By: H.M. Ryan
On a night dominated by EVIL, Hirooki Goto shows that there’s still the force of good in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. And as the “King of Darkness” continues to grow his treacherous and increasingly more dangerous stable of House of Torture, Goto seeks to prove that the Goto Revolution isn’t going anywhere.
Masatora Yasuda and Daiki Nagai enter first followed by Katsuya Murashima and Shoma Kato. All four of these competitors are Young Lions in this opening contest. Pushing and shoving begins between Shoma Kato and Masatora Yasuda before the bell even rings. It’s worth noting that Daiki Nagai now has a goatee. Yasuda and Kato start off the match, with Kato representing his hometown of Osaka.
Nagai is soon tagged in and delivers chest slaps and stomps on Kato. Kato is able to deliver a hip toss and tosses Nagai into the corner, tagging in Murashima, who soon dispatches Nagai’s partner Yasuda from the ring apron as well. Murashima applies a single-leg Boston Crab on Nagai. Nagai reaches the ropes, but Murashima remains firmly in control, tagging Kato back in. Kato delivers more strikes to the chest and multiple bodyslams for two-counts. Nagai hits a lovely dropkick, crawls over to Yasuda, and gets the hot tag.
Yasuda hits a forearm smash and an elbow to Murashima on the ring apron to knock him off. A tight pin by Yasuda nearly succeeds. Kato hits a big arm drag, followed by a dropkick and a tag to Murashima. Murashima, the powerhouse of the match, slings Yasuda into the ropes and delivers a crushing elbow. Murashima misses a big strike, though, and Nagai uses the miss to deliver a monkey flip to Murashima. Yasuda and Nagai both hit cross-ring attacks, with Nagai tacking on a nice dropkick into the corner followed by a double-team move.
Yasuda attempts a Boston Crab on the damaged knee of Murashima, but Murashima is able to work things to end up delivering a back body drop to Yasuda. The crowd gets behind these Young Lions as they struggle to lift each other until Murashima delivers a biting slap, followed by a powerslam and a Boston Crab. Yasuda tries to inch toward the bottom rope, walking on his hands closer and closer, but Murashima drags him back toward the center and increases the torque on the submission, forcing Yasuda to tap. Post-match, Nagai throws his ice pack at Murashima before some more pushing and shoving until the hands of the victors are raised.
Winners: Katsuya Murashima and Shoma Kato
War Dogs (Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Chase Owens, and Taiji Ishimori) face House of Torture (SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, and a mystery partner). War Dogs enter first with many people, including War Dogs’ leader, David Finlay, suspicious of Chase Owens’ involvement due to his questionable behavior in the past and the looming question of who the fourth member for House of Torture will be. House of Torture enter next with SANADA wearing a full-bodied, tight muscle suit reminiscent of El Gigante that truly needs to be seen to be believed. The HoT members stand outside the ring, inspecting the War Dogs within it.
Bad Luck Fale emerges as the fourth member of the House of Torture. Fale, one of the founders of Bullet Club, has now allied himself with HoT and is going by ‘Don Fale.’ In the ring, Fale puts his hand around the throat of former Bullet Club teammate Chase Owens before Clark Connors breaks things up. The match starts, and Fale takes control, standing on Ishimori with his full weight, with Ishimori screaming in agony.
Takahashi is tagged in, delivering leg drops for a two count. Takahashi begins choking Ishimori before tagging in Narita. Narita drags Ishimori’s face along the top rope before throwing him out of the ring, where SANADA and Don Fale take shots at him while Narita distracts the referee by antagonizing Drilla Moloney. House of Torture remain firmly in control until Ishimori kicks Narita off him and delivers a handspring kick to Takahashi.
“100 Proof” Clark Connors is tagged in, and he runs around at top speed until Don Fale pulls him out of the ring. While Fale is distracted by Moloney, Clark Connors loads up and nails Fale with his huge tire to knock down the big man. Back in the ring, where Takahashi is in control until Connors delivers a pounce and tags in Moloney. He goes for a Drilla Killa on SANADA, who maneuvers out of it only to be hit with a spinebuster instead.
SANADA takes advantage of a ref bump by hitting a magic screw off the top rope before grabbing a guitar and sizing up Moloney. Chase Owens slides in to stop the guitar shot until he nails Moloney in the jewels with a kick and hands SANADA the guitar himself. SANADA gladly accepts and smashes the guitar over Drilla Moloney’s head as the crowd boos. SANADA covers Moloney for the pinfall victory. Post-match, Ishimori tries to confront Owens, who nails him with a kick in the crotch, too. Don Fale and Chase Owens are revealed as the newest members of House of Torture.
