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NJPW WRESTLE DYNASTY
JANUARY 5, 2025
TOKYO, JAPAN AT THE TOKYO DOME
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Commentators: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton (hopefully their voices hold out)
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[PRE-SHOW]
(A) MOMO WATANABE vs. WILLOW NIGHTINGALE vs. ATHENA vs. PERSEPHONE – International Women’s Cup Four Way Match
This was a stacked lineup, but sadly the few fans in the building early enough to watch it had little to no reaction to any of the entrants.
As the bell rang, Athena watched on while Willow took out Persephone. Athena threw Persephone to the floor, Willow threw Athena out, and Momo got a quick schoolgirl for a two-count. Willow regained control with a kick to the head, then hit a rack attack backbreaker. Persephone came in with a stack rollup on Willow for a two-count, and hit a fallaway slam. Athena hit a face plant, a neckbreaker, and a half-hatch suplex on Persephone. Momo got on the apron with her baseball bat, which allowed her partner Tecla to distract Athena and pull her to the outside. Momo went for a Deadeye on Persephone but Athena broke it up with a clothesline, turning the move into a destroyer for Persephone.
Willow and Athena faced off. Athena cartwheeled out of a headscissors but ate a kick to the head. Willow went for a Death Valley driver but Athena escaped and hit a big superkick. Persephone hit a spear on Athena, but was in turn taken out by a knee from Momo. Persephone and Momo tried a tandem suplex on Willow, who reversed it and took them both over. She hit a splash on both opponents, but her pin attempt was broken by Athena. Momo cut off Athena’s dive with a dropkick, then hit a meteora to the floor onto Willow. Athena hit a senton to the floor onto both women! It was Persephone’s turn to go up top, and she cleaned out Momo with a tornillo before getting leveled by Willow.
Back in the ring, Persephone avoided a cannonball from Willow and sent her to the outside. She hit a senton to the outside on Willow. Back inside, a German suplex bridge got a two count before Momo broke the cover. Momo hit the Deadeye on Willow but her cover was broken again by Athena. All 4 women were back in the ring now. Willow hit a spinebuster on Momo, then Athena hit a double codebreaker on Willow and Athena. Persephone countered the Babe With the Powerbomb into a rollup for a near fall, then hit a beautiful bridging German for another near fall. She went out to the apron to climb to the top rope, but Athena cut her off and hit a chokeslam on the apron.
In the ring, Momo and Willow battled. Willow hit a buckle Death Valley driver but was taken out by the O-Face from Athena! 1…2…Tecla pulled the referee out of the ring! Momo took advantage of the distraction and absolutely CREAMED Athena with a baseball bat to the head, then hit Peach Sunrise! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Momo Watanabe via pinfall in 11:00. (***1/4)
(Lansdell’s analysis: I did enjoy this, though it was hard to follow at times. Momo is always impressive, but this was a great spotlight for all four women. I thought everyone came off very well, thought Athena was the standout for me. I assume Momo will either challenge Mayu Iwatani or Mercedes Moné with her win. Sadly, this won’t be the vehicle to get Athena away from RoH.)
(B) THE SONS OF TEXAS (Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara) (c) vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Sho & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) – ROH World Tag Team Championship match
Dustin debuted in the Tokyo Dome 33 years ago yesterday, tagging with his father. That is pretty cool.
House of Torture tried to get the jump on Dustin, but he ran through them both with a clothesline and hit the snap powerslam on Sho. Guevara tagged in and hit a standing moonsault, followed by a sliding lariat by Dustin. Guevara came off the top with a crossbody, then low-bridged a charging Kanemaru to send him to the outside. He hit a springboard moonsault onto Kanemaru on the outside, but his attempted follow-up in the ring was blocked by Sho. Guevara was thrown to the outside, into a barricade, and then back into the ring where he was whipped into a freshly exposed corner. Dustin tried to intervene and met the same fate.
Kanemaru tagged in and hit a very high back body drop, followed by a brainbuster for a two-count. Sho tagged back in, covered Guevara a few times for a count of one, then tagged back out. Kanemaru locked on a Boston crab but Guevara got to the ropes. Sho stepped on the ROH tag title belt, ground his heel into it, and then spat on it. Oh, the symbolism. This fired Guevara up and allowed him to hit a Codebreaker on Sho and an enzuigiri on Kanemaru before tagging Dustin.
Dustin hit a drop-down uppercut and a pair of snap powerslams to clean house. Sho tried to spear Dustin but bounced off. Kanemaru kicked Dustin from behind, and a second Sho spear was more successful. Kanemaru tagged in and dropkicked Dustin’s knee. Dustin fought back but a basement dropkick cut off the momentum. Some referee-distracting nonsense enabled Kanemaru to spray whiskey in Dustin’s face, and a moonsault was enough for a near fall. Kanemaru went to the middle rope for Deep Impact, but only found a cutter from Guevara. Dustin hit a destroyer on Sho, then took a mouthful of whisky that ended up in Kanemaru’s face. Final Reckoning by Rhodes! Senton bomb by Guevara! The champs retained!
WINNERS: Rhodes and Guevara in 10:00 to retain the ROH World Tag Team championships. (**1/4)
(Lansdell’s analysis: It was not bad, but it also didn’t really serve a purpose. The winners were telegraphed and the work was just good. I think the card could have done without it. )
[MAIN CARD]
-After a short break, the main card got underway.
(1) LUCHA GAUNTLET MATCH
We knew going in the match would have eight participants, but not who they would be. First out was Hechicero, and he was joined by Kosei Fujita. A new person will enter every minute.
