Wrestle Dynasty streams live tonight on NJPW World featuring talent from NJPW, AEW, CMLL, ROH, and Stardom.
Kenny Omega makes his return to the ring for his first match since December 2023 on today’s show, facing Gabe Kidd in what has become something of a grudge match after the two had a brawl in an angle at Power Struggle late last year.
AEW’s Ricochet will take on Zack Sabre Jr. with Sabre’s IWGP Heavyweight title on the line.
The vacant IWGP Tag Team titles will be on the line in a three-way when Matthew and Nicholas Jackson of The Young Bucks face United Empire’s Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb, and the LIJ team of Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi.
NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone realizes a childhood dream today as she wrestles in the Tokyo Dome against Mina Shirakawa with Shirakawa’s RevPro British Women’s Championship also on the line.
The new NEVER Openweight Champion and AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita puts both titles on the line against Tomohiro Ishii.
New IWGP Global Champion Yota Tsuji puts his title on the line against AEW’s Jack Perry in another championship tilt.
NJPW’s Shota Umino vs. AEW’s Claudio Castagnoli is set for the show. NJPW’s David Finlay takes on AEW’s Brody King in another singles bout.
A lucha gauntlet match will feature four CMLL competitors and four NJPW wrestlers to kick off the main card.
On the pre-show, Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara defend the ROH Tag Team titles against Yoshinobo Kanemaru & SHO.
The International Women’s Cup four-way kicks off the pre-show, with Willow Nightingale vs. Athena vs. Momo Watanabe vs. Persephone. The winner will earn a title shot of their choosing.
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Pre-show
Momo Watanabe (with Thekla) defeated Willow Nightingale, Persephone, and Athena for the International Women’s Cup
Watanabe controlled the early goings, dismantling Persephone and Athena with relative ease. Nightingale, however, persevered until Persephone sent her out of the ring. Frenzy after frenzy ensued, with each hard-hitting competitor giving it their all, with Athena’s bully style ruthlessly cutting her opponents down.
Interrupting Nightingale’s offense to Persephone, Athena sought to take advantage of her distracted state. As the ROH Women’s Champion pinned the AEW star, Watanabe’s H.A.T.E. stablemate Thekla pulled the referee out at the last second. Athena’s aspirations for the International Women’s Cup were undercut wholly with a swing from Watanabe’s bat and her signature Peach Sunrise.
A stellar start to the evening, featuring wrestlers not typically seen in NJPW settings, let alone the Tokyo Dome. Albeit brief, this set the stage for a spectacular event. And even still, each woman had the right amount of time and maximized their minutes perfectly. I still wish Billie Starkz defeated Athena for the ROH Women’s Championship, however.
The Sons of Texas (Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara) (c) defeated House of Torture (SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship
Rhodes extended a hand of sportsmanship to SHO, who seemingly obliged until Kanemaru ambushed him from behind. The House of Torture stablemates plucked at Guevara like vultures, going so far as to expose the turnbuckle on their side of the ring and tossing the younger half of the champion team into it. Rhodes made a hot tag, playing all his greatest hits on SHO, crushing him with a scoop slam. A Spear from SHO granted Kanemaru a tag of his own, to which he worked the legs of The Natural.
Kanemaru followed his typical dastardly approach with his Whiskey Mist following a Goldust homage from Rhodes. A Dustin Destroyer and a Whiskey Mist of his own saw Rhodes flatten Kanemaru with a Final Reckoning. Guevara punctuated this with a 630 Splash to give Rhodes the pinfall victory.
Following Rhodes on AEW the past few years, I’d hoped to see him with gold and in some special spots on cards. Seeing him in the cerulean blue was the icing to the cake for me. This odd pairing of a match made for an interesting premise, yet both teams worked off each other exceedingly well for a pre-show event. Also, as a fan of the 2023 Deadpool & Wolverine film, I appreciated The Sons of Texas paying homage.
