NJPW kicks off its biggest weekend of the year today with its biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 19 in Tokyo Dome.
In the main event, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Shota Umino.
This is undoubtedly the biggest match of Umino’s career, as the 27-year-old tries to establish himself as the leader of the next generation of NJPW stars.
For Sabre, the match caps a year where he won the G1 Climax, the IWGP World title, and established himself as the top foreign star in NJPW.
A Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiromu Takahashi “dream match” is in today’s semi-main event position. Both are Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemates, but have agreed to a one-time dream encounter.
Today’s other title matches include David Finlay vs. Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global title, DOUKI defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against E Desperado.
The AEW International and NEVER Openweight titles are on the line in a winner takes all match with Shingo Takagi vs. Konosuke Takeshita in a potential show-stealer.
Hiroshi Tanahashi puts his career on the line in a lumberjack match against EVIL. Ren Narita defends the NJPW World TV title in a four-way against Jeff Cobb, El Phantasmo, and Ryohei Oiwa.
Mayu Iwatani will defend the IWGP Women’s Championship against AZM. The main card kicks off at 3 a.m. Eastern time with a Tokyo Terror four-way ladder match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles with Intergalactic Jetsetters vs. Ichiban Sweet Boys vs. Catch 2/2 vs. Bullet Club War Dogs.
The New Japan Ranbo to determine the number one contender to the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is set for the pre-show.
**********
Pre-show
Hirooki Goto won the New Japan Ranbo
This year’s Ranbo featured the stipulation of determining the #1 contender to the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Having relinquished and retired the King of Pro Wrestling Championship during the Road to Tokyo Dome tour, Great-O-Khan put on an Iron Man performance along the likes of SANADA, Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii, and more.
The match came down to a seesaw struggle on the ropes between Khan on the inside and Hirooki Goto on the outside apron. Inevitably, Goto won the Ranbo, earning him the right to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at a later date.
Main Card
Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) defeated Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & Kushida) (c), Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira), and Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) in a 4-way Tokyo Terror Ladder Match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
With ladders and chairs in hand, the War Dogs got an early advantage by incapacitating everyone else. As they climbed to the top, Kushida propelled his body to the ladder at the last moment to deny them an easy win. TJP and Akira sent Moloney through a table, leaving Connors to contend with Knight and Eagles. Having already landed on a horizontally-hanging ladder, Eagles was once again dropped onto it by TJP. As Kushida held a recovered Moloney on the mat, Knight dived onto the War Dog, only to miss at the last second.
Inches away from grasping the belts, Knight careened off the ladder and out of the ring as Moloney lifted the bottom rung from his prone body. Atop two ladders, the members of Ichiban Sweet Boys and United Empire battled. With TJP and Eagles out of the picture, the hopeful Akira lost his momentum as Fujita held his body over the ladder while grabbing wildly for the hanging belts. Eventually, they were in grasp of Fujita’s firm hands.
Moloney and Connors wearing fur coats while flanked by women immediately sets the stage for the pageantry for this match. The match itself was fun, with plenty of tense moments. Though not as exciting as most ladder matches, this showed a lot of promise as NJPW stepped out of its comfort zone. I’m a sucker for the tag team ladder matches of the Attitude Era, and I’d love to see more of these in the cerulean blue.
Mayu Iwatani (c) defeated AZM for the IWGP Women’s Championship
AZM’s speedy offense stunned Iwatani initially, who opted for the resilience of her patented zombie state. The champ withstood two Canadian Destroyers like it were a minor inconvenience. A gnarly suplex to Iwatani by AZM managed to earn a 1-count pin.
Despite a failed Tombstone Piledriver breaking her zombie mentality, Iwatani closed the match with a Closed Dragon Suplex for the win.
In some respects, this match was plotted like a horror movie—an unkillable force that would require luck to survive. Unfortunately for AZM, she was no final girl. As one of Stardom’s great young talents, however, she remains one to watch as her lengthy match catalog would suggest. Iwatani is forever one of the best women to step into a ring in the modern era. Much like Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Misterio Jr at Halloween Havoc 1997, Iwatani and AZM made the most of every second they had.
El Phantasmo defeated Ren Narita (c), Jeff Cobb, Ryohei Oiwa for the NJPW World Television Championship
Phantasmo immediately displaced Narita with a vicious tope. Meanwhile, Oiwa and Cobb locked horns like two angry wildebeests in a savannah. Narita bounced back, even throttling the still-weak knee of Cobb. Phantasmo, out-maneuvering Cobb, was sent flying to the flattened Narita and Oiwa on the outside; Cobb relished this opportunity to do the same with a Tope Con Hilo. A hopeful Phantasmo’s top rope aspirations onto Cobb were dashed by Oiwa, leading to a Tower of Doom spot with Cobb as a sturdy base.