There really is no other way to describe this…Hechicero tied up Fujita in a typically intricate predicament, but as the countdown started Fujita was able to escape. Soberano Jr was the next entrant in a rather blasphemous crown of golden thorns. He came off the top with a crossbody to Fujita, took down Hechicero, and hit a superkick on Fujita. He charged Hechicero in the corner but Hechicero caught a kick attempt and tied up Soberano’s leg in the ropes. He gave up that idea and changed focus to Fujita, locking in a billy goat’s purse. As the countdown started, Soberano came off the top and hit a leg drop on the still-locked-up Fujita. Ouch. The countdown ended just as Soberano hit a Fosbury flop to the floor on Hechicero.
Master Wato was the fourth competitor. He went straight after Soberano and the pair exchanged strikes. Soberano hit a beautiful dropkick but ran into a headscissors. Wato followed Soberano to the floor. Even from that one strike exchange, Wato was sporting a bright red left pectoral. Mascara Dorada came out next and cleaned house with some fancy flips and twists. He hit a tope suicida to Soberano as the countdown started, then a second one to Hechicero. Taiji Ishimori was the sixth entrant, attacking Dorada and hitting a handspring rebound cutter. Everything Ishimori does is so crisp. He followed up with a hammerlock shoulderbreaker and then applied the Bone Lock. Dorada made the ropes as Titan made his entrance.
Titan and Ishimori went straight at each other, they have history from at least one Best of the Super Juniors. Titan hit a springboard crossbody on Ishimori, an overhead kick to Hechidero, then Matrix-ducked a clothesline and dropkicked Ishimori. He went to the ropes with a lucha-style arm drag but also dropkicked Ishimori for good measure. El Desperado was the last entrant, and everyone in the ring stopped to stare at him. They all want the title, you see. Desperado stopped on the ramp, looking a little concerned (impressive since he wears a mask), but the other seven competitors went up the ramp to retrieve him.
Back in the ring, everyone took turns dropping El Desperado. Dorada hit a delayed vertical suplex. Hechicero hit an Attitude Adjustment. Master Wato hit a fireman’s carry slam. Titan…dropped him with a weird slam. Soberano also hit a fireman’s carry slam. Fujita finished the sequence with a body slam. And then a brawl broke out. Superkicks and dropkicks for everyone! Hechicero applied a hammerlock to Desperado, hooked the other arm around his neck, spun him around and hit a backbreaker. Hechicero is a genius, I swear. Fujita broke up the pin.
After a brief strike exchange, Ishimori dragged Hechicero to the floor where Fujita hit a tope con hilo to take him out. Ishimori followed suit. Then Soberano hit a tornillo off the top to the outside. Titan hit an Asai moonsault, leaving Wato in the ring. That would not last as he hit a hands-free tope con hilo. Fujita smartly went back in the ring and went for a deadlift German on a still-groggy Desperado, who was able to counter to a crucifix for a near fall. After a series of escapes, Fujita locked in a Romero special. Ishirmori broke the hold, rolled up Desperado with a Gedo clutch…and got the win!
WINNER: Taiji Ishimori via pinfall in 17:00 . (***¼)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: It is possible that others who love their Lucha would like this more. For me it felt a little awkward, very chaotic, but entertaining. Everyone beating down Desperado was fun, but I cannot get behind the lucha jumps into arm drags. They just seem excessively ornate. Ishimori getting the win sets up a nice title shot for him down the line.)
(2) HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. KATSUYORI SHIBATA – Grappling Rules Exhibition match
Because New Japan still doesn’t trust Shibata’s health in a full-length match, this one is scheduled for five minutes. The commentators made sure to mention the last time Shibata wrestled for New Japan, and how he went into business for himself. They actually used those words. I have to assume that this was a request from Tanahashi, and others on the board were not happy with it.
They locked up, and stayed in the lockup for over 90 seconds. After a rope break, they traded chops in the middle of the ring. Well, that’s not grappling. I suppose it is safe for a concussion victim though. They continued trading chops, but Tanahashi teed off with a headbutt that was categorically NOT concussion-safe. Tanahashi teased a dragon suplex, then they went back to chopping as the timer ran out. That uhhh…that sure was something.
WINNER: Time-limit draw in 5:00 . (*)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: They did nothing. I was looking forward to a grapple exchange, at least. Instead they locked up for 90 seconds and chopped for three minutes. The only thing of note was a headbutt. I get that this was about nostalgia, but I don’t know that it needed to be here.)
(3) MERCEDES MONÉ vs. MINA SHIRAKAWA – NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship & RPW Undisputed British Women’s Championship match
Mina looked much more focused and less jovial than normal for her entrance. She was a double champion going in, holding both the Queen of Stardom and RPW British championships going in. As you might expect, Mercedes came out in an anime-inspired outfit, I believe Princess Serenity and under it she had a second one which looked to be Eternal Sailor Moon. I think. I am not an anime guy.
Mina was not impressed.
Mina landed a kick to the gut and a low dropkick, before both women avoided a series of attacks. Mercedes locked in an early Statement Maker but Mina made the ropes. Mina escaped to the floor, and Mercedes followed with a tope. Back in the ring, Mercedes was caught on the top turnbuckle and yanked down by the leg. Mina followed with a dropkick to the shins, then dragged Mercedes to the corner and yanked her leg into the post. She applied a Bret Hart figure four around the post for good measure. Mina charged into a back elbow, and Mercedes followed up with a meteora for a two-count. Mina went right back to a low dropkick to regain control. She lifted Mercedes for a fireman’s carry, then dropped her right on her own knees.