Main Card
Taiji Ishimori won the Eight Man Lucha Gauntlet
Hechicero and Kosei Fujita opened the match, locking up to no avail. Soberano Jr entered, breaking up their attempts before Master Wato sent him to the outside. Mascara Dorada emerged, overwhelming everyone with high-flying maneuvers. His miraculous abilities were quickly quelled by the equally agile Taiji Ishimori, who proceeded to test his mettle with the incoming Titan. The final entrant, El Desperado, strutted in with Junior Heavyweight Championship gold droped over his shoulder.
Seeing the prize on the horizon, each NJPW and CMLL entrant in the gauntlet charged for Desperado, blasting him in succession with their signature moves. Chaos erupted in the gauntlet, with tope flips and dives abound to the outside. Dorada was the last to soar, as Desperado and Fujita grappled on the mat. Ishimori broke up their test of sport by tossing the referee onto them, sealing the deal with a Gedo Clutch to Desperado for the win.
This was excellent fun by some of CMLL’s best talents and the sensational competitors of NJPW’s Junior Heavyweight division. I wonder if Douki would have factored into the match had he not suffered his injury. Nonetheless, a great opener to tonight’s main card.
Katsuyori Shibata versus Hiroshi Tanahashi ended in a 5-minute Time Limit Draw
A lock-up, a chest-chop sequence. The more it went on, the more Tanahashi and Shibata furiously exchanged brutality. Shibata’s chest was red, but not as significantly as Tanahashi, as they traded blows that echoed through the Tokyo Dome.
Much like old friends partaking in a familiar game of chess, the communication of violence spoke more than words could. Whereas Shibata is a man re-entering a world he was forced to leave behind, Tanahashi readies to say goodbye to it. This reunion hit the notes they needed to hit and didn’t overstay its welcome.
Mercedes Moné defeated Mina Shirakawa for the Strong Women’s Championship and the Undisputed British Women’s Championship
Moné’s confidence shone while determination gleamed and sparkled within Shirakawa’s eyes. Moné dived to her opponent on the outside after she took a spill, but fell from the top rope a moment later after a Dragon Screw Leg Whip. Shirakawa worked the knees of Moné, but couldn’t avoid the Strong Women’s Champion’s Meteora.
Continuing targeting Moné’s week spot, Shirakawa trapped her in a leglock. Another Dragon Screw Leg Whip by Shirakawa keeps her in control, as she followed up with another leglock. Shirakawa tried a Venus Driver for a very close 2-count pin, with Moné’s Bank Statement reaching the same result. Frantically struggling to survive, Moné won with a Moné Maker.
Two incredibly talented superstars putting on an undeniable classic. Shirakawa’s flashy style coalesced wondrously with Moné’s big match style. Having went a year without wrestling due to her injury sustained at NJPW STRONG Resurgence 2023, seeing her adorned with belts in the Tokyo Dome as fans chant “CEO” after she’s gone feels so right.
David Finlay defeated Brody King
King’s domineering size, while not dwarfing Finlay, certainly overwhelmed him with brute strength. The cunning of Finlay served him well enough, but King moved unforgivingly, tossing Finlay every which way, even into the steel barricades. This wasn’t just a match to emerge victorious, this was a match for Finlay to survive. The overall welfare of the War Dog was in dire condition, helplessly enduring the abuses of King as Gedo pleaded on the outside.
Something awoke in Finlay, as he struck back, poked King in the eyes, and threw himself completely into his larger opponent towards the barricade—twice. And yet, despite all of this renewed rage inside of the Bullet Club Leader, Finlay only made a small chip in the armor of King. All he could do was kick out of subsequent pins. Eventually, the former Global Heavyweight Champion found it in himself to unleash Oblivion and Overkill to ultimately slay the giant.
Finlay is on a roll here. Absolutely impressive weekend of matches for him. This hero’s journey for one of NJPW’s top villains made for a compelling story. King’s dominance made this seem like a foregone conclusion, but the perseverance of Finlay changed the whole complexion of the match. King, as usual, was in strong form, feeling like a natural in a NJPW setting.
