperado knocked the whiskey out of Kanemaru’s mouth. He tried for pinche loco, but Kanemaru reversed again. A quick back-and-forth followed. Desperado caught Kanemaru in the stretch muffler again, forcing Kanemaru to submit.
After the match, Desperado cut the show’s ending promo. He sent his regards to Wato. He then thanked Hontai for helping him out tonight.
In the post-match interview behind the curtain, SHO attacked Desperado.
Tama Tonga vs. EVIL headlines today’s NJPW The New Beginning tour opener in Nagoya.
Tonga defends the NEVER title against EVIL in the main event in his first defense since defeating Shingo Takagi for the title at Wrestle Kingdom 18.
The NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles are on the line in the semi-main as El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defend against KENTA & Chase Owens.
The provisional KOPW 2024 title is up for grabs as Taiji Ishimori defends against Great-O-Khan in a 10-minute time limit match with cardio breaks every three minutes.
Los Ingobernables de Japon face Just Five Guys in a 10-man tag, with Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI facing SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku.
Kazuchika Okada will have his final NJPW match in Nagoya in an eight-man tag, with Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii & Togi Makabe taking on Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Kosei Fujita.
El Desperado & Master Wato face Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SHO in tag team action.
United Empire will take on Bullet Club War Dogs in a 10-man tag, with Jeff Cobb, HENARE, TJP, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman vs. David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney.
Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi kicks off the main card.
New Young Lions Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima go one-on-one on the pre-show at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time.
For a House of Torture match, I enjoyed this quite a bit. It wasn’t great, but the Narita/Umino teases left me wanting more, and the interference wasn’t over the top. This was a totally fine match.
The match opened with the babyfaces getting an early upper hand. A missed Kokeshi from Honma prompted Narita to hit the ring, leading to a short assault from HoT. Narita took care of Umino on the floor before working alongside Yujiro to wear down Honma.
Umino tagged in eventually and kicked off a solid offensive rally. Once Narita tagged back in, he retook advantage for HoT but spent time taunting Narita. The opportunity provided to Umino allowed him to land a DDT and tag out, leading to a double-team sequence with Honma.
Honma missed a lariat, which Narita capitalized on with a suplex. Honma fired back, landing a couple of strikes and a rocket Kokeshi. Narita finding himself on the back foot prompted a referee distraction. Yujiro hit Honma with his cane, leaving Narita free to land the double cross.
David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney (BULLET CLUB War Dogs) defeated Jeff Cobb, HENARE, TJP, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman (United Empire)
This was solid, but compared to the insane brawl from Jan 5, it felt cold. It had its moments but lacked the intensity I’ve come to expect from the War Dogs.
This match opened with a UE-initiated brawl. On the outside, the War Dogs gained control. Once the match entered the ring, Cobb tossed around the Dogs before tagging out to HENARE. Kidd challenged HENARE to a continued strike-off, which they had started on the outside of the ring. HENARE took out Kidd and Connors before passing the match to Newman, who continued to make gains for UE.
Coughlin tagged in to meet Newman. He tossed Newman to the mat as the rest of War Dogs jumped their opponents on the outside. Finlay tagged in next, helping to further this newfound BC lead. Kidd and Moloney continued the trend, slowly wearing down Newman.
A double stomp to Moloney allowed Newman to tag out to a fresh TJP. TJP scored a nearfall with help from Akira, provoking BC to hit the ring. This distraction led to a match breakdown with a handful of one-on-one interactions. Once the fog cleared, the now-legal Finlay and Newman were left in the ring.
Newman tried his best against Finlay, countering a bit of offense and scoring a near fall from a trap pin. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough, as Finlay landed a powerbomb before pinning Newman.
After the match, the War Dogs beat down Newman before UE made the save.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SHO (House of Torture) defeated El Desperado & Master Wato
This was a by-the-book HoT match. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
Wato opened the match with a bit of momentum, but a sneaky attack from Kanemaru led to a prolonged HoT control sequence. The eventual tag to Desperado resulted in a babyface rally. Wato continued this advance after tagging back in, but HoT’s focus on Wato’s knee left him less than fully effective.
SHO grabbed the referee, allowing Kanemaru to distract Wato. SHO then hit Wato with a spear. This wasn’t enough to close the match, so Kanemaru spat his whiskey in Wato’s face before SHO hit him with his wrench. This was sufficient, leaving SHO with the easy pin.
After the match, SHO continued to attack Wato with the wrench.
This was another solid match that left me excited for what is to come. Fujita was a star, and I imagine he will be a focal point in Okada’s final NEVER Six defense.
Ishii and Haste opened the match with a striking battle before Tanahashi tagged in. Tanahashi held his own before being challenged by Fujita. Fujita was able to get the best of Tanahashi, opening the door for a TMDK stint of control. After being dominated by TMDK, Tanahashi tagged out to Okada. Okada overwhelmed TMDK singlehandedly.
A stray strike from Fujita slowed Okada’s advance. Fujita then tagged in and began picking apart Okada. Okada eventually bucked off the young challenger before tagging out to Makabe. Fujita caught Makabe with a spinning kick before tagging out to ZSJ.
A match breakdown saw the dream team retake advantage, but again, Fujita reversed the flow of momentum for his team. Okada floored Fujita with a dropkick to stop his offense, leaving Makabe and ZSJ alone in the ring. Makabe tried his best to meet ZSJ but failed. ZSJ caught Makabe in a leg submission, forcing him to tap out.
After the match, Okada waved goodbye to the crowd as his music played.
This was a typical 10-man showcase tag. It was a rehash of Wrestle Kingdom’s previews without a looming Tokyo Dome.
Naito and SANADA opened the match. Naito taunted SANADA, prompting a back-and-forth sequence that left both men on equal footing. This led to a double tag, with Hiromu and DOUKI entering the match. An athletic sequence followed before another double-tag left Taichi and Shingo legal.
Shingo and Taichi traded heavy blows before tagging out to Uemura and Tsuji. Uemura gained control over Tsuji before tagging out to TAKA. TAKA was immediately overwhelmed by Tsuji. BUSHI tagged in next, which allowed TAKA to turn things around.
After knocking BUSHI to the mat, TAKA tagged out to SANADA, who began to isolate BUSHI from his corner. This led to a brief scuffle between teams, but J5G held onto their lead. Once the ring was clear, SANADA hit BUSHI with a shining wizard and locked in the skull end to win the match.
KOPW 2024 Ring Fit Match: Great-O-Khan defeated Taiji Ishimori (c)
As you probably expect, this was an odd KOPW match. There was a 10-minute time limit with breaks every 3 minutes. During the breaks, each man had to complete an intense round of cardio.
The match itself was a total stinker. The stipulation was bizarre, and O-Khan, who I typically enjoy, looked sad.
The first period opened with a back-and-forth, with both men gaining short leads. As the first break approached, Ishimori fled O-Khan, winding him before the first cardio session. Ishimori finished his cardio with ease, while O-Khan took a while longer.
During the second period, O-Khan took control with a suplex, but he was visibly struggling. O-Khan’s lead continued into the break, forcing the referee to pull him off. Ishimori sprinted through the second workout while O-Khan was doing squats until the allotted time ended.
In the third period, O-Khan fell to his knees from exhaustion. Ishimori then drove him into the turnbuckle post before attempting a couple of quick pins. Ishimori locked in a bone lock in the final seconds of the period. O-Khan begged the referee to spare him from the cardio, which he struggled to do. O-Khan failed to finish the set, resulting in overtime cardio until he completed the 30 reps. Ishimori taunted O-Khan during his struggle, but he did ultimately finish his assigned lunges.
During the last period, Ishimori kept grounded until 10 seconds remained. O-Khan hit Ishimori with a chokeslam but fell forward onto the KOPW belt instead of Ishimori. Once the timer expired, O-Khan was announced as the winner, to the shock of everyone, including the English announcement team. Apparently, the winner was the last person to touch the belt, but no one but the referee and O-Khan knew.
Great-O-Khan now holds the KOPW 2024 championship.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship: El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (c) (Guerrillas of Destiny) defeated Chase Owens & KENTA (BULLET CLUB)
This was as dull as dishwater—a horrifically boring 20-minute match in which nothing happened. There is nothing I’m less interested in than the rematch scheduled for Feb 11.
This match started slowly, with neither team wanting to engage. Eventually, Hikuleo surprised a distracted BC, leading to a double-team sequence from GoD. It took another surprise attack, this time from KENTA, for BC to inch their way back into the match.
BC slowly picked apart an isolated ELP. After minutes on the back foot, ELP escaped to Hikuleo, who overwhelmed BC. It took KENTA and Owens together to challenge Hikuleo’s control. In tandem, BC slowed down Hikuleo, but he still flipped the match on its head.
After recovering for some time, ELP tagged in and landed a dive to the floor. KENTA responded with a boot and green killer for a nearfall. KENTA then led an unchecked offensive sequence for a while, but Hikuleo eventually made the save. This let ELP land UFO for a nearfall of his own.