Mina continued to target Mercedes’ knee, hitting a kneebreaker. She called to the crowd, who seemed indifferent. Mercedes rolled through a spinning toe hold and hit a running meteora. She blocked a pair of strikes from Mina and hit a backstabber, then a series of elbows in the corner. She propped Mina across the middle ropes in the corner, then dropped her knees into the midsection. Seems a bad idea to keep using your knee-based offence when Mina is targeting them, but what do I know? Mercedes came off the middle rope with another meteora, and indeed Mina rolled through it and repeatedly slammed Mercedes’ knee into the canvas. Mina locked in a figure four but Mercedes made it to the ropes.
Mina hit a disaster kick for a two-count. She went for a tombstone, Mercedes was able to reverse it…into a Cipher Utaki! She hit it well but again, she used her knees. I know it’s the story of the match but it sure makes Mercedes look dumb. Both women grabbed hold of the other’s wrist and traded strikes. Mina hit a discuss shot to stagger Mercedes, but Mercedes blocked the spinning backfist follow up…Moné Maker attempt…countered! Tornado DDT from Mina connected! The crowd started to get behind the match.
Mina tried another figure four, Mercedes kicked her off and hit the Eddie Guerrero three amigos suplexes. She went to the middle rope but again got caught. Mina joined her on the second rope, then went to the top…avalanche DDT! Both women were down as we passed ten minutes. Mina hit a dragon screw, then lifted Mercedes in the electric chair position. She dumped Mercedes on her face, then went back to the figure four. Refreshing to see that applied without the crowd wooing. Mercedes again scrambled to the ropes. Mina went to the top rope…slingblade off the top! Implant DDT! 1…2…no! Glamorous Driver from Mina! 1…2…still no! She went for a second one, Mercedes escaped out the back and hit a codebreaker, then a second one for her own near fall.
The crowd responded to the increase in pace. Mercedes went for Moné Maker, but Mina countered into a Gory bomb! She applied an ankle lock, transitioned into a figure four twist, but Mercedes turned it into a rollup! 1…2…no! Mercedes tried two more small package rollups for near falls. Moné Maker out of nowhere! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Mercedes Moné via pinfall in 14:00 to win the RPW British women’s championship. (***¾)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: I might be a little harsh on this, but for me it made no sense for Mercedes to keep using her knee-based offense. The match was very good from a technical standpoint, Mercedes continuing her streak of quality matches, but the story just did not work for me. The commentators tried to explain it as instinct, at least.)
Mercedes was visibly emotional as she celebrated. Some fans were still chanting “CEO, CEO” as the graphic for the next match was shown on the big screen.
(4) DAVID FINLAY vs. BRODY KING
Finlay came out in a gorgeous black robe and I have a MIGHTY need.
Finlay tried to blitz King early, but King just ran him over. He dropped Finlay with a big boot, then tossed him with a high hip toss. King charged but ate corner pad as Finlay moved. Finlay went for a powerbomb, perhaps unwisely, and King countered with a back body drop. Finlay was able to regain control by dropping King’s neck over the top rope, then he went for King’s knee. A Cactus Jack-style clothesline from Finlay took both men over the top to the floor. Finlay went for a slingshot crossbody to the outside, King caught him but Finlay escaped and ran King face-first into the cornerpost. Finlay charged at King, who moved, and finlay crashed hard into the barricade. King helped Finlay to take a seat on a chair in front of the barricade, which was very nice of him I thought. Oh, I see. King hit a running crossbody splash, breaking the chair and sending Finlay into the barricade. Ouch.
Back in the ring, King covered Finlay for a two-count. He hit a few chops, each one sending Finlay sprawling. A hard whip to the corner buckled Finlay. Gedo yelled at Finlay to wake up, but it did not exactly work. King perched Finlay across the top rope and dropped a hammer blow chop to the chest. With both men on the apron, Finlay tried to fight back. King stopped him cold with a single forearm, then clamped on a sleeper with Finlay dangling in the air. Finlay raked the eyes, King dropped off the apron, and Finlay hit a flying shoulder tackle to send King hard into the barricade. Finlay got back in the ring and went to the top rope…crossbody to the outside!
Back inside, Finlay hit a running European uppercut in the corner. He went to the top rope, but King recovered, yanked him down, and hit a Death Valley driver for a near fall. Finlay looked to mount a comeback, but King literally beat him to the punch every time. Finlay did manage to hit a flurry of strikes, but a single Yukon lariat from King almost took his head off. A cover got a two-count. King followed up with a piledriver for another two-count. A standing lariat got yet another two. King called for the finish and went for the Ganso bomb, but Finlay wriggled out the back and came back with a spear for a near fall.
Finlay hit a sliding lariat to the back of the head for a two-count. King recovered quickly and hit a Death Valley driver into the corner pad. He followed with a cannonball, perched Finlay on the top, and chopped through his chest. King went for a superplex…Finlay slipped free and lifted King for a powerbomb…he dropped him face-first on the top turnbuckle. Powerbomb from Finlay…connected! Overkill! 1…2…3!