Shota Umino defeated Claudio Castagnoli
Halfway through Umino’s entrance, Castagnoli ambushed the Roughneck. His wrath was delivered unto Umino far into the outside of the arena, across steel and ground. Wrenching back Umino’s face, Castagnoli’s remorseless approach read more like a message than competition.
Castagnoli’s wealth of strength paid dividends, such as a spot where he casually tossed him from the top turnbuckle as though he were a lightweight teddy bear. When his signature Swing couldn’t disorientate Umino enough for the win, he pulled deep with a Boston Crab to no success. Seeking to toss him off the top rope again, Castagnoli fell victim to elbow strikes to the neck and a DDT from the top. A Ricola Bomb nearly gave Castagnoli the victory, but Umino survived and won with an Underhook Death Driver.
Storyline-wise, this felt like a baptism by fire to mold Umino into something new. If NJPW listens to the online fanbase and the boos Umino got at Wrestle Kingdom 19, this could lead somewhere interesting. Deconstruct the current visage of Umino and rebirth him anew. However, despite the poor performance last night, Umino’s teetering to an edge of playing to no one but himself; if he plays a lone wolf and does something interesting with it, there may be no need for renovation.
Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Championship and the AEW International Championship
Like rampaging beasts, Takeshita and Ishii tore into one another with the ferocity of apex predators on nature documentaries. For the most part, Takeshita’s stiff strikes kept Ishii at bay, despite his tenacity enduring. Through a stretch of back-and-forth intensity, Takeshita regained control courtesy a suplex and later a Blue Thunderbomb. A Falcon Arrow from the top rope crumpled Ishii, but could not elicit a pinfall.
The indominatable versus the impervious, neither man were able to incapacitate the other without taking themselves out first. Miraculously, the knackered Ishii countered the top rope aspirations of Takeshita into a Hurricanrana, following up with a series of headbutts and lariats. Takeshita managed a hard-fought comeback with elbows, but sealed the envelope to this match with a Raging Fire for the pinfall.
Takeshita truly shines in NJPW and the big matches in AEW. His transformative 2023 has elevated him in so many respects, as his in-ring is incredibly solid and can steal the show on any given night if given a chance to shine. The path to his collection of gold is proof enough of that.
The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson) defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) and Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi) for the vacant IWGP Tag Team Championship
United Empire and Los Ingobernables de Japon immediately took each other on, as the Young Bucks watched. The Jackson brothers then proceeded to venture towards their vintage teamwork while loudly bantering.
Khan and Naito locked up, with Cobb throwing his weight around but suffered a well-synced flip from the Bucks. United Empire staged a front that overwhelmed the competition, nearly suffering an EVP Trigger from the Bucks, but overcame both with a singular massive suplex. Briefly allying with LIJ, the Bucks betrayed them, thrashed Naito and Cobb, and then won the match with a Meltzer Driver onto a defeated Khan.
United Empire was eloquent in their heavy-hitting behemoth forms. The Young Bucks were a different story—they were in top form with in-ring psychology and athleticism. My only complaint with this is that I don’t think LIJ were necessarily needed in this bout.
Yota Tsuji defeated Jack Perry for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
Tsuji maintained neck control initially, halted by Perry’s leg work. The Scapegoat gave little room for the champion to breathe, as Perry threw everything he had at him. A Spanish Fly from Tsuji earned a brief reprieve, had it not been for Perry’s knee; this was a double-edged sword as the challenger began to favor his other knee.
Failing to stage another comeback, Tsuji fell victim to a low-blow by Perry but kicked out at the last second. Recovering just enough adrenaline, the champion dodged and weaved through any attack Perry could muster. Slowed by his knee, Perry collapsed under the force of a devastating Gene Blaster. Tsuji retained, standing tall over The Scapegoat.
Though not mind-blowing, Perry versus Tsuji was a blast, with the towering Tsuji fighting from underneath to thwart the malicious Perry.