Owens hit the ring to save KENTA, leading to another stint of BC control. ELP held off the advance, hitting Owens with a burning hammer variation. KENTA tried breaking up the pin with a double stomp but landed on Owens instead. ELP then hit Owens with CR2 to win the match and retain their STRONG belts.
NEVER Openweight Championship Lumberjack: EVIL defeated Tama Tonga (c)
This was bad. The false start only ensured a ton of unnecessary interference. The actual meat and potatoes of the match were uninteresting at best and infuriating at worst.
Tama opened the match by rushing EVIL. He downed EVIL before trying to cut his hair. All of HoT then hit the ring and began to beat down Tama. GoD then ran to the ring, as did a handful of others from Hontai. The units fought in the ring until the referee called for the bell.
Not wanting his final singles match in New Japan to end this way, Tama asked for a restart with the two factions acting as lumberjacks. The referee agreed, and the match began again.
The opening moments of the restart saw EVIL throwing Tama to the HoT lumberjacks, who slammed Tama onto the exposed floor. EVIL then drove Tama into the barricade before taunting Tama with a live microphone. Back in the ring, EVIL choked Tama with a shirt.
After minutes under EVIL’s control, Tama began to fight back. He landed a lariat before diving onto the lumberjacks. EVIL also found himself on the floor, where ELP twisted his nipples. Back in the ring, Tama landed supreme flow for a nearfall.
EVIL fought back by using the referee for an assisted Magic Killer. This did as much damage to the referee as it did EVIL, allowing another HoT beatdown on the floor. Back in the ring, the match reset after a double drop.
Tama shoved EVIL into an exposed corner, but EVIL kicked out of the follow-up pin. Tama ate a chair shot on the rebound, but Jado hit EVIL with a kendo stick to even the score. The factions began to brawl in the ring again until no one was left standing.
EVIL tried a belt strike, but Tama ducked it. EVIL stuffed the gun-stun twice, but Tama landed the third; EVIL kicked out. Tama then hit his driver, but Togo pulled the referee before Tama could win the match. Togo began choking Tama with his wire, forcing Jado to make the save. Narita then hit Tama in the back, leaving EVIL free to land Everything is Evil. Evil pinned Tama, winning the match and the NEVER Openweight championship.
After the match, a teary-eyed Tama Tonga said goodbye to Nagoya.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay headlines NJPW Battle in the Valley 2024.
Okada and Ospreay will square off for the tenth time in their careers on tonight’s show, but for the first time on American soil.
In the semi-main, AEW’s Jon Moxley takes on former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi in a no DQ bout.
AEW Continental Crown holder Eddie Kingston will defend his title against Gabe Kidd.
Matt Riddle will make his NJPW debut with a mystery partner teaming against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito.
NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia will defend her title against Trish Adora.
NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo put their titles on the line against Cark Connors & Alex Coughlin of Bullet Club War Dogs.
IWGP Global Champion David Finlay faces TJP in a non-title match.
Volador Jr. & Mascara Dorada face Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr. in tag team action.
Shota Umino, Fred Rosser, & Jacob Fatu face Team Filthy’s Tom Lawlor, Jorel Nelson, & Royce Isaacs in the main card opener.
The pay-per-view begins at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
KickoffResults
Matt Vandagriff defeated Goldy
Stephanie Vaquer defeated Viva Van
Fred Rosser, Jacob Fatu & Shota Umino defeated Team Filthy (Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor)
This was a solid opening match. Fatu went all out and made himself the star of this one.
Rosser and Lawlor opened the match with a back-and-forth that left both men on equal footing. When the match looked even, the rest of Team Filthy hit the ring, taking control by isolating Rosser.
Rosser escaped the isolation after a moment of inter-team conflict within Team Filthy. Fatu hit the ring and lit the match on fire, landing drops and dives before tagging out to Umino. Umino maintained this momentum until Team Filthy rushed the ring again.
Team Filthy dropped Umino with a triple powerbomb, forcing the babyfaces to make a save. They cleared the ring, leaving Isaacs and Umino alone in the ring. Both went back and forth, with Umino winning out. Umino landed a Deathrider and pinned Isaacs to win the match.
After the match, Team Filthy argued for a moment. Lawlor ignored the conflict, pushing his team to the side to shake Rosser’s hand.
As Umino was leaving the ring, a man jumped the barricade and attacked him. The mask was removed to reveal the former Jungle Boy, Jack Perry. Perry beat down Umino before pulling out an AEW contract, which he ripped in half. He then put on an armband reading “SCAPEGOAT”. This is his first appearance since his suspension following All In.
Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. defeated Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr.
Rocky and Soberano opened the match slowly, trying to get their opponents to overextend early. Dorada took the bait, which they turned into a period of control.
The faces eventually bounced back, sending Rocky and Soberano to the floor for a double dive. In the ring, Rocky recovered for a moment, but a backbreaker from Volador left him back in the driver’s seat.
A back-to-belly piledriver from Rocky led to a double tag. Dorada and Soberano went back and forth in an athletic sequence. Soberano won out before tagging out to Rocky. With Soberano, Rocky gained control of the ring, but Dorada sneakily tagged out. Dorada took out Soberano with a dive to the floor, leaving Volador free to drop Rocky with a destroyer and win a match.
David Finlay defeated TJP
TJP started the match fast, taking out Finlay with a dive to the floor and a flurry on the outside. Finlay fired back with a suplex onto the entrance ramp. This barely slowed TJP down, who slammed Finlay into the ring post to keep himself in the match.
As the match returned to the ring, Finlay interrupted a dive from TJP, which turned into a period of Finlay control. After being thrown in and out of the ring, TJP responded with a quick kick. TJP’s follow-up included attacking the same arm he drove into the post earlier in the match. TJP continued his assault, landing dives and strikes to stay ahead of Finlay.
Finlay caught TJP with a backbreaker to retake control. Another Irish Curse and a Dominator scored Finlay a nearfall. Now desperate, Finlay grabbed his shillelagh. The referee took his weapon, distracting Finlay long enough for TJP to spray him with his new mist. The follow-up knee scored TJP a near fall.
TJP continued his attack, firing off on Finlay until being caught with a sudden piledriver; TJP kicked out. Finlay then hit his new fireman’s carry knee strike to win the match.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Championship: Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors)
As expected, the War Dogs started the match by rushing the champion. GoD withstood the initial attack, but a brief pause in action allowed the Dogs to fire back with a vicious attack on Hikuleo’s legs. This left the Dogs free to control the ring, keeping Hikuleo grounded while preventing tags.
A double crossbody from ELP opened the door for a GoD comeback. ELP took out both of his opponents with a wide array of moves, giving Hikuleo time to recover.
Coughlin avoided a double-team attack from GoD. He then took out Hikuleo with a suplex and ELP with a driver. Connors then speared Hikuleo, setting up the hit and run for a nearfall. Hikuleo tried fighting back, but the damage to his legs proved to be too much. The top rope spear/suplex combination from the Dogs forced ELP to make the save.
ELP’s save brought Hikuleo enough time to land a power slam. A chokeslam to Coughlin left him laid out in the middle of the ring. GoD were then able to close with their tandem Thunder Kiss ’86.
NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Trish Adora
The match opened with a handshake that Giulia tried turning into a suplex. From here, a standoff turned into a typical feeling-out grappling sequence. Grappling turned to striking, favoring Adora.
Adora landed a pair of backbreakers and a suplex for a two-count early into her control. Adora returned to strikes after the kickout, which Giulia cut short with a takedown followed by an STF. The pair struggled for control, landing back-to-back suplexes, resetting the match.
A sit-down bomb allowed Adora to transition into cattle mutilation, forcing Giulia into the ropes. Now on the outside, Adora landed a powerslam on the floor, cementing her lead.
Adora then positioned Giulia on the top rope, but Giulia caught her, delivering a double underhook driver; Adora kicked out at one. The follow-up knee strike scored a near fall for Giulia but still failed to close the match. Ultimately, it was a Northern Lights bomb from Giulia that put Adora down for the count. Giulia is still New Japan Strong Women’s Champion.
Mustafa Ali Video Package
A video package played with Mustafa Ali giving a speech in the style of a presidential candidate. He called out Hiromu Takahashi for Windy City Riot on April 12th.
Jeff Cobb & Matt Riddle defeated TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Jeff Cobb, an old partner of Riddle, was revealed to be “X” before the match began. The Chosen Bros are reunited, at least for the night.
Riddle and ZSJ opened the match with a quick scurry on the mat before tagging out to Cobb and Tito. Tito and Cobb immediately traded strikes after entering the ring. Cobb won out and tagged back to Riddle, who worked to maintain this lead.
Tito forced Riddle into the corner, tagging out to ZSJ. ZSJ took Riddle to the mat and began working over Riddle’s legs, toes included. ZSJ and Tito worked together to control the ring, forcing a desperation tag into Cobb.
Cobb overwhelmed ZSJ as soon as he entered the match, forcing Tito to make the save. Cobb fought off Tito, but the distraction bought ZSJ enough time to dodge his follow-up. ZSJ tried for a lariat, but Cobb stuffed it. Cobb tried for Tour of the Islands, but ZSJ reversed into a stretch. A tornado DDT from ZSJ forced the double tag.