WINNER: David Finlay via pinfall in 15:00. (***½)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: I enjoyed that a lot. Unlike the previous match where Mercedes did not “learn from her mistakes”, Finlay adapted his game plan and was successful. Yes I know it’s all scripted, but scripts should make sense. Finlay looked smart in victory, and pulled off the rare forgotten star” and I think this was a perfect example. Every time he puts on a match like this, one that makes logical sense without needing to be extremely flashy, people seem surprised he can do it. If this is his last weekend in New Japan, I think he will be very successful in North America.)
(5) SHOTA UMINO vs. CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
I was very curious about how the crowd would react to this match. Claudio is a massive heel right now on TV, but Umino continues to be extremely polarizing to Japanese audiences.
Claudio interrupted Umino’s ridiculously long entrance, wiping him out on the entrance ramp. The crowd immediately booed him, so that was a smart decision. When they made it to the ring, they exchanged strikes. Claudio poked Umino in the eye but then ran into a sweet dropkick. Claudio bailed to the floor, Umino tried to hit a slingshot crossbody but Claudio caught him and ran him back-first into the corner before hitting a stun gun on the barricade. Claudio beat down Umino on the outside, leaving him laying in front of the announce table. Claudio got back in the ring as the ref counted. Umino made it back to the ring at 16.
Claudio went for a giant swing, but Umino kicked him off so Claudio settled for a double stomp instead. A gutwrench suplex was only enough for a two-count. Off the kickout, Claudio rolled into a crossface. The referee called for a break when Claudio started tearing at Umino’s face. Claudio laid in a flurry of European uppercuts, then dropped Umino with a big running boot. With a burst of energy, Umino hit a tornado DDT, then his slingshot apron DDT to leave both men on the outside.
Umino hit a draping DDT off the barricade, then rolled Claudio back into the ring. From the top, he hit a missile basement dropkick into a Trident for a two-count. He connected with Ignition, but Claudio blocked the Death Rider attempt. Umino charged at Claudio, who used the momentum to lift Shota onto the top rope and hit a European uppercut. Claudio went to the ropes with him, lifted him overhead, then slammed him off the ropes. A solid lariat got another two-count. Claudio signalled for the giant swing, which got a big pop from the crowd. They counted revolutions in English, and actually got the count correct. Claudio applied a sharpshooter in the middle of the ring at the ten-minute mark.
Umino crawled his way to the bottom rope, to the relief of the crowd. Claudio poked at his head with a boot, then set for the Neutralizer. Umino fought it off, so Claudio laid in a pair of European uppercuts. Umino blocked the third and went for a backslide, but Claudio buried a knee in his gut instead. A flurry of European uppercuts dropped Umino to his knees. Claudio casually lifted Umino onto his shoulders and climbed the ropes like he was carrying a shopping bag. Umino fought his way free and hit a rapid-fire flurry of elbows to the head, which the crowd did not like. DDT from the top by Umino! Blaze Blade! 1…2…not enough!
Umino went for Death Rider, but Claudio blocked it and hit a pair of European uppercuts. Pop-up European! Riccola bomb! 1…2…no! He went for the Neutralizer again, Umino escaped it, rolled through…Death Rider! 1…2…3!
The crowd booed the finish. At some point, this is going to become a problem.
WINNER: Shota Umino via pinfall in 14:00. (***)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: It was pretty good, but it kind of just melded into everything else. Does that make sense? The whole match felt generic. It could have been pretty much any two heavyweight wrestlers in the ring, aside from the giant swing spot. I think part of Umino’s problem is that everything he does feels like it belongs to someone else. He needs to find something to define his character that isn’t “I am the next ace but also I am a Jon Moxley tribute act” as a first step.)
(6) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII – NEVER Openweight Championship & AEW International Championship match
After the short-changed matchup from Wrestle Kingdom, my hopes for this match were somewhat reduced. Ishii is not as good as Shingo, and he is definitely lower on the card, so I would not be surprised if this goes under ten minutes.
Takeshita’s robe has now surpassed Finlay’s on my wish list. Man, I need to learn to make outfits. Bryce Remsberg was the referee, which I am sure was a bucket list item for him.
Ishii’s first couple of strikes barely registered with Takeshita. They ran into each other a couple of times, then Takeshita ran right over Ishii with a tackle. Ishii fired back with a few chops, which did seem to register, but as we saw last night a single elbow from Takeshita was enough to halt the momentum. Takeshita stomped away on Ishii in the corner, then hit a running knee to a slumped Ishii. Ishii fired up and turned the tide, hitting some throat chops in the corner. He flattened Takeshita with a tackle, then hit a back suplex. Ishii was slow to his feet, and ran into a boot from Takeshita. He avoided a lariat, and a boot, and a backfist, then hit an elbow of his own. Takeshita caught Ishii charging with a boot, but missed a middle rope senton. Ishii went for a sliding lariat, Takeshita avoided it and hit a German suplex release that looked amazing. A Sliding D forearm connected for a two-count at the five-minute mark.
Ishii escaped a back suplex, but then ate a blue thunder bomb for a near fall. Ishii blocked a lariat and went back to the throat chops, then deposited Takeshita on the top rope. Takeshita turned that into a top-rope Falcon Arrow! 1…2…no! Takeshita looked bewildered. Ishii blocked a knee strike but got caught with a bastard driver and a wheelbarrow suplex. Ishii stood right back up but got leveled with a lariat. A cover only got a one-count as Ishii continued to refuse to stay down. Takeshita went for a second Falcon Arrow, Ishii escaped and hit a German suplex. Takeshita shook it off, but got leveled with a lariat from Ishii! A cover got another one-count! Both men staggered to their feet and then collapsed as the crowd reaction grew and grew.