Winners: House of Torture (SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, and Don Fale)
Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa of TMDK enter first. El Phantasmo and Shota Umino enter next, accompanied by Jado. Umino wears cool light-up ELP sunglasses but is wearing all white these days, so these sunglasses are the most color he’s shown in a while. ELP seems to be trying to bring him back to his old colorful ways a little bit.
Oiwa starts off with Shota, an interesting combination to start as these two have a bit of a competitive rivalry between them; with Umino long viewed as the future ace until recently, and Oiwa declaring himself the ace of a new “supergeneration.” With the G1 Climax looming, tis the season for heavyweights to prove themselves in NJPW. After some grappling, ZSJ is tagged in, followed by ELP on the other side. Frosted tips galore as ZSJ performs his wizardry, which ELP is game for, drawing applause from the crowd.
ELP flexes at ZSJ before a finger lock-up; these two seem to have a good, competitive rivalry going on themselves. Some bridging pin attempts end in upside-down bridging light face slaps from the competitors. ZSJ hits a lovely flapjack counter on ELP and Oiwa, taking out Umino on the opposite apron, hits a senton as ZSJ holds ELP up on his knees, stretching his spine. Oiwa is tagged in and works over the left arm, locking ELP in a hammerlock and tossing him into the turnbuckle before wrenching the arm again and once again taking out Shota on the apron.
Oiwa delivers a standing tiptoe splash for a two-count. ZSJ is tagged in, and TMDK take turns switching positions to lock in various holds for a few seconds at a time before capping it off with a double arm stretch. With ZSJ back out of the ring, ELP is able to roll through and hit the hot tag to Shota Umino. Umino hits a few bodyslams and a lovely tornado DDT on Sabre Jr. before delivering a running elbow in the corner to Oiwa, followed by a fisherman suplex with a pin attempt, but only for two.
Umino, who lost to Sabre Jr. in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom this past January, soon finds himself dealing with both TMDK members until ELP tags himself back in. ELP takes out ZSJ with a dive through the ropes before a springboard swanton to Oiwa, though Oiwa is able to put his knees up for the follow-up move. Oiwa takes full control as he hits a Doctor Bomb on ELP for a very close two-count on the Television Champion.
ELP counters a sleeper hold, and with both men down, the two main eventers of Wrestle Kingdom are tagged in. Rolling pin attempts and pin attempt reversals lead to another close count by Umino on Zack Sabre Jr. European uppercuts follow, with Shota getting the upper hand before ZSJ counters into a sleeper hold. Oiwa locks in a sleeper of his own on ELP, though the two are able to hit dueling enziguiri’s on TMDK. ZSJ finds himself isolated briefly, but a series of German suplexes leads to a lariat and some more pin combinations. ZSJ is able to find the right combination, placing his whole body weight to make sure Umino stays down for the 3-count. ZSJ feels awfully good about himself as he once again beats Shota Umino, showing the “levels” between himself and Umino with his hands: ZSJ on top, Umino several levels below.
Winners: Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa
This is a generational battle between “The Heat Storm” and the former “Genius of the Sun,” as English announcer Walker Stewart puts it. Uemura of Just 4 Guys/Hontai comes out and does his “sun pose” with a lone spotlight shining on him. For the final time in his career, Hiroshi Tanahashi comes out in Osaka-Jo Hall at Dominion for a singles match. He gives a quick, almost dismissive glance to Uemura, who doesn’t look at Tanahashi as the veteran walks by him to pose on the turnbuckle.
Tanahashi, with his relentless spirit, is still competing to win. Uemura is hungry to defeat the Ace of the Universe and use him as a heat check – pun fully intended – before the G1 Climax. Tanahashi chants ring out as the bell rings, with Tanahashi feeding off the energy. A lock-up and chain wrestling leads to Tanahashi gaining the upper hand with an arm drag and arm bar, working to hyperextend and stretch the tendons in the left elbow of Uemura. Uemura soon begins an attack on Tanahashi’s left arm, delivering a dropkick with Tanahashi down, followed by some wrenching and a short-arm scissor hold of his own. Anything you can do, I can do better from Uemura. Tanahashi rolls over and gets a foot on the ropes for a rope break.
Tanahashi delivers some forearm strikes before Uemura focuses in on the arm once more before delivering a high dropkick on the Ace for a two-count. Tanahashi begins to rally, hitting a flying forearm splash and a back body drop as Uemura comes off the ropes. Tanahashi hits a second rope senton on Uemura, gets a two-count, then asks for clapping from the crowd. He catches a foot from “The Heat Storm” and delivers a classic Dragon Screw leg whip. Soon, though, Uemura goes for a bolt suplex, but gets a quick neckbreaker as a reward.