Riddle unloaded on Tito, but Tito held on, dropping Riddle with a suplex. This led to a strike exchange in the ring while ZSJ and Cobb fought on the outside. A blue thunder bomb from Tito scored him a nearfall, but a reckless toprope dive from Riddle kept him in the match.
A strike exchange between ZSJ and Riddle led to a match breakdown. Once the fog cleared, Riddle and Tito were alone in the ring. Riddle was able to close with a driver.
AEW Continental, NJPW STRONG Openweight, and ROH World Championships: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Gabe Kidd – Double Count Out
Kingston ate a boot from Kidd as he tried to enter the ring. On the outside, Kingston held his own, dropping Kidd on the floor before choking him with a shirt. Kingston propped Kidd against the barricade to continue his attack.
Kidd wasn’t totally outmatched on the outside. He eventually landed a suplex, which he followed by slamming Kingston into the ring post. He then threw Kingston into the ring, officially starting the match.
Once the bell rang, Eddie and Kidd traded chops. This extended strike-off ended with a suplex from Kingston. Kingston then worked Kidd into the corner, where he delivered a bunch of machine gun chops. Kidd bounced out the corner with strikes of his own before dropping Kingston with a suplex.
Kidd tried lifting Kingston up, but Kingston reversed into a half-and-half suplex followed by a spinning back fist; Kidd kicked out. Kidd stuffed Kingston’s attempt to follow up, landing a quick suplex in response. Kidd then planted Kingston with a piledriver for a nearfall.
Both men traded slaps on the mat before leveling up to headbutts. Once standing, Kidd spat in the face of Kingston, enraging the champion. Kingston unloaded on Kidd with slaps. Kidd tried to keep the pace but couldn’t. Kingston hit another spinning back fist, sending Kidd crashing to the floor.
The striking continued on the outside. As the count climbed, Kidd rushed Kingston, but Kingston reversed into a suplex. Kingston then tried to beat the count, but Kidd grabbed a microphone and asked, “Is that all you’ve got, you fat b*tch?”. Kingston responded by continuing his beatdown, leading to a double countout.
From here, both men brawled, with a ton of ring crew being used to keep the men apart. Kingston tried leaving the ring area, but Kidd grabbed his belts, baiting Kingston back into the fight. The War Dogs then hit the ring, taking out Kingston. Kidd then hit Kingston with a piledriver on the AEW Contential championship. Kidd then posed with the AEW belt before leaving with his faction mates.
No Disqualification: Jon Moxley defeated Shingo Takagi
Moxley and Shingo opened with a strike exchange that spilled onto the floor. On the outside, the pair dueled with kendo sticks. Moxley won out with the sticks, leaving him free to use a garbage can lid and a chain to continue his attack.
Back inside the ring, Shingo dropped Moxley with a suplex. After connecting with an array of regular moves, Shingo was again put on the backfoot by a trashcan lid shot from Moxley. Moxley then took the fight back to the floor, continuing the attack on a now-bleeding Shingo.
Moxley beat, slammed, and stabbed Shingo for quite a while before attempting a pin. Shingo fought back with some strikes and a lariat that sent Moxley to the floor. Shingo’s rally was interrupted by a bite, but Shingo destroyed Moxley’s follow-up dive attempt with a trashcan lid to the head, drawing blood from Moxley. Shingo then dropped Moxley with a superplex and some Daneilson-style elbows.
Moxley popped to his feet, prompting a headbutt-off. Both men then attempted lariats, but neither fell. Both men landed suplexes, but neither fell. Moxley hit Death Rider, but Shingo responded with a sliding lariat.
Now desperate, both men went to the outside and began to fill the ring with objects from the outside. They fought with chairs before Shingo delivered a lariat with a chain-wrapped arm. Shingo then hit Moxley with a stick before setting up a table, satisfying the cries from the fans.
Shingo tried grabbing Moxley, but Moxley slipped free and began choking him with a chain. Once the life had left Shingo, he placed him on the table and climbed to the top rope. Moxley then delivered an elbow drop from the top rope, through the table, and to the floor. Back in the ring, Shingo kicked out of Moxley’s pin attempt.
Moxley grabbed another table, which he set up in the ring. Moxley then hoisted Shingo to the top rope, looking for a Death Rider from the top. Shingo stopped Moxley by spraying him with green mist and driving him through the table himself. Moxley returned to his feet, forcing Shingo to beat him with a shard of wood, a pumping bomber, and a powerbomb; Moxlet kicked out. Shingo hit Made in Japan; Moxley kicked out.
Moxley returned to his feet, leading to another strike exchange. After eating a headbutt, Moxley dropped Shingo with a cutter. Moxley then landed a curb stomp and a Death Rider; Shingo kicked out. Moxley leveled Shingo with elbows of his own before hitting a running knee, but Shingo kicked out at one. Moxley then hit another Death Rider, this time through a chair, finally winning the match.
After the match, Moxley cut a promo. He called out IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Tetsuya Naito, saying “the time has come”.
Once Moxley left the ring, a pair of graphics revealed Hiromu vs. Ali and Moxley vs. Naito were both indeed happening on April 12th at Windy City Riot.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay
The match opened with an extended staredown. Once they locked up, a period of mind games followed. Ospreay began chopping down Ospreay with some simple strikes, avoiding Okada’s offense long enough to send him to the floor. Ospreay tried for a plancha, but Okada sidestepped him and landed a DDT on the outside.
Back in the ring, Okada continued his advance, leveling Ospreay with strikes. Ospreay answered with a quick suplex to gain the upper hand. A handspring kick sent Okada back to the floor, leaving him free to attempt another plancha; this time, it landed.
Inside the ropes, Okada caught Ospreay with a flapjack to retake control. The air raid crash scored a nearfall, but Ospreay landed an enziguri moments later. Both men then tried for a while to land something but failed. This extended struggle ended with an OsCutter that scored Ospreay a two-count.
Ospreay rolled onto the apron to recover. Okada pulled him off, delivering a tombstone on the floor. Back inside, Okada hit a stunning elbow drop from the top rope before attempting the rainmaker for the first time. Ospreay fought it off and tried for an OsCutter. Okada reversed, trying for another rainmaker, but Ospreay reversed into the Spanish fly. Ospreay then hit a Styles Clash for a nearfall.
Ospreay tried for a hidden blade but was cut off by a dropkick, leading to an electric back and forth that ended with an Okada Storm Breaker. Once Ospreay kicked out, Okada hit him with a rainmaker, but again, Ospreay kicked out.
Okada tried for another dropkick, but Ospreay reversed into an insane powerbomb. After both men returned to their feet, a strike exchange followed. After rocking Ospreay, Okada took a step back only to eat a forearm, a dropkick, and a rainmaker. Okada kicked out.
Ospreay tried for Strombreaker, but Okada avoided it. A short exchange followed before Ospreay tried for Stormbreaker again, successfully this time; Okada kicked out. Ospreay then removed his elbow pad for a hidden blade, but Okada cut him off with a dropkick.
Okada established wrist control, but Ospreay escaped. With the end in sight, Okada dropped Ospreay from the fireman’s carry and pulled him back to his feet. Okada then hit Ospreay with another rainmaker, this time to win the match.
After the match, Okada and Ospreay embraced just in time for the War Dogs to attack. They cleared the ring of Okada and beat down Ospreay. United Empire hit the ring to help, as did Eddie Kingston. Together, they ran off the War Dogs.
Ospreay cut a show-ending promo. He thanked New Japan and Okada. He said he was grateful for the United Empire and was looking forward to getting to know the American audience. Before leaving, he plugged his final match in Osaka.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 returns to the Tokyo Dome today for its biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 18.
In the main event, SANADA will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight title against G1 winner Tetsuya Naito.
In the co-main event, AEW’s Bryan Danielson travels to Japan to face Kazuchika Okada in a rematch from last June’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
The inaugural IWGP Global Champion will be crowned in a triple threat match featuring Jon Moxley, Will Ospreay, and David Finlay.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends his title against El Desperado.
In a double title match, IWGP Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI face NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo.
Shingo Takagi defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga.
Shota Umino & Kaito Kiyomiya face EVIL & Ren Narita.
Yota Tsuji faces Yuya Uemura in a special singles match.
NJPW World TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles against TJP & Francesco Akira in the main card opener.
The pre-show kicks off at 1:30 a.m. Eastern time with the traditional New Japan Ranbo. The final four competitors advance to tomorrow’s New Year Dash where they will square off for the KOPW 2024 title.
Ishimori, Owens, Yano, and O-Khan win King of Pro Wrestling 2024 Rambo
Another year, another rambo. That said, this was better than most Rambos. Michinoku Pro’s Fujita “Jr” Hayato and Takashi Iizuka we’re the surprises.