Kenny Omega defeated Gabe Kidd
Kidd’s standard fare blazed like an inferno, hushed to an ember as Omega’s traditional style delivered skin-reddening strikes and familiar taunts. Kidd snatched the flow of the match and whipped Omega to the barricades repeatedly. Renovating the commentary area, Kidd’s plans were postponed thanks to Omega diving him into the barricades.
Kidd staged a coup against the experience of Omega on the apron, but was punished for it by spilling onto the floor and rammed mercilessly under a vicious sneer to the barricade and the tables Kidd set earlier. Bloodied, Kidd could only watch as Omega soared through the Tokyo sky past the barricade and onto him below. Having damaged his hip during the dive, Omega berated the ringside crew, leaving just enough time for Kidd to recover in a fury rendering him almost zombie-like.
With another table set up, Kidd dragged Omega’s crumpled corpse and dropped him through it with a cruel Powerbomb. Commentary declared that Omega was oozing blood while Kidd and his War Dogs threw a collection of steel chairs into the ring. Omega, sensing the danger, kneed Kidd onto the mountain of chairs but fell soundly to a Straight Vertical Suplex onto the chairs he so hoped to avoid. The pair dueled with chairs until Omega landed one directly onto Kidd’s head.
Omega opted for each of his signature moves, from Croyt’s Wrath to a V-Trigger, hoping to end it with a One-Winged Angel, which faltered due to Omega’s diverticulitis. Kidd countered this further with an Inoki hold to the crowd’s ovation. Kidd pummelled Omega with multiple Drivers but failed to get the job done. Mustering the strength to rise once more, Omega used Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye and ended the match with a One-WInged Angel for the pinfall.
Of course this was a great match. This is Kenny Omega we’re talking about. But this was something transformative entirely. Look at Tanahashi crying post-match. Both men bloodied themselves to a pulp. Kidd came in great shape and left looking stronger in defeat while Omega remains one of the top wrestlers of our time. This was a more mature approach to his matches, even for NJPW standards, thus creating an experience unique to his match catalog, let alone wrestling as a whole.
Main Event
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Ricochet for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Before Sabre could even enter the ring, an impassioned Ricochet charged full velocity at the champion. Enraged, Sabre swung with uppercuts on the challenger, catching the bouncy Ricochet at every chance. The early offense has wore on Sabre, made worse by the unrelenting nature of Ricochet. The aerial wrestler’s style contrasted wildly to Sabre’s grounded approach.
Any moment Ricochet extended his limbs to Sabre in his strikes, he reacted quick enough to avoid any reversal by the champ. Sabre mounted a comeback, throwing kicks and strikes like his life depended on it. However, Ricochet caught him and suplexed him consecutively from the middle of the ring to the padding outside. Sabre re-entered the ring, barely beating the count and engaged in a slap-fest with Ricochet.
Sabre powered through with a series of uppercuts, trounced soundly by Ricochet’s knee. At last countering Ricochet, the champ plunged Ricochet with a Sabre Driver, transitioned into a Cross Armbreaker. Ricochet floated in a Shooting Star Press for a heart-stopping 2-count. Sabre grounded Ricochet and defeated him with a Jim Breaks Armbar to a vocal submission.
There was absolutely no following Omega vs Kidd, but a solid effort was made by Sabre and Ricochet. The latter made me believe he could shock the wrestling world with a win, and has been leaps and bounds above where he was in WWE. Still, this cemented to me that last night’s poor performance was a fluke and that Sabre remains worthy of his belt. Long may the mighty not kneel.
Overall, Wrestle Dynasty was a great first showing at what this conglomeration of companies could do. Match quality differed throughout the night, but ultimately there was not a bad match on the card. Everyone delivered. One thing I must note, however: If you’re NJPW and you have Kenny Omega on your card, you put him in the main event, unless you’ve positioned people who are actually on his level to fill that slot. It applied to Wrestle Kingdom 17, and it applies here too.