Tanahashi rises up top, but misses a high crossbody before Uemura misses his own frog-splash crossbody, seemingly landing on his arm, which was fractured last summer. Now holding his arm, Uemura is awoken following a few forearm strikes from the Ace. They begin exchanging standing forearm smashes, where Tanahashi seems to gain the upper hand. Uemura nails an arm drag from the corner before attempting another arm submission hold, but Tanahashi scrambles to the ropes and soon maneuvers things to deliver a dragon suplex. While Uemura quickly recovers, he goes for another arm bar, but sloppily finds his shoulders on the mat, which Tanahashi gladly takes advantage of, pressing his full weight on the younger opponent for the 1-2-3 and the win.
Uemura can’t believe his error as Tanahashi gives him a knowing point before standing over him. After posing on the top turnbuckle, Tanahashi gives Uemura a hand pat on the shoulder as he exits the ring, leaving Uemura with a loss to send him to 0-2 in singles competition against the Ace of the Universe.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
With Yoshinobu Kanemaru seemingly hurt, his partner SHO seems rather calm about potentially competing alone for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight titles as YOH and Master Wato make their entrance. YOH and SHO were once the team Roppongi 3K, managed by Rocky Romero, so they have quite the history together. SHO takes the microphone and blames Master Wato for injuring Kanemaru, who he says cannot perform tonight. SHO says he is recruiting “the ultimate partner.”
DOUKI emerges as the newest member of the House of Torture. His signature half mask is now completed with pale face paint like a Sith lord, and he wears a fresh House of Torture t-shirt. DOUKI was last seen at Wrestle Kingdom when he lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to El Desperado after 5 minutes due to referee stoppage. At that point, he was a member of Just 4 Guys. Now, he is House of Torture. Kanemaru, clearly faking the severity of his injury, and SHO attack Master Wato and YOH from behind.
Once the bell rings, DOUKI and House of Torture are firmly in control, with DOUKI and SHO sending Master Wato into an exposed turnbuckle and setting him up for a chop in the crotch from Kanemaru. Master Wato gets worked outside the ring by SHO and Kanemaru, who, again, is not in the match, before being rolled back into the ring, where DOUKI applies a single leg Boston Crab. The motivations of DOUKI are unclear. Perhaps he doesn’t agree with his former group, Just 4 Guys, joining Hontai during his injury absence? Whatever the case, he’s thrown his lot in with EVIL and company.
Master Wato eventually hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on DOUKI on his injured knee, but SHO prevents the hot tag, knocking his former partner YOH off the apron. Master Wato changes up the proceedings by setting up a double bulldog on the HoT members before making the tag to YOH. YOH promptly sends SHO into the exposed turnbuckle before hitting a plancha onto Kanemaru. YOH climbs the turnbuckle and throws himself onto his former partner SHO for a two-count.
YOH avoids the exposed turnbuckle, then SHO avoids the turnbuckle, then SHO throws the ref in between himself and YOH, then SHO spears YOH. DOUKI is back in, hitting a running double foot stomp and a sliding dropkick under the bottom rope to Master Wato, who is standing outside the ring. YOH looks to fight back but is tripped up by SHO, though Master Wato returns the favor with DOUKI on the parallel side of the ring. Master Wato sprints and leaps over the top rope to knock down DOUKI before rolling him back in the ring and officially being tagged in by YOH.
Kanemaru once more distracts the referee before using their opponents to knock down the ref and step into a 3-on-2 advantage. The Jr. Heavyweight tag champions are equal to the task at least initially, dodging the attacks and superkicking their way out of things. More manipulation by House of Torture leads to DOUKI using a long lead pipe to smash the back of the knee of Master Wato, before locking in a leg submission as SHO forces YOH to watch. Master Wato, pulling the ref towards himself, screaming, is forced to tap out.
DOUKI refuses to break the hold. The crowd is shushed as DOUKI, just the latest to sell his soul to the Devil that is EVIL, raises his new junior tag team championship alongside SHO. Some more shots from the lead pipe on Master Wato lead to DOUKI smashing YOH, attempting to defend his partner, in the face with it. Master Wato’s knee gets looked at on the outside of the ring as House of Torture stands tall in the Jr. Tag Team division.
Winners and New IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: DOUKI and SHO (House of Torture)
The G1 Climax participants are announced next, with four participants to be decided in “Play-In Matches” in the coming weeks.
The siren sounds, and Ishii comes out first holding the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship, followed by Taichi. Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman, the IWGP Tag Team Champions representing United Empire, come out next, looking to establish the foundations of a strong reign. It is easy to tell that Taichi looks upset, with common sense pointing to DOUKI joining House of Torture as the reason. In any case, Newman doesn’t care, and jams his title belt into Taichi’s face; these two start it off.