This year’s rambo opened with Chase Owens and Great-O-Khan. The first person to enter the match after the opening was Gabe Kidd, who attacked Owens, his faction mate, and O-Khan. As soon as Kidd had a lead, the second War Dog, Alex Coughlin, entered the match. Jeff Cobb was next to enter, helping the others, especially his faction mate O-Khan, challenge the War Dogs. HENARE followed, giving United Empire an even more significant advantage. Together, United Empire eliminated Kidd and Coughlin.
With three members of United Empire standing strong, Ishii made his way to the ring. Mikey Nicholls entered next, followed by Shane Haste, both of TMDK. Yujiro Takahashi joined the match after TMDK. TMDK eliminated Cobb and Henare as Master Wato walked to the ring. Yoshinobu Kanemaru followed.
YOH sprinted to the ring only to be attacked with his own shoes as soon as he made it inside. SHO entered next, but YOH met him on the ramp and attempted to take his wrench. YOH, in his socks, slipped while fighting SHO, allowing SHO to choke him with the wrench. Fujita “Jr” Hayato from Michinoku Pro stopped SHO and YOH from fighting and carried them to the ring. Taiji Ishimori entered as Ishii eliminated Haste. Yujiro then eliminated Ishii and Nicholls. DOUKI joined the match but was eliminated alongside Fujita Jr. shortly after entering.
Toru Yano walked to the ring next, but he refused to enter the ring. Takashi Iizuka, who retired three years ago, joined next, fighting off a wave of men on the outside of the ring before meeting House of Torture on the inside. HoT offered him a shirt, which he put on and immediately ripped off before attacking them. Taichi came to the ring next, backing up Iizuka and passing him the iron finger gifted to him by Iizuka. They then worked together to eliminate a lot of the field before shaking hands. Taichi went in for a hug, but Iizuka bit him, opening the door for the rest of the competitors to eliminate them.
The final five, Ishimori, Owens, Yano, YOH, and O-Khan, worked for eliminations. O-Khan eliminated Owens by dropping him on the apron, leaving Ishimori, Owens, Yano, and O-Khan as the winners. Tomorrow, they advance to challenge for the KOPW 2024 title.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Catch 22 (Francesco Akira & TJP) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) (c)
This was a creative, fast-paced match. A fun way to open the show.
TJP emerged from the casket he was sealed in on December 21st. He dressed as an Aswang, a Filipino cryptid. Akira was also in special attire, with his body painted in green flames. The War Dogs’ entrance was also unique, as they debuted the new, all-white Junior tag belts.
The challengers started the match by rushing the champions, but the War Dogs gained advantage on the floor. Connors attached a collared chain to TJP, choking him against the barricade while Moloney beat down Akira. Back in the ring, the War Dogs continued the attack on a completely isolated Akira.
TJP eventually freed himself, saving Akira with a tag while taking out the War Dogs with intensity. The rally was short-lived as the War Dogs bounced back fast. They hit TJP with the Drilla Killa, but TJP broke the count by grabbing the hand of the referee. TJP then bit Moloney before spraying him with mist à la Muta. Catch 22 then hit Moloney with tandem knees to win the match and the belts.
NJPW World Television Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (c)
This was another fast-paced match, bordering a sprint at times. An excellent outing from both men.
ZSJ tried grappling early, but Tanahashi answered with two quick twist and shouts, a slingblade, and a crossbody before attempting High Fly Flow. ZSJ blocked Tanahashi’s finish with his knees and transitioned into a bridging pin that nearly won him the match. Tanahashi tried to rebound with a dragonscrew and a Texas cloverleaf, but ZSJ caught him again, taking control of the arm.
After a short strike exchange, the pair traded trap pins. Once ZSJ escaped, he secured a sleeper before transitioning to an octopus hold. ZSJ stuffed a dragonscrew, opening the door for two neck cranks and a penalty kick. ZSJ attempted to follow up with a Zack Driver, but Tanahashi reversed into a quick pin. The pair then rolled back and forth, trading pins. After a slew of attempts, Tanahashi pinned ZSJ to the mat for three, winning the match and the NJPW World Television Championship.
Yuya Uemura defeated Yota Tsuji
This was a rock-solid match with some quick sequences that the crowd ate up. Uemura got the win, which he desperately needed.
This match opened with a collar-and-elbow that transitioned into some typical chain wrestling. Once separated, Uemura tried running at Tsuji, but Tsuji caught him with a sudden spinebuster followed by a tope to the floor. Back in the ring, Tsuji scored a nearfall with an electric chair drop.
Tsuji maintained his control until Uemura landed an arm drag and a dropkick. A backdrop allowed Uemura to climb to the top, but he missed the crossbody, leaving Tsuji free to hit Uemura with a backbreaker, retaking control.
Tsuji attempted a Gene Blast, but Uemura reversed with an arm drag. Tsuji transitioned into a pin and followed up with a curb stomp once Uemura kicked out. Uemura avoided the second curb stomp and landed a suplex to score a nearfall in response. Uemura didn’t let this opportunity pass, following up with a deadbolt suplex into a pin, winning the match.
House of Torture (EVIL & Ren Narita) defeated Kaito Kiyomiya & Shota Umino
This match was very enjoyable ahead of the frustrating finish. Oh, well. Umino looked like a star. Kiyomiya was fantastic (as always). A significantly better-than-average HoT match.
HoT attempted to take advantage early, but Kiyomiya responded with a firey attack. He fought off Kanemaru on his own while maintaining control over EVIL. Narita eventually hit the ring, prompting Umino to stop him. The babyfaces tied up HoT with submissions, prompting the heels on the outside to ring the bell. This distraction led to HoT rushing the ring and overwhelming the faces.
After a short period of isolation, Kiyomiya tagged out to Umino, leading to a strong rally. Umino took out Narita and the HoT soldiers on the floor. Back in the ring, Umino continued his advance with help from Kiyomiya.
HoT tried to rush the ring again, choking the babyfaces as they did at the press conference yesterday. Kiyomiya held them off momentarily, but a distraction allowed Evil to land Everything is Evil, leaving Narita in control of Umino.
As Umino gained control back, Yujiro distracted the referee, allowing Narita to strike Umino with his pushup bar. Narita then hit Umino with the double cross spike and pinned him to win the match.
NEVER Openweight Title Championship: Tama Tonga defeated Shingo Takagi (c)
This match opened with shoulder blocks, testing each other’s footing. Tama was the first to strike landing a dropkick and a pair of suplexes, putting Shingo on the backfoot. Shingo fired back, hitting a shoulder tackle, a slam, and a tope con hilo to gain the lead.
A Tama neckbreaker reset the match, leading to a strike exchange in the center of the ring. Shingo fought into the corner, landing a superplex to re-cement his lead. A sliding lariat seemingly furthered this lead, but Tama answered with a Tongan twist moments later. Then, supreme flow from Tama scored a nearfall.
Shingo stuffed the gun stun, leading into a quick back-and-forth exchange. Shingo won out, landing a powerbomb that turned into another nearfall. Shingo then hit Tama with the pumping bomber before attempting Made in Japan; Tama reversed into a gun stun, taking the lead back.
Tama dropped Shingo with Bloody Sunday, but Shingo kicked out at one. Tama followed up with a lariat before attempting a DST. Shingo escaped but ate a forearm. Tama attempted another gun stun, but Shingo hit one of his own. Shingo then hit a pumping bomber and Made in Japan; Tama kicked out.
Shingo unloaded on Tama, dropping him with strikes before attempting Last of the Dragon. Tama freed himself and hit a Styles Clash. Tama tried to close, landing another gun stun; Shingo kicked out. Finally, Tama hit the DST, winning the match. Tama Tonga is a four-time NEVER openweight champion.
Nic Nemeth (formerly Dolph Ziggler) and Ryan Nemeth Appear
In between matches, the Nemeth brothers walked to the VIP section while on camera, seemingly to watch the tag team title match. What this appearance means is to be seen.
IWGP / NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c) defeated Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (c)
Bishamon gained an early lead by double-teaming ELP. They attempted to do the same to Hikuleo, but his strength proved to be too much. GoD then established control by using double team moves of their own.
A suplex to ELP allowed Bishamon to fight back into the match, but a rana from the top rope sent both members of Bishamon to the floor. Hikuleo furthered this lead for quite some time.
A miss from ELP allowed Bishamon another opportunity. After a prolonged offensive sequence, Bishamon hit ELP with Shoto, forcing Hikuleo to break up the pin. ELP then used head-scissors to throw Bishamon into each other, buying him some time.
ELP dropped Goto with a superkick. Hikuleo then landed a chokeslam, leaving ELP free to land a super Thunderkiss 86; Goto kicked out. ELP then hit Goto with CR3 as Hikuleo climbed to the top rope. Hikuleo hit Goto with a splash and pinned Goto. GoD now controls both tag team titles in New Japan.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado defeated Hiromu Takahashi (c)
Desperado started the match by diving onto Hiromu as he made his way to the ring. Back in the ring, the pair traded moves until a dropkick sent Desperado from the floor into the barricade. Hiromu, now with the lead, drove Desperado into the corner.