The two men grabbed each other’s waistbands and traded elbow strikes. Ishii reached back and hit Takeshita so hard that Don Callis lost a tooth. Takeshita returned fire with a slightly less violent strike, which is to say it only looked like an assault and not attempted murder. Takeshita sat Ishii on the top turnbuckle, climbed up with him, and looked to be going for an avalanche tombstone. Ishii fought free and hit a super Frankensteiner! Well now I have seen it all. Ishii fired up and hit a lariat, Takeshita shook it off, and they exchanged stiff headbutts. A pair of lariats from Ishii knocked Takeshita down! 1…2…no! Takeshita hit a brainbuster out of nowhere! He rolled through, Ishii tried a brainbuster of his own, Takeshita escaped but ate an elbow and a sliding lariat. Sheer drop brainbuster attempt…Takeshita escaped, then countered with a poison rana. Takeshita went for a power drive elbow, Ishii blocked it. Takeshita blocked an enzuigiri, then hit the power drive knee. Ishii shrugged it off, caught a knee strike attempt, but then ran into another stiff elbow. Falcon Arrow! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita via pinfall in 14:00 to retain both championships. (***¾)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: You know what you are getting with an Ishii match, and Takeshita is one of those guys who makes an ideal dance partner for him. The fact that this went longer than the Takeshita-Shingo match from Wrestle Kingdom, albeit by a minute or so, is a travesty. It was still very entertaining, and they even kept the naked headbutts to a minimum. I have it slightly less entertaining that the women’s match, but still one of the best of the night so far.)
(I expected a challenger to present themselves for Battle in the Valley, but nobody came out. Maybe we get that at New Year’s Dash. We did get Rocky Romero joining the commentary team, though.)
(7) UNITED EMPIRE (Great O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs. LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi) vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) – Vacant IWGP Tag Team Championship Match
The reveal of Jeff Cobb as the “surprise” partner was a big letdown for me. I suppose they didn’t want to announce that when Cobb had a title match at Wrestle Kingdom, but a stablemate who is already on the New Japan roster is hardly a surprise. Hiromu’s inflated psychedelic frog was back for his entrance. Naito came out with his typical laid back attitude, and Chris Charlton dropped the line of the weekend when he said “Look Rocky, it’s the duality of man!” I could not shake the feeling that this would be Naito’s last match, given how the commentators were talking about his vision during the Wrestle Kingdom match.
One of the questions of the weekend for me was the reaction (or lack thereof) that the Young Bucks would get. They came out to their old music, which at least got them a bigger reaction than the video promo that said they would be coming back.
As the match began Walker Stewart said that a lot of the NJPW roster was not happy with the Bucks getting this title shot. They have used that approach a few times, first when Moxley was the IWGP champ and also when Gabe Kidd was picking fights, but so far it has not developed into anything tangible.
O-Khan and Naito locked up immediately and went to the outside. Cobb and Hiromu squared off in the ring, while the Bucks stood on the apron and cheered them on. Cobb and Hiromu knocked the Bucks off the apron, then went back to hitting each other. Cobb shrugged off a headscissors attempt and flattened Hiromu with a tackle. The Bucks tripped Hiromu and pulled him to the floor, where they dropped him back-first on the apron. They rolled into the ring and hit a tandem elevated dropkick on Cobb, then posed in an empty ring. They hit dual topes to the floor, cleaning out the other two teams. Matthew wrestled the match with a giant pearl necklace, by the way. Naturally.
Nicholas hit a hangman’s neckbreaker on Hiromu, and Matthew hit a slingshot splash to follow up. Cobb came back in and took out both Jacksons, but ran into a double superkick. They hit an elevated headscissors on Cobb, then Nicholas hit a twisting senton to the outside. Naito and Hiromu blindsided Matthew, then Hiromu dropped Nicholas with a crossbody. O-Khan returned to the ring and took out both members of LIJ, dropping Hiromu with a belly to belly slam before laying in some Mongolian chops on Naito. He set up his trademark Sit, but was interrupted by Nicholas and a spinning head kick. Cobb caught Nicholas with a tackle, then hit a Combinación Cobb-rón on Naito. He tried to repeat the feat on Nicholas, who countered with a slingshot X-Factor. The Bucks hit a tandem top rope splash-standing moonsault on Cobb for a two-count.
Matthew called for a superkick party, but Cobb blocked the kick from Nicholas and swung it around to hit Matthew. Cobb hit his own superkick on Nicholas, but fell victim to a reverse DDT neckbreaker from Naito, and a basement dropkick. O-Khan hit Naito with a pump kick, Hiromu dropkicked O-Khan in the knee, Nicholas caught Hiromu with a northern lights suplex, then held on and hit two more. Naito tried to break it up, so Nicholas just suplexed both of them. Another tandem Young Bucks move on Hiromu got a two-count. They went for More Bang for your Buck on Hiromu, who avoided the senton part, pushed Matthew down off the top, and avoided a charge from Nicholas with an overhead throw, launching one Jackson into the other. Tornado DDT from Naito! Time Bomb 1.5 by Hiromu! O-Khan broke up the cover and hit side belly-to-belly suplexes on everyone. Cobb hit a German suplex on everyone so as to not feel left out, but Nicholas escaped out the back and hit a kick to the gut. The Bucks set for an EVP Trigger on Cobb, who caught both knees. He tried to slam them both but the Bucks countered, only to be taken over in a double German suplex by Cobb. O-Khan hit a spinning side slam on Matthew, Cobb hit a standing moonsault, and Hiromu broke up the pin at the count of two.