Taichi and Newman deliver big boots to each other to start before exchanging strikes and kicks. A nice, intense opening leads to Great-O-Khan coming in, followed by Ishii attempting to even the odds before being expelled from the ring by the champions. Great-O-Khan delivers some knees to Taichi’s gut then flails him around a bit, holding the wrist the entire time and ultimately placing a foot on Taichi’s chest for a cocky one-count. Great-O-Khan puts Taichi into the corner, sits on him tauntingly, before chopping him down for a two count. Great-O-Khan kicks and slaps Taichi lightly, inviting his opponent to hit him. Taichi delivers some neck strikes, though Great-O-Khan soon feels a kick that knocks him flat.
Taichi manages to tag in Ishii and dodges a kick from Newman, which hits the legal Great-O-Khan instead. Ishii lifts Great-O-Khan with a vertical drop suplex, then chops Great-O-Khan’s broad chest until the latter fights back. Great-O-Khan ultimately uses a judo hip toss to set up a Callum Newman kick to the chest, which allows his partner to roll him into an armbar. Ishii reaches the bottom rope with his foot. A tag to bring in Newman leads to dual striking on Ishii, chopping the “Stone Pitbull” to his knees, although not for long, as Ishii crunches Newman’s neck with a German suplex after dodging a kick that hits his partner Great-O-Khan.
Taichi tags in and works through some Callum Newman strikes before delivering a lariat that knocks Newman off his feet, flipping to the mat. Taichi hypes up the crowd, tears and tosses his long pants to reveal his trunks, and delivers a nasty-looking suplex on Newman for a two-count. Great-O-Khan comes in and, after knocking down Ishii, drives Taichi into the corner. He grips Taichi’s face, and though Taichi knocks him off, Callum Newman rockets a shotgun dropkick to Taichi, who tumbles to the ringside floor.
Great-O-Khan delivers a plancha to Ishii, and Callum Newman executes a flip over the top rope to Taichi, almost landing on his feet on the outside. Newman then rolls Taichi into the ring and delivers a double foot stomp for a long two count on the challenger. Newman hypes up the crowd, though they are firmly behind Taichi and Ishii, and especially Taichi. Great-O-Khan and Newman take turns teeing off on Taichi before Newman lifts Taichi, hooks his leg, and hits his suplex, though Ishii breaks up the pin.
A big collision between Ishii and Great-O-Khan knocks the latter out of the ring, and the challengers team up on Callum Newman. They set up Taichi’s finishing move until Great-O-Khan manages to slide back in and break things up. Ultimately, Newman hits Taichi with a standing Spanish fly for a two-count as the crowd is thoroughly into this one. Callum Newman goes for a springboard cutter, but Taichi kicks him out of mid-air before setting up his partner Ishii for a big suplex on Newman. Taichi is rolling now, lifts Newman, and hits Black Mephisto for the win and the titles.
Taichi and Ishii lay on the mat, spent, until they rise to look at their newly-won titles. Their hands are raised over Newman. Then, as Ishii walks to the back, now holding two belts, Taichi takes to the turnbuckles to celebrate with the crowd.
Winners and New IWGP Tag Team Champions: Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi
This is a rubber match between these two competitors with a 1-1 record, but this time, it is for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Oleg arrives first, looking ready for battle. Takeshita “The Alpha” arrives next, dressed fully in white with black accents. The bell rings, and the two aggressively lock up. These are two big men. Shoulder block after shoulder block leads to Oleg getting the first point, knocking the champion down. Takeshita hits an Akiyama knee on Oleg, who is forced to slowly roll out of the ring.
Takeshita loads up and launches himself over the top rope in front of his home crowd in Osaka, undefeated here in singles competition since 2020, and nails the challenger. Takeshita lifts then drops his opponent back into the ring, before crushing Oleg with a senton from the second rope. He gets a two-count in this, his seventh defense as NEVER Openweight Champion. Oleg attempts to fight back, but Takeshita keeps the momentum with a forearm to the spine. In a truly impressive feat of strength, Oleg catches the very large Takeshita in mid-air on his shoulders, walks him to the ropes, and spins him out of the ring and to the floor.
He follows Takeshita onto the ramp, and they slowly walk up said ramp, delivering massive forearm strikes in the process. Takeshita delivers a near-knockout to Boltin Oleg, who drops immediately. Oleg isn’t normal, though, and gets to his feet. Takeshita goes for a running lariat, but Oleg answers with his a counter-lariat, the two beasts colliding. Oleg then wraps his arms around Takeshita’s gut, flips him, flips him again, then delivers a gutwrench suplex onto the ramp; Takeshita rolls down the ramp, and the referee’s count finally begins.
The count is 14 when Takeshita rolls in and is met by Oleg, who delivers a turnbuckle-assisted splash to the champion. Takeshita is soon able to deliver another vicious forearm smash, followed by a blue thunder bomb; Oleg kicks out, which Takeshita uses to lock his opponent in a Boston Crab. Oleg manages to crawl to the ropes, but his prize is a running lariat from Takeshita. Lifting the challenger to his feet, Takeshita looks to suplex Oleg, and a contest of strength ends in a German suplex by Takeshita. Oleg kicks out at two and a half.