Desperado retook the lead, using a stretch muffler to focus Hiromu’s leg. Once Hiromu escaped, Desperado continued to focus on the limb. In an attempt to damage the leg further, Desperado leapt towards Hiromu, but Hiromu sidestepped the attack.
Hiromu gained some footing, but Desperado caught him in the stretch muffler again moments later. Hiromu powered out into a destroyer to regain the lead. Hiromu followed up with Timebomb for a two-count. Hiromu tried for Timebomb 2 but failed, forcing Desperado into the corner instead.
On the top rope, Hiromu attempted to fling Desperado but was caught. Desperado, now in control, slammed from the top to the mat. Hiromu tried to power up, but Desperado hammered him with strikes to keep him grounded. Hiromu dodged a punch, landing a lariat to regain advantage momentarily. Desperado fired back, landing Pinche Loco for a nearfall.
Desperado attempted Pinche Loco again, but Hiromu reversed into his unnamed roll. Desperado kicked out and landed another Pinche Loco. Instead of trying for the pin, Desperado hit Desperado with another Pinche Loco. This time, it was enough to win the match.
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: David Finlay defeated Will Ospreay & Jon Moxley
Moxley and Ospreay opened the match by rushing Finlay as they promised to do at yesterday’s press conference. They beat him up, inside and outside the ring.
After taking care of Finlay, Ospreay and Moxley traded suplexes in the middle of the ring. Ospreay attempted the OsCutter, but Moxley stuffed it before delivering another suplex. Ospreay tried for a Spanish fly, but Moxley reversed into an armbar, which he transitioned into a choke. Ospreay powered out, powerbombing Moxley in the corner but Moxley popped up and dropped Ospreay with a lariat.
Moxley attempted a Death Rider on the apron, but Ospreay stuffed it. Once Moxley was clear, Finlay attacked Ospreay. Ospreay tried to fight off Finlay with a cutter, but Finlay stopped him with a shillelagh.
Back in the ring, Finlay focused a bloody Moxley. Once Ospreay re-entered the match, he took out both men. Finlay was thrown to the outside and dropped with a tope from Moxley. Ospreay then took out both men again with a dive to the floor.
Back in the ring, Ospreay lept towards Moxley, but Moxley caught him with a forearm, followed by the death rider. Ospreay kicked out, but Moxley immediately transitioned into the choke. Once Ospreay was free, Finlay hit the ring, only to eat a piledriver into Ospreay.
Moxley exited the ring to grab chairs, which he threw back inside. He sat up the chairs, but Finlay drove him into the backs. Finlay then hit Ospreay with a dominator onto Moxley. Finlay then hit Ospreay with a backbreaker, but Moxley responded with a quick knee.
Moxley turned his attention to Ospreay, hitting another deathrider. Ospreay ate the move and hit Moxley with a hidden blade. Finlay then threw Ospreay to the floor and attempted to pin Moxley. Once Moxley kicked out, Finlay hit him with a dominator, prompting Ospreay to breakup the pin with another hidden blade, this time to Finlay.
Once the men returned to their feet, they took turns trading strikes. Moxley and Ospreay focused on Finlay again. When Finlay looked to be out, Gabe Kidd and Alex Coughlin, the Bullet Club War Dogs, hit the ring, attacking Moxley and Ospreay.
Ospreay and Moxley managed to fight back, driving both War Dogs through tables with a crazy dive. Back in the ring, Moxley dropped Finlay with a pair of deathriders before eating two hidden blades. Ospreay hit Moxley with Stormbreaker, but Finlay stopped the pin. Finlay then landed Oblivion, a curb stomp, and a new variant of his previous finish before pinning Ospreay to win the match. David Finlay is the first IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion.
After the match, Finlay taunted Nic Nemeth. Finlay pushed Nemeth, leading to a short scuffle.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Bryan Danielson
This was one of the greatest matches I have ever covered. It was focused, vicious, and emotional. This is what professional wrestling is all about.
The opening tie-up saw Okada trying to bait Danielson into striking. Instead, Danielson took Okada to the mat and began going for Okada’s arm. Once they returned to their feet, Okada caught Danielson with a couple of strikes, flooring Danielson. Okada landed a dropkick to Danielson’s eye before landing a DDT on the floor.
Okada attempted a running dropkick, but Danielson cut him off with a leaping knee strike. Danielson then placed Okada against the barricade, slamming his arm into the metal. Back in the ring, Danielson continued his focused attack, brutalizing Okada’s rainmaker arm.
After minutes of torture, Okada caught Danielson with a big boot. The follow-up air raid crash left Okada in a relatively strong position. Okada tried climbing to the top, but Danielson cut him off with a barrage of uppercuts. Danielson then hit a butterfly suplex from the top and continued his wear-down attack.
Danielson carried Okada to the apron, but Okada surprised Danielson with a scary piledriver. Back in the ring, Okada taunted Danielson with flat foot kicks to the eyepatch. Okada then ripped off Danielson’s patch and drove his foot into Danielson’s bad eye.
Okada landed an elbow drop from the top rope, but this further injured the arm of Okada. Okada then tried for the rainmaker, but the injury-induced hesitation gave Danielson the time duck. Danielson followed up with a kick and his signature elbow strikes. After eating a slew of elbows, Okada powered up, but Danielson answered with a busaiku knee and the Labell lock. Danielson transitioned into the hold he used to submit Okada at Forbidden Door, forcing Okada into the ropes.
Once Okada escaped, Danielson stomped his head into the mat. Danielson pulled to a standing position, where Okada fired back with a sudden rainmaker. Okada fell in pain and was unable to follow up.
Danielson pulled Okada to the ground, but Okada fought back with strikes on the mat. Once standing, Okada tried another rainmaker, but Danielson stuffed it. Danielson hit one busaiku knee but didn’t go for the cover, instead opting for another. Danielson missed, leaving Okada an open opportunity. After dropping Danielson, Okada landed another rainmaker and collapsed onto Okada. The referee counted to three, leaving Okada with the win.
After the match, both men showed their respect for one another.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito defeated SANADA (c)
A great main event here. This was a feel-good match if there ever was one.
Naito gained control on the mat early and tried sending SANADA to the floor. SANADA reversed, sending Naito to the floor before doing his own version of the Naito taunt. Back in the ring, Naito began wearing down SANADA’s neck with strikes and a slam. Naito maintained control standing and on the mat, focusing on the neck.
SANADA fired back with a plancha. A fireman’s carry cutter left SANADA with a two count. After a little bit of work on the neck, SANADA locked in skull end. Once Naito escaped, SANADA attempted the moonsault, but Naito avoided it. A dropkick from Naito sent SANADA to the ground, leaving Naito free to focus the neck once more.
A neckbreaker from the barricade to the floor left SANADA outside high into the referee’s count. Once SANADA made it back, Naito dropped SANADA’s neck onto his knee, followed by a frankensteiner.
SANADA reveresed Naito’s tornado DDT into a magic screw. He followed up with a poison rana and a shining wizard before attempting another moonsault. This time, Naito stuck out his knees to block the finish.
Once standing, Naito landed a barrage of strikes on the neck of SANADA. Naito followed up with Esperanza and Destino. Naito, knowing one Destino wouldn’t be enough, tried for a second, but SANADA reversed into a TKO.
SANADA tried for a moonsault again; this time he overshot by a hair. SANADA tried again, landing it this time, but Naito kicked out anyway. Naito then interrupted SANADA’s follow-up with a spinebuster.
SANADA tried hoisting Naito up again, but he dropped him. Naito hit Destino once, but, again, was forced to try for another. This time, SANADA slipped free, making the move partially land. After SANADA kicked out, he hit Naito with a sudden Deadfall, forcing a match reset.
SANADA hit a Destino of his own, but Naito stuffed the Deadfall. Naito then landed the tornado DDT. SANADA fired back briefly but could not hold on to any lead. Naito’s own Deadfall left Naito uncontested into another Destino. This time, it proved enough to pin SANADA and win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
After the match, Naito grabbed a microphone. Just as he was going to speak, Evil and Dick Togo attacked him. Evil told him he wouldn’t let him have his roll call as he propped him up for a belt strike. Before Evil could take him out, SANADA made the save, dropping Evil with a shining wizard.
Once the ring was cleared, Naito thanked SANADA with blood pouring from his head. He thanked the fans for their support and delivered the LIJ role call after winning the main event in Tokyo Dome. His goal is complete.
NJPW holds their final show of 2023 today at Korakuen Hall.
Today’s Road to Tokyo Dome event will feature previews of the main Wrestle Kingdom 18 bouts.
In the main event, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA and his Wrestle Kingdom challenger Tetsuya Naito will be on opposite sides of a trios bout, with SANADA, Taichi, & Yuya Uemura facing Naito, Shingo Takagi, & Yota Tsuji.
Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi will team against Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita in the semi-main. Okada faces Bryan Danielson at Wrestle Kingdom, while Tanahashi will challenge Sabre for the NJPW World TV Championship at the Tokyo Dome.