Seeking out his handy board, a distracted Narita lost his weapon to Jado, leading to a combined beatdown. Mere breaths from victory, OIwa’s Doctor Bomb nearly earned a pinfall over Cobb had it not been for Narita. Cobb broke Narita’s reintroduced board and followed suit with a Tour of the Islands but couldn’t make the pin. Phantasmo, however, took out Narita with a Thunderkiss ’86 for the win.
Just as the previous match maximized their minutes, so did the NJPW World Television Championship match. I went into this match hoping that either ELP or Oiwa would walk away with the belt, but Cobb’s injury gave him an undeniable underdog status. Phantasmo’s work landed significantly, providing an entertaining battle to the top. All hail your new NJPW World Television Champion.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated EVIL in a Lumberjack Match
Should Tanahashi lose, he would retire sooner than he originally planned. As such, EVIL dished out every dirty tactic he could devise, but the undeterred valiance of The Ace is a fire that refuses to go out so easily. Smashing Tanahashi with chairs and spray-painting colleagues like Master Wato, EVIL sought to ruin anything Tanahashi held dearly: his health, his career, his friends. EVIL sought to flee like a coward now Tanahashi stood with replenished vigor, but was dragged back by lumberjack Oleg Boltin.
House of Torture forwent the lumberjack formalities as they proceeded for Dick-to-Dick Contact. Tiger Mask, Wato, and Boltin came to The Ace’s rescue, giving him enough respite. Tanahashi made a rousing comeback, featuring a Sling Blade and a failed High Fly Flow, thwarted by Dick Togo. EVIL proceeded to throw everything at Tanahashi, confident that this would be it. After a Dead End, EVIL went for a pin, ending in a nearfall, reversed by Tanahashi. In this reversal, Tanahashi gained the pinfall victory.
— Post-match: House of Torture gave a cruel beatdown to the victorious Ace, stopping at nothing. Then, Katsuyori Shibata emerged to his rescue. Following the save, Shibata challenged Tanahashi for Wrestle Dynasty.
Evil’s special entrance rocked. The gothic vibes of the organ, transformed into a cyberpunk syntheziser coagulated wonderfully into an excellent musical presentation. He felt like The Kurgan from the 1986 film “Highlander”. Hard to be mad at any House of Torture interference, as this match welcomed it. Despite the later Togo interference, the last half of this match created an unreal atmosphere of adrenaline and hope. I was on the edge of my seat. I’m positively looking forward to Tanahashi versus Shibata.
On an important note, Tanahashi’s last year already feels special. This is a man who had saved a company through performance alone and steered the company into a golden age. His work is transformative, adapting to any match format while still retaining his Ace aura, from bloodbaths with Jon Moxley to working Kenny Omega’s unique modern style. When Tanahashi hangs up his boots on January 2026, professional wrestling will lose that important voice in the ring, but gains an incredible president and figure.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Shingo Takagi for the NEVER Openweight Championship and AEW International Championship
Two behemoths collided, with AEW’s International Champion delivering ruthless power. Takagi prevented a dive from Takeshita, turning the tide with a Death Valley Driver. Through an evenly-matched collision and standoff, Takeshita swung the trajectory to his favor, broken by a Pumping Bomber by Takagi.
Making a spirited comback, Takeshita nearly gained a pinfall with a Blue Thunderbomb, but Takagi soundly countered it with a Last of the Dragon. Lariats and clotheslines, one after the other, led to Takeshita clutching control of the match. With one last Blue Thunderbomb, Takeshita added the NEVER Openweight Championship to his collection of now two belts.
An adrenaline-pumping taste of what’s to come at Wrestle Dynasty. Warrior vs Hogan vibes, except I liked this much better. This has been a nice turnaround for Takeshita, having struggled to get anywhere in AEW for so long, to holding gold in among two big wrestling companies. Takagi as always was in superb form.
El Desperado defeated Douki (c) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (Injury)
From the first bell, Desperado sought to slow the flow of this match. Throwing everything (including himself) at the champ, Desperado maintained relative control. Douki attempted a top rope seated senton to Desperado on the outside, but landed his elbow nastily on the blue steel barricade. Officials declared Douki was unfit to continue. Desperado was visibly upset by this turn of events.
Shido Nakamura’s presence in Douki’s entrance made for a spectacle made possible by massive events like this. A fan of foreign cultures, I grinned stupidly at this treat. Having spent the last few months invested in Douki and El Desperado’s story, I was gutted to see this match cut short and the champion denied this big moment. All the best wishes to Douki in his recovery from this injury.
Yota Tsuji defeated David Finlay (c) for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
Finlay’s underhanded tactics gained him an early advantage, with an impactful barricade bump to his challenger. Briefly losing control, Finlay regained it by tossing Tsuji into the ring post and through an abandoned table near the announcers. The champ could only look on with malicious glee as Tsuji crawled and tripped to a 19-count return to the ring. Three consecutive Dominators by Tsuji immobilized Tsuji, but could not get the job done.