Takeshita climbs the turnbuckle as Oleg rises to his feet and strikes Takeshita before climbing up to meet him. Takeshita knocks off Oleg, but Oleg is determined and strikes him again. Climbing once more, Oleg delivers a top rope fireman’s carry suplex for a two count. After the pinfall attempt, Oleg’s back gives out as he goes to lift Takeshita once more, and Takeshita locks in a front choke. Oleg then back body drops Takeshita. Great back and forth from these two big brawlers.
Oleg lifts Takeshita onto his shoulders once more and rolls through for a 1-2 and a kickout. They begin exchanging strikes again, exhausted from this contest. Takeshita hits a sweet shot, but Oleg hits a big one of his own. Oleg then hits a huge lariat and stacks Takeshita. 1-2, kickout by Takeshita. Oleg lifts Takeshita once more, but the champion grips him by the waist before hitting a dragon suplex. Takeshita loads up and delivers a patented forearm strike. The champion goes for another Akiyama knee, but Oleg catches him, drops him to his shoulders, and rolls him through with a Kamikaze. He covers Takeshita, the pinfall is counted, and Boltin Oleg becomes the new NEVER Openweight Champion.
Oleg, the Big Man from Kazakhstan, beats the seemingly unbeatable Konosuke Takeshita. A big show of respect from the new champion as he crawls over, exhausted, to Takeshita, also exhausted, and grips and raises the now-former champion’s hand. Takeshita walks to the back as Oleg has the belt wrapped around his waist.
Winner and New NEVER Openweight Champion: Boltin Oleg
The two leaders of their respective feuding groups duke it out in brutal fashion: a Dog Collar Chain Deathmatch. “The King of Darkness” EVIL is led out by Dick Togo and everyone else in House of Torture. House of Torture is growing by the show. EVIL enters the ring, a chain already on his shoulder. David Finlay comes out next, and “The Savage King” isn’t alone either. Clark Connors, Taiji Ishimori, and Drilla Moloney arrive as his backup.
David Finlay is now in a unique spot. The War Dogs, originally a subgroup of the original Bullet Club, now seem to be the main group in Bullet Club, now more than ever, since Chase Owens and Fale have joined House of Torture. So, when looking at the War Dogs, one has to wonder if they are just looking at the Bullet Club now. In any case, Finlay puts the dog collar around his own neck. EVIL, his group members exiting the ring, receives help from the referee putting his on.
This type of match is very rare in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Pinfall or submission to win, and these two are linked together by one chain, the ends of which are wrapped around one neck each. It is a match for deeply personal rivalries between hated competitors. The match starts off with a feeling-out process, both men gripping the chain, re-gripping it, trying to find the leverage that will start off the match in their favor. EVIL steps on the chain to try to short Finlay, but Finlay thinks quickly and pulls the rug out from under EVIL.
He eventually moves EVIL to the corner, wraps the chain around the post, and pulls on his end, choking EVIL with it. Finlay barks, and the crowd responds in kind. Finlay drags EVIL to the center of the ring, slapping the chain across EVIL’s back before picking him up and throwing him just over the ropes. Finlay pulls down on his side to once more choke EVIL. Finlay gets a bit overzealous and ventures outside the ring, where House of Torture pounces. Things break down between the groups, and brawling starts as EVIL escorts Finlay into the crowd, choking Finlay with the chain and throwing him into some seats, which slide across the floor.
EVIL, his hand gripping Finlay’s hair, leads his opponent back to the ring. A chain-wrapped fist to the head from EVIL has Finlay bleeding from the hairline. With the chain in Finlay’s mouth, EVIL leans his full weight against the metal barricade, and things aren’t looking good for Finlay. Rolling him back in the ring, EVIL once more wraps the chain around Finlay’s mouth, then doubles up and wraps it once more before kicking Finlay away dismissively. EVIL throws Finlay into the exposed turnbuckle before hanging him upside down in the Tree of Woe. EVIL distracts the referee to allow members of House of Torture to use their collective strength to pull the chain tighter on Finlay’s neck. The War Dogs attempt to break this up, but it is almost futile.
After readjusting EVIL’s collar, the referee allows the match to continue, and it continues with EVIL slinging David Finlay back and forth into the exposed turnbuckles, which bite at the spine of the War Dogs leader. Finlay side-steps a final attempt and yanks the chain up quickly into EVIL’s groin area. Finlay now tees off on EVIL’s back with the chain but is forced to take his attention away from EVIL to knock several members of House of Torture off the apron before finding his way back to his offense on EVIL. Finlay manages to get EVIL into a powerbomb position, and tosses him over the top rope onto his faction members on the floor.