Matthew went to the top rope with Cobb, and went for a superplex. Cobb fought him off, then headbutted Naito who wanted a try. Hiromu went for it, Matthew stopped him and suggested they try together, and at the ten-minute mark they succeeded with a double superplex. They celebrated, then Matthew superkicked Hiromu. An assisted shiranui on Cobb got a two-count before Naito interrupted. Naito avoided a tandem move, chaos ensued, and Naito hit Destino on Matthew! 1…2…O-Khan broke it up! Cobb tried a Destino on Naito, but Hiromu stopped that miscarriage of justice. Superkick to Cobb! Esperanza! The Bucks interrupted and nailed Naito with the EVP Trigger! 1…2…O-Khan saved the match again!
The Bucks turned their attention to O-Khan, hitting a pair of tandem superkicks. They set for the TK Driver, Nicholas instead hit an asai moonsault to the floor onto Hiromu and Cobb, then hit the TK Driver on O-Khan! 1…2…3!
WINNERS: The Young Bucks via pinfall in 15:00 to win the IWGP tag team championships. (***)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: That was chaotic, and really the only team who looked good was the Young Bucks. I expected this result, especially with the next NJPW show being in San José, but I did not expect the match to essentially be a Young Bucks showcase. On one hand, they looked engaged and back to their best. On the other hand, it made the other two teams look bad. Given that both were thrown-together pairings that’s not the end of the world, but what legitimate teams are even left in New Japan right now?)
(8) YOTA TSUJI (c) vs. JACK PERRY – IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship Match
Tsuji ran back his outfit from Wrestle Kingdom, which is fine by me because it was sweet. Chris Charlton spent most of Tsuji’s entrance talking about Okada being a meme in AEW instead of the best wrestler in the world, which suggests a fun match for Forbidden Door.
Tsuji got an early shoulder tackle and headlock takeover. Technically Perry is still part of House of Torture, which the commentators pointed out, so we might get some HoT Shenanigans (™) in this one. Perry managed to make it to his feet, only to be taken down again by a lucha-style armdrag. Tsuji went for an early Marlow Crash but Perry countered and kicked him off the top to the floor. Perry followed up with a tope to the back of the head, sending Tsuji into the barricade. He whipped Tsuji into another barricade, then dropped him back-first on the apron. That’s the hardest part of the ring, by the way.
Back inside, Perry covered for a two-count. A basement dropkick to the side of the head got another two. After some heel tactics, he hit a suplex and floated over into a cover for yet another two-count. Tsuji elbowed his way out of a chinlock, then hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to make some space at the five-minute mark. He hit a big boot and a double-knee gutbuster for a two-count of his own. After a big corner splash he called to the crowd, then went for another Marlow Crash…which Perry countered in the same fashion as the first time. Perry hit running double knees to the back in the corner into a bridging German suplex for a two-count. That combo flowed together very nicely indeed.
Perry hit a nice elbow drop with Tsuji hanging on the second rope. A pair of short-arm lariats dropped Tsuji to one knee, but the third was blocked. Tsuji dropped Perry with his face smash-curb stomp combo, and took him to the corner for a superplex. They traded strikes while perched on the top rope, with Tsuji prevailing. Spanish Super Fly by Tsuji! He set for the Gene Blast…and ran head first into the Glass Jaw knee! Perry sold the impact to his knee, which was a great touch. The ten-minute call saw both men on the mat.
Tsuji has his trademark smile as both men slowly got up. They traded elbow strikes, then switched to straight slaps to the chest. Perry cut off the exchange with a knee lift and a running tornado DDT that looked great but only got a near fall. Tsuji escaped from a pumphandle move and hit a superkick, but a low blow from Perry led to a pumphandle Angle slam for a very near fall. Perry measured Tsuji for the Glass Jaw, Tsuji avoided it but got dropped with a back suplex. They ran the ropes, GENE BLASTER! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Yota Tsuji via pinfall in 11:00 to retain the IWGP Global heavyweight championship. (**¾)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: This was fine. I was more impressed with Perry than I expected to be, as he showed some psychology awareness that I had not seen from him before. That said, neither of these two is better than solid in the ring, and the outcome was never in doubt. Given the spot on the card, that’s what was needed. If Tsuji wants to avoid David Finlay’s fate with the Global title, he will need to find a way to distinguish himself as a bona fide upper-card guy. His smile and high-impact spear will only take him so far.)
(9) KENNY OMEGA vs. GABE KIDD
Just the graphic appearing on the screen in the arena brought the crowd alive more than they had been all night. Kidd really had a chance here to prove himself as more than a clown with a potty mouth, and he could not ask for a better opponent than Omega to do so. Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney accompanied him to the ring, and those two have never looked more ready to be a heavyweight tag team. Kidd went over the barricade to stand in front of Tanahashi, who was doing Japanese commentary, then revealed the New Japan logo on his tights. Well if that isn’t a statement, I don’t know what is. The crowd instantly got behind him. Is it fair to say “mission accomplished” before the bell even rings?
For his part, Omega of course had a dramatic video game entrance. His gear had the Greek letter cut out of the chest, which looked badass. Sadly, he also had a new theme. The crowd was buzzing hard as the two men squared off. They assumed a sparring posture as if they were MMA fighters, but quickly upped the pace. They traded big boots, then traded chops. Kenny staggered, but came back with a flurry of elbow strikes. He whipped Kidd to a corner, followed him in with a back elbow, then hit his You Can’t Escape sequence. Charlton and Romero squabbled about AEW taking the top talent from New Japan, with Charlton even calling Tony Khan a money mark. Wow.