Tsuji made a brief comeback, trounced by four consecutive powerbombs, once again to no avail. Tsuji pulled out a Gene Blaster, but Finlay countered with a Gun Stun into Oblivion. Tsuji successfully landed a Gene Blaster, and went for the pin but Finlay lifted his leg to the rope at the 2-count. Finlay threw everything else he could, but Tsuji reached deep within himself to deliver a Powerbomb and one last Gene Blaster to a pinfall victory to a thunderous Tokyo Dome crowd.
Both men had aesthetically pleasing special entrances, with Finlay’s machine gun syncing well with the tron behind him, much like Kenny Omega’s Final Fantasy entrance at Wrestle Kingdom 17. Following up on the Douki injury sapped the energy from the building, but the crowd gave it their best. And to their credit, it worked. I’ve not given Finlay enough credit, but he excelled here with fantastic chemistry to Tsuji.
What was my least anticipated match going into Wrestle Kingdom 19 quickly became my match of the night. Unreal stuff from Tsuji and Finlay, making the crowd happy after such a tragic moment. Now the stakes with Tsuji against Jack Perry at Wrestle Dynasty are raised.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Hiromu Takahashi
Five years of destiny denied. Takahashi’s face told the story all too well, that this match means more than friendship—it means graduating out of junior heavyweight competition. Naito’s prepared for any and everything Takahashi could think of. It won’t be easy. A Time Bomb to the outside finally granted Takahashi an opening, planting a Dynamite Plunger to his stablemate.
Naito began a comeback, but a failed second Destino returned the momentum to Takahashi courtesy a Time Bomb. Softening the neck of Takahashi with elbows, Naito’s efforts were countered with a Destino by Takahashi followed by another Time Bomb. Naito weakened Takahashi with holds and Destinos, leaving Takahashi on his knees. Eventually, Naito landed one that granted him a bittersweet pinfall victory.
For fans of the Yakuza series, the tension and relationship between Naito and Takahashi in this match gave me strong yet vague Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Mijima vibes. This wasn’t some sort of workrate classic, but something far more. The determination in Takahashi’s eyes, and the apprehension in Naito’s. Even when Naito won, there was a sense of regret as he lay on the mat. Sometimes the best storytelling isn’t solely in dialog or action, but reading between the lines and the emotions that lie therein.
Main Event
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated Shota Umino for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Umino’s back, while not noticable at first, grew to being an important factor. While in Sabre’s realm of holds and submissions, Umino barely clawed his way out, but in terms of high-paced frenetic action, he surpassed the champion. Spiking Sabre’s head on the apron, Umino gained a moment to catch his breath, save for the fact his ankle has been weakened thorughout his landing. Propelling the champion into the guardrails, Umino is showered in boos, just like in Ryogoku. Throughout any swing in momentum, his eyes glare in reproach, eschewing the babyface heroics he’d adopted throughout 2023.
With spite in his arsenal, Umino had a modicum of control, but still Sabre did implore him to bring his best to this match, that he’s in the main event and should act like it. Wrenching back Umino’s arms, Sabre nearly put the challenger to sleep. A rageful Umino rampaged through the champion, but fell to a lariat. Both men frenzied, urgently exchanging stiff strikes until Sabre landed a Sabre Driver to a 2-count. Umino planted the champion with a Death Driver, also to a 2-count. An extended leglock hold on Umino brought Umino beyond his threshold of pain, yet he crawled to the ropes in sheer desperation.
Meekly throwing weak elbow strikes, Umino is fueled by the derisive laughs in the crowd. Slipping on his way to the top rope via his hurt ankle, Umino was ensnared by Sabre. A last-ditch effort by Umino saw a Death Driver from the top rope, leaving Sabre prone. Viciously, Umino kicked and stomped on the champ’s helpless body. Vitriol, no remorse. At last, Umino’s ankle caught up with him. Sabre, ever the opportunist, deployed Sabre Drivers and a Suzuki-esque Piledriver before one last Sabre Driver put Umino down once and for all.
Ebbs and flows through this entire bout. So many flashes of greatness, tainted by moments of lulls and a strong lack of urgency. Umino gaining some originality in his character was nice, certainly, and added much to the story. The same applies to his ankle. Umino needs to complete his character. I loved his ruthless side, sharing disdain for the audience.
Long story short, this match felt like being fed an incredible steak, only to take turns pouring hot tar into your mouth. Not a bad match, but not a Tokyo Dome main event match.
Overall, Wrestle Kingdom was a blast. Much like AEW World’s End, however, it’s main event suffered. Pretty much any other match is worth watching. My highlights were the last half of Tanahashi versus EVIL, Takahashi versus Naito, AZM versus Iwatani, and Finlay versus Tsuji.