Finlay exits the ring as members of House of Torture lie on the floor, recovering from being EVIL’d. Dog barks echo in Osaka-Jo Hall as Finlay goes about tying up the House of Torture leader around one of the ringposts. He then delivers shot after shot on EVIL before sinking his teeth into EVIL’s head. Satisfied, Finlay untangles EVIL, but EVIL jumps on the opportunity to pull Finlay directly into the same ring post. EVIL is handed a steel chair, which he promptly wraps around Finlay’s neck, before sliding into the ring, and yanking Finlay, chair wrapped around his neck, into the ring post once more.
EVIL now, dragging Finlay into the ring, begins delivering more chain whips across Finlay’s back, again and again. Finlay can only scream out in pain before rising to his feet. EVIL hits a lariat, but Finlay doesn’t go down. Another, and he drops to his knees. Another, and he is fully on his back. A count of two seems to only mildly frustrate EVIL. He sets up Finlay for Darkness Falls, hits it, and gets a count of two. A slightly more irritated EVIL calls for the end of the match with a throat-slit gesture, but as he goes for Everything is EVIL, Finlay warps EVIL with an Into Oblivion.
After recovering for a few seconds, he lifts EVIL for a buckle bomb on the exposed turnbuckle, before doing so again directly onto the mat, and again, landing EVIL on the chain. It is Finlay’s turn to choke EVIL next, but EVIL slyly puts the chain around referee Marty Asami’s neck, choking him and sending him to the floor. EVIL unwraps the collar from his own neck and, with the House of Torture just thirsting for the signal from their leader, things break down once more, with Dick Togo coming in to choke Finlay, and Gedo coming in to choke Dick Togo. This leads to Finlay having to fight off each member of the House of Torture.
Kanemaru spits whiskey in Finlay’s eyes, DOUKI hits Finlay with the lead pipe, and Chase Owens delivers a stiff knee. EVIL throws a table into Finlay before they set up the War Dogs leader for a splash through the table by Don Fale. Finlay is dead weight at this point as EVIL locks in the Darkness Scorpion while simultaneously choking out Finlay. Finlay doesn’t tap, but he does pass out, and the referee calls for a stoppage. The War Dogs lying around the ring and standing over their leader, EVIL and the House of Torture stand triumphant, before making their way out of the ring and to the back. An orange gurney is slid into the ring, and Finlay is rolled onto it before the collar is taken off his neck and he is carried out of the arena.
Winner: EVIL
The winner of this match could very well be the next big thing in the NJPW heavyweight division if they aren’t already. “War Ready” Gabe Kidd comes out first, determined, hungry for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship and beyond that, eager to prove himself against one of the best young talents in the world. Yota Tsuji is out next. Formerly a member of Los Ingobernables de Japon, Tsuji is now unaffiliated since that group’s disbandment. Chris Charlton makes a good point that not only Tsuji but Kidd have “ungovernable spirits,” linking the two.
Tsuji and Kidd face off, and despite his group War Dogs and its leader David Finlay’s dismantling just before, Kidd needs to be locked in to stand a chance against Tsuji. The two shake hands, showing clear respect between them, and the bell rings. Kidd cracks Tsuji immediately and delivers a back suplex. Kidd connects with an over-the-top rope flipping leap, but Tsuji delivers his own over-the-top rope dive soon after. The two struggle on the floor until a count of 19 causes both to slide into the ring, neither wanting a countout victory. A finger-wag is shared between both competitors as they begin battle once more.
Tsuji gains the upper hand with a splash from the mat, but Kidd is far from done. Tsuji delivers a crisp chest chop before forearm smashes are exchanged. Tsuji nails Kidd with a hard shot in the liver, which drops him, before Tsuji drops him again with a huge shoulder tackle, finding a one-count. In the corner, Kidd demands Tsuji lay into him, welcoming it, and Tsuji is game to deliver. The champion gets his strong legs around the gut of Kidd, and though he battles out of it, Tsuji still finds control with forearm smashes. Kidd gets a surge of energy, lifting Tsuji onto the top rope before shoving him to the floor as the referee begins his count.
Waiting to pounce when Tsuji comes back into the ring, Kidd hits a huge lariat on Tsuji before a succession of moves finds him in control. Tsuji counters a lariat with a reverse Russian leg sweep and a deadlift German suplex. Great back-and-forth action follows. Tsuji delivers a running knee in the corner, and though Kidd dodges the top rope move that follows, a superkick knocks Kidd to the mat. Kidd fights off Tsuji and drops the champion gut-first on the ropes. Kidd, with Tsuji draped over the top rope, climbs the turnbuckle and leaps, overshooting his opponent in a nasty bump that looks like he gets more mat than man. He shakes it off and delivers a back suplex before inviting Tsuji to exchange strikes with him.