Omega beat down Kidd, who called for more. In Japanese, no less. Omega peppered Kidd with jabs, and the crowd booed. Kidd fired back with a stiff shot and the crowd came alive. Kidd reminds us that he’s a madman (you know) before suplexing Omega over the top and to the floor. He ran Omega into the apron, then whipped him into a barricade. The referee tried to get them back in the ring, but Kidd had other ideas. He cleaned off an announce table and performed a little feng shue. In the meantime, Omega had got back in the ring…only to slingshot crossbody himself out again and onto Kidd.
Omega sold the damage to his ribs while whipping Kidd into a barricade. He bounced Kidd’s head off the apron a couple of times, much to the chagrin of the Tokyo Dome. He deposited Kidd on the apron and joined him there, only for Kidd to tee off with a right hand. Kidd hit a headbutt that staggered both men, but Omega dropped to his knees to block a piledriver. Kidd tried again, Omega countered it and backdropped him into the ropes. Oh good Lord, a snap dragon suplex on the floor!
At the ten-minute mark, Omega tried for a piledriver on the outside. He called to the crowd, and some responded while some booed. Oh, my mistake, it was a powerbomb he was setting for. Through the tables that Kidd set up. He plain LAUNCHED him a good two feet from the ring side of the barricade through the two tables. The referee immediately called for help, with Connors and Moloney checking on their friend. Officials swarmed Kidd, but Omega was having none of it. Kidd was, of course, busted open. Seems weird that being slammed on your back would cut open your head, but we’ll let that slide. Omega went back to the ring, and hit a springboard senton OVER THE BARRICADE into Kidd. The spot was somewhat telegraphed by the young lions looking intently at the ring, but it was spectacular nonetheless. Both men were down on the outside.
Omega called for ice, applying it to his hip and yelling at a young lion for being too slow. The crowd fully turned on him at this point as he limped around the area between the ring and the fans. Kidd recovered enough to hit a body shot, then grabbed a chair and laid Omega out with it. He hit a loud chair shot to the back at the 15-minute mark, and they made their way back to ringside. Kidd looked under the ring for another table, which took a little while to find. He dragged Omega around the ring and tried to suplex Omega through the table. Omega held the barricade to block, but Kidd muscled him up…brainbuster through the table! Kidd broke the table in half and waffled Omega with half of it. He posed like Shibata while Moloney and Connors lost their minds in celebration.
Kidd threw some plunder into the ring as the commentators told us Omega was bleeding. Indeed he was, and it was a gusher at that. They got back in the ring, and Kenny came back with a takedown that sent the back of Kidd’s head into a pile of chairs. Kenny climbed to the top, but Kidd recovered and intercepted him, dropping him with a superplex onto the pile of chairs. Both men struggled to their feet, Kidd holding a chair. He jabbed Omega in the gut with it, Omega blocked a second attempt and hit a dragon suplex. They then decided it would be a great idea to trade chair shots to the head. Kenny took them unprotected, though Kidd did get his arms up. Both men crawled on all fours to the middle of the ring. They exchanged elbows which got progressively stiffer. At some point Red Shoes took over from Bryce Remsberg as the ref. Interesting.
They ran the ropes, Omega hitting a V-Trigger and Kidd coming back with a big lariat. Both men went down again. The fans were solidly behind Kidd, who got the better of a strike exchange only to run into a huracanrana. Kidd rolled to the outside, and Omega followed him with his Terminator dive. He rolled Kidd back inside, went to the top rope, and connected with a missile dropkick to the back of the head at the 20-minute mark. Omega measured Kidd…V-Trigger to the back of the head! He perched Kidd on the top buckle, went up with him…top rope dragon suplex! He crawled on top of Kidd for a cover and a near fall. J-Driller by Omega! 1…2…no! Omega nailed a V-Trigger, and set for the One-Winged Angel…but collapsed under the strain to his abdomen. He tried again, Kidd slipped out the back and applied an octopus stretch! Kidd dug his elbow into Omega’s injured hip for added fun.
Omega made it to the ropes, but got taken over with a German suplex. He came back with a lariat, Kidd shook it off and hit a knee strike and a piledriver for a believable near fall. He went for a powerbomb, Omega tried to counter with a rana, but Kidd blocked the counter…and dropped him with a Ganso bomb! Package piledriver from Kidd! 1…2…Omega got a foot on the ropes! As we went past the half-hour mark, Kidd absorbed the cheers from the crowd and went for a brainbuster. Omega fought it off but got nailed with a brain kick. Omega fired back with a jumping knee, then a V-Trigger. A powerbomb into a V-Trigger only got a one-count. Kamagoye from Omega! One-Winged Angel! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Kenny Omega via pinfall in 31:00. (*****)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: As good as this match was, I was actually hoping for Kidd to wrestle more of a technical match with Omega to show that he could. With that said, it was a phenomenal match. I wanted to stop short of the full boat because I really, really need people to stop with the naked chair shots to the head. However, I cannot justify that. This was an incredible match. How good? It left Tanahashi in tears on commentary. Literal tears. And just like every classic match of this sort, with one guy being an underdog against a legend, Kidd came out as a winner despite having lost. Hell, he achieved that goal before the bell rang. This was a lesson in how to put someone over while beating them. Both men deserve a ton of credit for pulling off such a rare feat without beating us over the head with ham-fisted exposition. If I were the sort of person to break the scale, I would do it for this match.)