NJPW’s first-ever coffin match will be held on today’s show, as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney face TJP & Francesco Akira. The titles will not be on the line today, but the teams will meet again in a championship match at Wrestle Kingdom.
I’m such a sucker for these simple Young Lion tags. Both of the new guys looked good, given their limited experience.
This match opened with some Young Lion grappling. Murashima tagged out first, giving Kojima time to work over Kato. After being on the back foot for some time, Kato dropped Kojima with a drop kick, leading to a Makabe hot tag.
Makabe forced Kojima to tag out, setting up Murashima for defeat. Makabe beat down Murashima and locked in the Boston crab. Kojima tried breaking up the crab, but Kato hit the ring, occupying Kojima long enough for Makabe to secure the win.
The masked men tried opening the match with silliness, but we were out-maneuvered. Horse and Boltin took control back as CHAOS tried removing their masks, but Yano’s use of a whip allowed him to stay ahead.
Boltin interrupted YOH on the top rope, slamming him to the mat before using the whip himself and dropping his singlet straps. Boltin the suplexed YOH after rocking him like a baby. Horse tagged in to close, only for YOH to catch Horse in the Kido clutch, winning the match.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Callum Newman
While a bit overindulgent for my liking, this very ambitious match aimed to establish Newman. At multiple points, I thought he was winning this one.
This match opened with a collar-and-elbow tie-up that turned into Ishii-favored striking. Newman attempted to match Ishii’s strikes, but Ishii repeatedly flattened him for trying. Over and over, as Newman would gain footing, Ishii would drop him with a stiffer strike, a slam, or a suplex.
Newman eventually landed a kick that sent Ishii to the floor. Newman capitalized with a moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Newman hit a forearm from the top rope, followed by a penalty kick for a nearfall.
Ishii fired back with a backdrop, resetting the match. A high German suplex and a lariat scored Ishii a nearfall. This led to a back-and-forth of tackles and kicks before Newman scored a nearfall with a Spanish fly. Another convincing nearfall for Newman followed an OsCutter.
Trying to close, Newman flipped from the top rope. Ishii avoided the dive, leading into a brief strike exchange. Ishii won out, leading to another big lariat from Ishii. After Newman kicked out, Ishii attempted a brainbuster, but Newman wiggled free. Another quick back-and-forth followed. Ultimately, Ishii won the match with another sliding lariat and brainbuster.
This was great. Leube has a fantastic energy about him, and Nakashima was on tonight. It was simple structurally, but the expected dynamic was flipped on its head, making for a very exciting match.
Young Blood opened the match by cornering Bishamon with strikes. Bishamon tried fighting back, but Youg Blood were able to win out early, establishing a solid lead while isolating Goto. Once the tag to YH came, Bishamon turned things around momentarily, but Young Blood didn’t take long to retake control. Young Blood’s lead survived multiple double-team attempts and tags. Nakashima eventually locked in a deep Boston crab, forcing a desperate rope break from YH.
After multiple attempts, Bishamon were finally able to rush the ring together, isolating Nakashima. Goto took out Leube on the floor, leaving Nakashima with no backup. Bishamon then hit Shoto, winning the match, but only after a prolonged struggle.
El Desperado & Master Wato defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi)
Heading into WrestleKingdom, this division feels ice-cold.
Hiromu and Desperado opened the match with some standard back and forth, and Wato continued this after he tagged in. To turn things around, BUSHI rushed the ring, leading to the first stint of LIJ control.
After a while on the back foot, Wato reached Desperado for a tag. Desperado turned things around for his team, gaining a substantial lead over the champion.
Eventually, Hiromu forced a double tag with a superkick, leading to an athletic struggle for control. BUSHI won out by utilizing a dive to the floor. Wato fired back with a couple of quick pin attempts. BUSHI tried to hold on, but a sudden jackknife pin from Wato secured the win.
Coffin Match: BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) defeated Catch 22 (Francesco Akira & TJP)
There were some ideas in this match that I really enjoyed, but at times, the stipulation got in the way. Some of the violence was exhilarating, but it was interrupted by the awkward “place a guy in a box” win condition.
This was the first coffin match in NJPW history. To win, you only needed to place one opponent into the coffin and close the lid.
Before the match could begin, the War Dogs rushed Catch 22 from behind. The match spilled to the floor, where Catch 22 was actually able to gain the lead. They attempted to close Moloney in the coffin, but Connors cut them off with a pounce, allowing the War Dogs to take control.
A pair of spears from the War Dogs left them in a strong position. With their newfound lead, they attached a pair of dog collars to Catch 22. The War Dogs then beat down Catch 22 while strangling them with the collars at every opportunity.
Catch 22 used the chain from their collars to clothesline the War Dogs, gaining the upper hand for the first time in a while. TJP hit Moloney with a splash before calling for the coffin to be opened. After placing Moloney in the coffin, TJP tried closing the lid, but Connors used his body to block the door.
Connors hit TJP with a spear, sending him crashing into the coffin. Akira barely made the save before dropping Moloney with a cutter. Catch 22 followed up with an alley-oop and a pair of knees before rolling Moloney into the coffin. Connors saved Moloney again by attacking the referee before hanging Akira with the collar still attached to his neck.
Connors tied Akira to the post with his collar, freeing the War Dogs to focus on TJP. The Dogs landed Hit and Run and their tandem spear, incapacitating TJP long enough to place him in the coffin and close the door.
This match was awesome. Everything about it was on point. Okada’s motivation to punish the kids on the roster will never get old, and his Danielson prep with ZSJ here added a compelling layer. ZSJ and Tanahashi had incredible chemistry, as always. A great match in a vacuum, and even better considering the implecations for WrestleKingdom.
Tanahashi and ZSJ opened the match with focused grappling that spilled to the floor. Once they returned to the ring, they tagged out. Frustrated with his young challenger, Okada beat him in and out of the ring. Fujita eventually landed a dropkick that sent Okada to the mat, buying him enough time to tag out to ZSJ.
ZSJ out-grappled Tanahashi and Okada, gaining a lead in the center of the ring. Okada tried firing back with an air raid crash, but ZSJ reversed into another hold. Tanahashi tagged in and was able to turn things around for a moment, but ZSJ caught him on hold as well.
Okada tagged back in, giving his team the upper hand. ZSJ was forced to escape to Fujita, who tried unloading on Okada. Okada ate a ton of firey Fujita offense before turning the match back around with a flapjack. An air raid crash forced ZSJ to hit the ring. Tanahashi hit the ring to even the odds, leaving Okada alone with Fujita once more.
Okada floored Fujita with dropkicks before attempting the rainmaker. Fujita ducked the finish attempt and landed a German in response, scoring a nearfall. Another dropkick left Okada free to grab Fujita’s wrist, but instead of hitting the rainmaker, he pulled Fujita into a snug trap pin to win the match.
Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji)
The other points of focus were less than compelling, but Uemura and Tsuji were great throughout this match. I expect their match on the 4th to be something special.
The match opened with SANADA and Naito feeling each other out for a good minute. SANADA tried taking Naito to the mat, but Naito escaped to the floor and tagged out after returning to the ring.
Tsuji and Uemura were next to face off. Shingo hit the ring to help Tsuji establish the lead. LIJ then traded tags to isolate Uemura from the rest of J5G. Eventually, a fired-up Uemura knocked LIJ to the floor, buying time to tag out to Taichi. Taichi turned the match around for his team, challenging Shingo with heavy strikes and forcing a double tag.
With Naito and SANADA legal again, Naito gained control by taking the match to the mat. Once standing, SANADA landed a dropkick to take control, but Naito avoided the moonsault attempt. Naito tried for Destino but slipped. SANADA failed to follow up, leaving Naito free to hit a tornado DDT before another double tag.
Tsuji and Uemura entered the match again, with Uemura taking the lead. Again, Shingo hit the ring, leaving Uemura outnumbered. Shingo dropped Uemura with a pumping bomber, setting Tsuji up for a Boston crab in the middle of the ring. Taichi saved Uemura, but the rest of LIJ were quick to clear the ring again.
Tsuji crushed Uemura with a curb stomp, drawing blood. Tsuji attempted the Gene Blast, but Uemura reversed into an arm drag/crucifix pin combination that won the match, stealing the win right from under Tsuji.
After the match, Uemura grabbed the microphone to challenge Tsuji. Tsuji accepted the challenge. Tsuji asked where, and Uemura answered with “Tokyo Dome”.
Taichi followed Uemura with a year-end promo of his own. He plugged his YouTube and the success of his new faction in 2023.
SANADA closed the show with his promo. He announced an upcoming vinegar advertisement with J5G. He then told the crowd that DOUKI’s birthday was on the 24th, forcing him into the ring. The crowd sang Happy Birthday. SANADA closed by handing the microphone to TAKA, who promised 2024 would end the same way, with J5G on top.
On their way out of Korakuen, J5G went through the crowd and snow fell from the ceiling.
NJPW’s final title matches of 2023 will be held on today’s Road to Tokyo Dome event at Korakuen Hall.
In the main event, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Tomohiro Ishii will defend the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship against United Empire’s Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, & HENARE.