Tsuji rises, Gabe strikes him, and Tsuji responds in kind with a slap across the chest and a quick succession of moves featuring a backbreaker and a stomp. Another quick sequence features Tsuji diving through the ropes on Kidd, Kidd kipping up and hitting a big boot, and Kidd lifting Tsuji and delivering a tombstone on the floor. Back in the ring, Kidd holds then snaps down Tsuji for a brainbuster and a kickout at two. Kidd lifts Tsuji and spins him around in an ode to Claudio Castagnoli, whom he’s been spending time with in AEW in Jon Moxley’s Death Riders, before locking in a Boston Crab on Tsuji. Tsuji, after a struggle, reaches the bottom rope for a break.
Kidd rises from his stomach to his feet as Tsuji tries to recover. Kidd once more shouts at Tsuji to get up and meet him in the center of the ring. Tsuji obliges, but his strikes lack the venom of before, while Kidd’s retain theirs. Slowly, though, Tsuji’s strikes gain strength and speed before a huge slap across the chest seems to wake up both men. Kidd, after recovering from the last shot, fakes a chop and suckerpunches Tsuji in the jaw. Tsuji is caught off guard but, for his part, connects with a headbutt to the jaw and chest of Kidd.
Kidd rises and ducks a punch from Tsuji to lock in his abdominal stretch. Tsuji quickly reaches the ropes and counters a Kidd maneuver to drop the challenger directly on his head before delivering a piledriver. Tsuji hits a curb stomp, then a Marlowe Crash, before sizing up the challenger. His Gene Blaster spear is interrupted by a kick from Kidd, who then hits a piledriver of his own for a very, very, very close 2 count. Kidd rises, shouts, rolls down his right knee pad; Tsuji catches the knee attempt, hits his own, then delivers a powerbomb for a two-count. Kidd catches Tsuji with a big shot and, after a few exchanges, is able to bounce off the ropes and hit a lariat. The crowd is feeling it, and so is Kidd until Tsuji hits a Gene Blaster spear out of nowhere. 1, 2, kickout.
Tsuji readies himself for another Gene Blaster, but Kidd wraps him up for a Death Rider, Jon Moxley’s move, before spiking Tsuji with a piledriver. Kidd covers Tsuji for the 1, 2, and finally, the 3. Gabe Kidd defeats Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Both men lay in the center of the ring, exhausted, totally spent, chests red and bruised. He accepts the title from Red Shoes Unno and embraces it. He demands a mic after sitting in the corner, but rises before he speaks.
He tells Tsuji to wait and declares that Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd is now the big-ticket rivalry in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. “See you later,” he says as the crowd cheers. Gabe then discusses his struggles and the trials he’s been through before declaring that none of that matters now that he is IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion. The crowd cheers and chants his name. Kidd then calls out Hiroshi Tanahashi. For those who don’t know, when Kidd was going through said personal struggles, Tanahashi made sure to phone him every day. Tanahashi comes down to the ring, and Kidd holds open the ropes for the President of NJPW. He gets in Tanahashi’s face, holds up the title, and says, “Let’s go, boss.” They bump fists before Kidd, with the utmost respect, tells Tanahashi to get out of his ring.
Winner and New IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion: Gabe Kidd
This is a battle of two veteran hosses for the top prize in the heavyweight division of New Japan Pro-Wrestling: IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto and Shingo Takagi. Also, for my money, two of the best entrance themes in the company. The English announcers note just how evenly matched these two are, and it is true: they are cut from the same cloth. Takagi comes out first, having held the top title before, but having held it during the COVID era. He doesn’t know what it feels like to hold the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in front of a capacity crowd. He aims to change that tonight.
Goto’s theme hits, and the crowd begins clapping along and chanting “Goto.” Four times these two have faced off in singles competition, with Takagi leading 3-1 in the series. Goto, to his credit, is never going to back down or stop believing in himself. It is what led him to this point in his career. YOSHI-HASHI is ringside for Goto while Takagi appears to be alone.
The bell rings, and the two size up. Two castles of men. Cautiously, they engage, then disengage. They engage once more, then disengage, before finally locking up. Goto breaks from Takagi cleanly before the latter gives a quick boot to the gut as a thank you. Tests of strength in the form of shoulder tackles follow, with neither falling. Then, the two exchange forearm strikes and chops, before kicks to the spine. These two are so evenly matched, and their style of slightly slower but no-less-impressive chain wrestling is wonderful to witness.
Another great sequence follows that begins with a handshake trick from Takagi and ends with a shoulder block that sends him rolling out of the ring. Shingo takes his time returning to the ring as Goto eyes him. Goto re-establishes control, but Shingo isn’t too far off from countering at any second. Goto hits a corner lariat before locking in a headlock, though Shingo pushes him out, elbows him, and connects with a DDT from the second rope. Shingo hits a lariat that sends Goto over the top rope and to the floor.