(10) ZACK SABRE JR. (c) vs. RICOCHET – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match
All I can say to these two gentlemen is “good luck.” There was potential for this match to be incredible, but also for it to be a total car crash of conflicting styles. Having to follow that all-time classic really put their backs against the wall. ZSJ came out with most of TMDK, although Haste and Nicholls continued to be conspicuous in their absence.
Ricochet attacked ZSJ on the apron as ZSJ made his entrance, hitting a big boot and a Sasuke special to the floor. He nailed a springboard 450 for a near fall before ZSJ could get his ring jacket off. Ricochet continued his assault but springboarded into a stiff forearm, sending him to the outside. ZSJ followed and charged into a back elbow, Ricochet tried a springboard off the barricade but ZSJ caught him in a cravate and dragged him to the apron. ZSJ cranked Ricochet’s neck on the apron, then rolled inside and applied a leglock. Ricochet fought it but could not prevent ZSJ from bridging back to crank the pressure. Ricochet made the ropes as his only way to escape.
ZSJ planted some kicks to the chest and cranked Ricochet’s neck again. A stiff European uppercut dropped Ricochet. ZSJ went to work on his back, but went to the well one too many times and fell prey to a handspring elbow. Ricochet connected with an enzuigiri and a springboard forearm, followed by a Lionsault for a two-count. He went for a powerbomb, ZSJ somehow reversed it into a sleeper, and Ricochet countered by cannonballing himself and ZSJ into a corner. That was a good sequence, but the crowd sounded pretty exhausted and did not really respond.
Ricochet continued to lay in strikes, and ZSJ began to fire back. Ricochet halted the momentum with a strike flurry combination, a big knee lift, and a flying rollup for a near fall. A modified Death Valley driver got another two-count. Ricochet went for the Spirit Gun, ZSJ ducked it and hit a stiff running European uppercut and a PK. Each man went for and countered a dragon suplex, Ricochet went for another handspring elbow but got caught in a dragon suplex anyway. He fired up but all that did was get him another dragon suplex. A cover at the ten-minute mark was only good for two.
ZSJ called to the crowd, showing some fatigue for what might be the first time ever. A pair of escapes for each man led to a knee to the jaw by Ricochet, a northern lights suplex, and a suplex. Ricochet maintained his hold, rolled both of them under the bottom rope, and hit another suplex on the apron. He STILL kept hold of ZSJ and rolled to the floor, where he connected with another suplex. That was a unique innovation on the three amigos and I kind of loved it. Both men were down on the outside as the referee started his count. Ricochet rolled back inside at the count of ten, ZSJ barely made it at 19. Titles CAN change hands on a count out in New Japan, of course.
Ricochet taunted ZSJ, asking if they were going to stand up. Instead they traded straight-up slaps to the face from the seated position. Both men got to their feet and teed off on each other. ZSJ won the exchange and tattooed Ricochet with european uppercuts, but made the mistake of running into a kneelift at the 15-minute mark. Ricochet perched ZSJ on the top turnbuckle, where ZSJ was able to recover and twist Ricochet’s arm. They struggled for control on the top rope…Top rope Zack Driver! 1…2…no! ZSJ transitioned into an armbar, but as he tried to transition again Ricochet got a foot on the rope. ZSJ called to the crowd, but there was no response.
ZSJ continued to work on the arm. Ricochet caught a chest kick and hit a pair of head kicks, followed by a lifting reverse DDT for a two-count. He followed up with a floating shooting star press from the top for a near fall. He hit an axe kick to the top of ZSJ’s head, then hit a sitout Vertigo for another near fall. Ricochet went to the top…630 splash OH NO HE LANDED ON HIS NECK. Dear God that cannot be good. OK maybe it was his shoulder, but still. ZSJ ran through him with a PK, then hit a Zack Driver for a very near fall. He went for the leg-hook Zack Driver, but Ricochet countered with an overhead kick! 1…2…no! Ricochet hit a trio of stiff right hands, and measured ZSJ for the Spirit Gun…blocked! Countered into the Rings of Saturn! ZSJ went to work with Pretzel Time, and Ricochet screamed out his submission.
WINNER: Zack Saber Jr via submission in 21:00 to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight championship. (****¼)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: To be fair to both men, they absolutely brought it. It suffered mightily from having to follow one of the best matches I have seen in my life, which is a real shame for such a solid effort. Ricochet was able to work with ZSJ’s style, and even though we all knew the outcome coming into this there were still some close calls and some drama. This is how we expect New Japan cards to end.)
-After the match, ZSJ got on the mic and thanked Ricochet. He put over New Japan, and said the future of the company was bright…but right now, the future was orange.
FINAL THOUGHTS: A weird card with some matches that definitely met the definition of “filler” but also some absolute bangers and one classic match that will be talked about for years. It’s as though Omega saw Will Ospreay’s name in the Match of the Year lists so many times and decided he was tired of that. It’s hard to say that these matches did much to set up anything for the future, but you can see some threads. The Bucks will likely defend the IWGP tag titles on January 11 in San José, and the seeds are definitely being germinated for Tsuji and Okada to face off. Tonight though was about Gabe Kidd’s ascension, and let us not take that away for a second.
I will be back tomorrow for coverage of New Year’s Dash. Keep your eyes and ears open for the “7-Star Podcast” and “Radican Worldwide” on PWTorch VIP to hear more of my thoughts on the show. Thanks for joining us!
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