The KOPW 2023 Champion will also be crowned on today’s show in a whiskey bottle ladder match, as provisional title holder Taichi defends against Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a match where a whiskey bottle will be suspended above the ring and can be used as a weapon.
Second from the top, a preview of the Wrestle Kingdom 18 main event will take place in a six-man tag, with IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA teaming with Yuya Uemura & DOUKI against SANADA’s Wrestle Kingdom challenger Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, & BUSHI.
Holiday favorite Masked Horse will return on the show in the opening contest, teaming with Masked Boltin against Tiger Mask & Toru Yano.
Before the show began, Tanahashi stood in the ring, surrounded by the rest of the roster on the outside, for a tribute and 10-bell salute to Osamu Kido.
After the opening bell, Yano’s masked opponents rushed him, prompting Yano to remove the corner pads. Boltin ignored this antic, picking Yano up, rag dolling him before hitting a suplex. After TMIV tagged in, the beatdown continued for a while. TMIV attempted to rally, but Hourse caught him in the Kido clutch, winning the match for his team.
This match was excellent. Leube looked terrific in the final stretch. Young Blood seems to be the team to watch going forward.
Fujita and Nakashima opened the match with a strike-off that turned into a grappling battle. Nakashima then tagged out, allowing the Young Blood pair to double-team Fujita and ZSJ, establishing a solid lead. Unfortunately for the lion pair, their focus on ZSJ would open the door to being out-grappled, which they were as soon as the opportunity arose.
ZSJ, with help from Fujita, took control of the ring. Fujita let the lead slip eventually, opening the door to a hot tag into Leube. Leube and Nakashima then took out Fujita, forcing ZSJ to hit the ring, who they also beat down.
A sudden suplex from Fujita led to a double tag. What was an expected comeback from ZSJ ended up being a solid advance from Leube, who used his size to dominate while standing. After eating a PK, Leube dropped ZSJ with a strike but was caught in a choke when he attempted to follow up. The choke ended Leube’s control and the match, leaving TMDK with a win.
BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney & Gedo) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & TJP)
Before the match could begin, Connors and Moloney came to the ring, escorting a casket. Moloney then cut a short promo on UE, prompting a brawl on the outside.
Once the match began, Moloney and Newman traded strikes in the middle of the ring. The War Dogs gained control by pulling Newman to the floor, using weapons on the outside to put him on the back foot. An isolation segment followed.
A hot tag to Akira and a follow-up tag to TJP led to a UE rally. Gedo eventually ended up legal, leaving him open to a prolonged beatdown from UE. Catch 22 then hit Gedo with their double knee and won the match.
Once the match was over, the War Dogs beat down the winners, hitting Akira with their finish before leaving the rings. After recovering, TJP cut a promo on the War Dogs, hyping their match for WrestleKingdom. Catch 22 then challenged the junior champions to a coffin match tomorrow, which is now official.
House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita & SHO) defeated Master Wato, Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma
Ren wore a hooded cape to the ring, confirming his embrace of evil.
HoT started the match by rushing their opponents, leading to a prolonged, disorderly beatdown. In the ring, Wato was on the receiving end of HoT’s wrath until he tagged out to Shota. Shota unloaded on the traitorous Ren with loud forearms and other snappy offense, forcing the rest of HoT to hit the ring. Shota also overwhelmed the rest of HoT, but this gave Ren enough time to sneak into the match.
EVIL tagged in, leading to a match reset. The babyface trio rallied, forcing the rest of HoT to get involved. Honma scored a nearfall with Kokeshi but became distracted by HoT antics. Ren struck Honma with a wooden pushup bar before EVIL won the match with Everything is Evil.
After the match, HoT attempted a beatdown, but Kaito Kiyomiya and Ryohei Oiwa made the save. Last night, HoT attacked Kaito and Oiwa on NOAH’s Star Navigation show. Once they ran off HoT, Kaito offered a handshake to Shota, who accepted after a moment of hesitation.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi) defeated El Desperado & Satoshi Kojima
Desperado and Hiromu opened their match with a lot of what they always do—some back-and-forth wrestling and some back-and-forth striking in the middle of the ring. Hiromu eventually hit a spinebuster, leading to a double tag.
Kojima and Shingo went at each other to a raucous crowd. Kojima landed early, but a sliding lariat from Shingo left him far ahead. The follow-up pumping bomber scored Shingo a nearfall. Shingo attempted another, but Kojima ate it, forcing Shingo to try again. Finally, Shingo hit a pumping bomber while Hiromu and Desperado fought on the floor, scoring him a pinfall victory.
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA & Yuya Uemura) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji)
Uemura and Tsuji opened the match fast. Uemura landed a few arm drags before focusing the arm on the mat. Once Uemura established a lead, he tagged out to DOUKI. DOUKI could not maintain control in the ring, leading to a LIJ-favored fight on the floor.
Back in the ring, LIJ worked to isolate DOUKI. SANADA tried to interrupt the isolation, prompting Naito to spit in his face before sending him to the floor. An awkward back spring elbow busted Naito’s brow and freed DOUKI to make the tag, leading to a SANADA rally. A quick neckbreaker allowed Naito to escape SANADA’s offense.
Tsuji and Uemura tagged in, leading to a desperate struggle for control in the closing moments. Both men traded momentum before a curb stomp left Uemura flattened. BUSHI and Naito then hit the ring, gaining an even more significant advantage before the other J5Gs made the save.
With help from the rest of J5G, Uemura regained his footing. SANADA then locked BUSHI in the Skull End before passing him to Uemura for the finishing suplex.
NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling Championship Whiskey Bottle Ladder Match: Taichi (c) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Ugh. From needless interference, inconsistent selling, and pointless overindulgence, this match was a total slog. Oh, and it went 30 minutes. If it wasn’t actively infuriating, it was horrifically boring.
A whiskey bottle ladder match is a ladder match with a bottle of whiskey hanging above the ring. The first person to climb a ladder and claim the bottle is allowed to use it. You win the match with a pinfall or submission. It’s basically a neutered coal miner’s glove match.
Once the match began, Kanemaru rushed Taichi before grabbing a ladder and attempting to grab the bottle. Of course, Taichi threw him off, but Kanemaru tried again seconds later. Once Kanemaru realized it wouldn’t be that easy, he removed the turnbuckle pad and whipped Taichi into the exposed corner and the ladder placed in the other.
Kanemaru tried driving Taichi into the corner with a ladder, but Taichi reversed; this, unfortunately, sent both men to the floor because ladders have two ends. Kanemaru then hit Taichi in the leg with the ladder, leaving him free to climb the ladder and retrieve the whiskey.
After taking a swig of the whiskey, Kanemaru spat a mouthful into Taichi’s face. Taichi got ahold of the bottle, but he was not allowed to use it due to the stipulation. Once the referee took the bottle from Taichi, Kanemaru poured it all over him and continued attacking the leg.
Eventually, Taichi landed an enziguri, giving him time to rip off his pants. The post-pants pause gave Kanemaru enough time to drop Taichi again. Kanemaru locked in the figure four and spat another mouthful of whiskey at Taichi, but Taichi survived by reaching the bottom rope.
A backfire from Kanemaru allowed Taichi to land a head kick, gaining a lead for the first time in a while. Taichi grabbed the whiskey bottle again, ignoring the referee’s warning. Even with all the theatre, Taichi decided not to use the bottle.
Taichi set up to win the match, only for the lights to go out. Once the lights came on, SHO, EVIL, and Dick Togo were in the ring. They took out the referee and beat down Taichi. Ren Narita and Yujiro Takahashi hit the ring with more whiskey, which they used to fill a bucket. After HoT tried to drown Taichi in the bottle of whiskey, the rest of J5G hit the ring to make the save. J5G ran off HoT, leaving Kanemaru and Taichi alone once more.
Even after the extended beatdown and surviving a murder attempt, Taichi was able to make it to his feet. He dropped Kanemaru with a lariat for a nearfall. Kanemaru responded with Touch Out, but Taichi kicked out. Kanemaru followed up with a moonsault onto a ladder; Taichi kicked out. Kanemaru, now desperate, climbed to the top of the ladder for Deep Impact, but Taichi interrupted him with a low blow on the descent.
After failing to close with three finisher attempts, Kanemaru needed help. Togo hit the ring to pass Kanemaru the bucket of whiskey, but Taichi interrupted him, violently spilling the whiskey into Kanemaru’s face. Taichi then hit a superkick and Black Mafisto to win the match.
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb)
Okada and Cobb opened the match with collar-and-elbow work. Once both men proved to be on equal footing, Cobb taunted Okada with Bryan Danielson’s old “Yes!” chants. Cobb then tossed Okada across the ring and stretched him. Okada’s team hit the ring, saving him from Cobb’s advance.
The champions traded tags, slowly working over Cobb with the preferred offense. Cobb held on, tagging out to O-Khan, who managed to retake the lead. UE then began to work together to isolate Ishii. The eventual tag to Tanahashi gave the champions a second wind, but a throw put UE right back in the driver’s seat.