Outside the ring, Shingo throws Goto into the steel barricade spine-first. He then drags Goto over to the ring apron and introduces his face to it several times before quickly bringing Goto over to the ramp and hitting a suplex on it. Goto starts to feel it in his knees, and Shingo knows it, beginning to focus on them with kicks before rolling the champion back into the ring. He hits a senton on the champion, deliberately slowing down the match, then guides Goto to the ropes where a series of knees to the sternum leads to a huge running shoulder block before he flexes to the crowd.
Shingo lifts the champion and hits a nice vertical suplex, covers Goto, and gets a two count. Shingo locks in a body scissors hold on Goto before finding Goto’s arm and putting Goto in an abdominal stretch on the mat. Goto reaches the ropes with his foot, though Shingo isn’t quick to break the hold. Shingo motions that he soon will be holding the belt once more before goading Goto to rise to his feet. Goto hits a slap on the chest, then another, then another, before Shingo answers with a slap to the face, then another, then another, then another. Shingo catches a boot attempt in the corner and follows through with a lariat. He alternates quick jabs and chops, though Goto, always adept at misdirection, throws Shingo off by following him off the ropes and hitting a lariat. Goto sends Shingo into the corner and hits a spinning heel kick before connecting with a back suplex for a two-count.
Shingo soon finds himself on the ring apron, where he clearly has something in mind, though Goto knocks him to the floor before he can attempt whatever it is. Shingo throws Goto toward the barricade again, but Goto manages to set up an elbow drop neckbreaker on the floor before sliding back into the ring. Red Shoes Unno reaches a count of 17 before Takagi slides back in, too. They exchange blows in the center of the ring until another lariat from Goto leads to another pinfall attempt and another two-count. Shingo then gains an advantage with an elbow and a southpaw punch to the jaw of Goto, knocking the champion down. Shingo hits a variation of twist-and-shout before delivering a sliding lariat for another two-count.
Shingo gets the crowd going and rises to his feet, attempting to hit Last of the Dragon, but Goto fights out of it. Takagi hits a back suplex and then quickly tries to follow up, but Goto hits his Ushikoroshi, and both men are down. Both men rise to their feet and deliver matching lariats before Takagi wins out with a follow-up lariat. He hits a powerbomb on Goto, who kicks out at two. Dueling “Takagi” and “Goto” chants fill the arena just before Takagi hits another running lariat in the corner. He lifts Goto onto the turnbuckle and readies a superplex, though Goto punches him back down to the mat. Shingo is determined to send Goto crashing down and ascends once more.
The two butt heads repeatedly at the top until Goto manages to hit a sunset flip powerbomb from the top and stacks the challenger for a close two. Goto lifts Takagi and delivers a GTW for another two-count. He readies a GTR until Shingo twists Goto for a dragon sleeper, but Goto fights out of it. Takagi takes a page out of Goto’s book with a GTR before his own Made in Japan for another nearfall. Takagi runs the ropes and hits a huge pumping bomber before setting up and hitting a Burning Dragon. 1, 2, and a kickout from Goto. The crowd is feeling it as these two men are putting on a great, heavy-hitting contest. No factions, just two big men going at it for the gold.
Goto escapes Shingo’s clutches and withstands two big standing lariats, only falling to his knees on the second. Goto hits some forearm smashes, as does Takagi, before they both connect with headbutts. Shingo nails Goto with a straight right punch and a headbutt, but Goto flips things around and attempts to hit a Shouten Kai. Shingo looks as if he is going to hit one of his own until Goto finally manages to deliver it. Goto stumbles to his feet and delivers a kick to the chest of Shingo, followed by a lariat. Shingo rolls through and attempts to pin Goto, and after only getting a two-count, hits a sliding bomber.
Shingo sets up the Last of the Dragon, the move that beat Kazuchika Okada for the same title a few years back, before Goto hits a GTR. 1, 2, and a kickout. Goto delivers a quick succession of headbutts to Shingo before a decidedly nastier headbutt leads to Goto hitting a GTR Kai for the pinfall victory. Goto retains. Hirooki Goto is handed the belt as the Goto Revolution continues. YOSHI-HASHI and Red Shoes Unno snap the belt around the waist of Goto before the champion walks over to Takagi, still recovering. Goto goes for a handshake, and Takagi accepts it, nodding as he does so, before exiting the ring.
“The Goto Revolution is all about the will of the veteran,” Goto says into the microphone in a perfect summation of his championship run thus far. Golden confetti pops as Goto celebrates his latest heavyweight title defense, ending the House of Torture-dominated night on a note of pure good.
Winner and Still IWGP World Heavyweight Champion: Hirooki Goto
Date:
June 26, 2025
Category:
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