UE took their time picking apart each of their opponents. UE went uncontested for minutes at a time. Even after tags and momentary momentum shifts, UE managed to hold on to control.
In a full-fledged match breakdown, both teams began to swing for the fences. Ishii crushed HENARE with a powerbomb and a lariat. UE responded with a triple powerbomb that forced Okada to break up the pin.
A pair of miscommunications from both teams left Ishii and HENARE alone again. HENARE hit a knee in the corner and a slam for a neafall. Streets of Rage was interrupted, leading to another breakdown. Tanahashi hit Cobb with a sling blade as Okada hit HENARE with a tombstone. Ishii landed a lariat, but Henare was able to kick out.
HENARE and Ishii began to trade strikes in the middle of the ring. Ishii tried running at HENARE, but HENARE caught him with a spine buster for a near fall. A headbutt and a kick led to another Streets of Rage attempt, but Ishii answered with a headbutt of his own. After HENARE kicked out of a sliding lariat, Ishii hit him with his brainbuster to win the match and retain his team’s belts.
Bishamon will aim to make history as the first team to win three consecutive World Tag Leagues in today’s finals.
The team of Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI will try for their unprecedented third straight tournament win against Guerrillas of Destiny’s Hikuleo & El Phantasmo on today’s show.
Bishamon currently hold the IWGP Tag Team Championship, while GoD hold the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles. The tournament winner traditionally challenges for the IWGP Tag titles at Wrestle Kingdom, so a Bishamon win seems unlikely.
Goto has won the World Tag League a total of four times with three different partners — YOSHI-HASHI, Katsuyori Shibata, and Karl Anderson. Only Antonio Inoki has more career World Tag League wins (5) than Goto.
A series of eight tag matches fill out today’s undercard, highlighted by a 10-man tag semi-main with SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI, & TAKA Michinoku facing Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Zandokan Jr. & BUSHI, plus a Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Gates of Agony tag.
This showcase opened with the New Japan pair checking the Kyushu Pro imports. Oleg outpowered both of his opponents early, but Nozaki fought back with a throw. Once Oleg regained control, he tagged out to Taguchi, who decided to run the ropes instead of taking advantage, letting both opponents connect with uncontested offense. Looking to close, the Kyushu pair cleared the ring. Instead of setting idle, Taguchi took advantage with a surprise pin on Asosan, which was enough to win the match.
The opening minutes of this match were fairly contrived. TMDK took control and worked to isolate Soberano. Atlantis helped Soberano bounce back, leading to a double dive to the floor.
Back in the ring, Fujita took control of Wato, who attempted to rush Fujita outside. Fujita maintained this lead for some time with a bit of assistance from his TMDK partners. Eventually, Wato bounced back, hitting a high-angle German suplex before pinning Fujita.
Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer), Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata defeated BULLET CLUB (Alex Coughlin, Bad Luck Fale, Gabe Kidd & Jack Bonza)
This was another average match. Even the War Dogs seemed bored.
Fale and Archer opened the match with little more than a tease before tagging out to Coughlin and Nagata. Coughlin established a lead before tagging back to Fale, who slowed the match while wearing down Nagata.
Suzuki eventually tagged in and took out Kidd and Coughlin. Suzuki attempted the Gotch piledriver, but Kidd stuffed it and escaped to Bonza. Zayne stepped in to challenge Bonza, taking a solid lead. Suzuki helped Zayne close with a Gotch, followed by Archer throwing Zayne onto Bonza, which led to the pinfall win.
United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano), Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima
This match was good. Newman, Leube, and Nakashima were the standouts; they looked great, both on the offensive and defensive.
Soon after the opening bell, Yano and O-Khan tagged in, leading to an extended period of silliness. Ishii eventually tagged in, leading to a counter period of heavy striking. This led to a match breakdown that saw an intense back-and-forth between teams. From the fog, Cobb emerged with the lead. He then hit Leube with Tour of the Islands to win the match.
After the match, Henare and Ishii brawled on the outside. Cobb tried calming Henare down inside the ring, but Ishii fired back, attacking all of UE. For this, he got another beatdown. O-Khan stood over Ishii with one of the NEVER Six-Man belts.
House Of Torture (Ren Narita & SHO) defeated Shota Umino & Tiger Mask
I am highly skeptical of Ren in HoT, but this was great. If Ren maintains this level of intensity without falling into this faction’s lazy go-to match structure, this could be the hottest thing in New Japan.
Ren did not come to the ring when the match started, instead sending Dick Togo. In a bit of a turn, Shota was on the offensive in the opening brawl. Shota beat down Togo on the floor, writing him off for the rest of the conflict.
In the ring, TMIV and Shota beat down SHO, taking complete control early. Just as Shota secured the double underhooks for Death Rider, Ren Narita ran in. With Ren finally in the ring, the match could officially begin.
The actual match was quite brief. Ren beat down Shota on the outside. SHO dropped TMIV on the inside before pinning him to win the match.
House Of Torture (EVIL, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa & Tomoaki Honma
This was a better-than-average HoT match. Interpret that as you will.
This match opened with HoT rushing the babyfaces. They used weapons and attacks on the outside to gain a lead early. Kaito eventually began a rally, but it failed, leading to an even longer period of HoT control.
The first turnaround for the babyfaces happened after Honma tagged in. With help from the rest of his team, he scored a nearfall, but HoT fired back with more cheating. EVIL hit Honma with Everything is Evil, winning the match.
After the match, HoT beat down the babyfaces some more. Ren and SHO joined the attack, prompting Shota to hit the ring. Ren tried his best to avoid Shota, leading to a pursuit to the back.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada defeated Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
I didn’t love this. It was slow to a fault and generally uninteresting.
GoA gained significant control over Okada early, isolating him from Tanahashi and slowly working him over. The eventual hot tag to Tanahashi evened the odds, giving Okada time to recover.
Once Okada tagged back in, a slow struggle for control with GoA followed. GoA took control back, forcing Tanahashi to make the save once again. Once Tanahashi cleared the ring, Okada was able to regain his footing and hit Liona with a rainmaker to win the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) & Zandokan Jr. defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This match had its highs, but on the whole, it was nothing more than adequate.
SANADA and Naito opened the match with a tease before tagging out to Tsuji and Uemura. After Uemura won out in a brief encounter, Taichi and Shingo tagged in for a strike exchange. Shingo bested Taichi, forcing a tag to DOUKI, leading to the first period of LIJ control.
SANADA saved DOUKI with a hot tag, taking out all of his former factionmates in the process. Once the ring was cleared, Naito stepped up to challenge SANADA, putting him on the backfoot before tagging out to BUSHI.
TAKA scoring a nearfall on BUSHI forced everyone to hit the ring. Both teams traded moves, but LIJ won out in the exchange. This freed BUSHI to land his finish on TAKA and win the match.
After the match, Zandokan was allowed to join the LIJ salute.
World Tag League Final: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo)
I’m sure folks will love this, but it did absolutely nothing for me. It felt heavyhanded and filled with spots only because it was the finals. Without the big moves and false finishes, you could sneak this match onto any other night of WTL, and no one would notice. They tried to make this feel big but only made it feel manufactured.
The opening minutes saw both teams slowly trying to eke out the lead. GoD gained the upper hand first, isolating Goto from YH for quite a while. Bishamon gained their footing by hitting the ring together, overwhelming both of their opponents. Now, with a lead, Bishamon returned the favor, isolating ELP for as long as they could manage.
A hot tag to Hikuleo allowed GoD to answer Bishamon’s control. ELP landed a dive to the floor, taking out both of his opponents. ELP considered using a chair, but Hikuleo talked him out of it; instead, he opted for a table. Goto saved YH from being driven through the table, leading to a struggle for control in the ring.
YH and ELP traded strikes for a while before turning to springboards. Hikuleo then hit the ring, dropping YH with a chokeslam. YH slowed GoD’s advance by blocking a dive with his knees; this didn’t really matter, as GoD maintained their control long enough to land a powerbomb from the top rope, scoring a nearfall.
Hikuleo attempted a splash from the top rope but missed. This bought YH enough time to tag out, leading to an extended struggle for control between both teams. Bishamon hit Shoto, but Hikuleo made the save. Goto tried climbing to the top rope, but Hikuleo pulled him down, teasing a spot with the table from earlier in the match. YH made the save, helping Goto drive Hikuleo through the table with Shoto.
Now, without a partner, ELP took on both of Bishamon. He escaped Shoto and hit Goto with an aided neckbreaker of his own. ELP followed up with multiple big moves that yielded false finishes.
ELP tried for Sudden Death, but YH cut him off with a superkick of his own. Bishamon then hit GTW, but ELP kicked out. Finally, Bishamon hit ELP with Naraku and won the match and world tag league.
After the match, the teams shook hands, and Bishamon cut a show-ending promo and posed with their belts and trophies.
Don’t let my negative reviews sully the rest of this tour. The stale booking is a downer, but other than tonight, it’s been a ton of fun with a few bold choices that have been New Japan’s Q4 highlights.
