A new chapter begins in NJPW!

Hiroshi Tanahashi has officially retired to be full-time President Ace! But then, who will step up to be the NEW ACE of New Japan?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Six Man Tag: Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura & Katsuya Murashima VS Taichi, Satoshi Kojima & Tomohiro Ishii; Taichi, Kojima & Ishii win.
• El Phantasmo & Shoma Kato VS Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero; Konosuke & Rocky win.
• Six Man Tag: Bishamon & Boltin Oleg VS SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru; Bishamon & Boltin win.
• Six Man Tag: Gabe Kidd, Hiromu Takahashi & Clark Connors VS Andrade El Idolo, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young; Andrade, Akira & Jakob win.
• 8 Man Tag: Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato VS EVIL, Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo; Wolf, Yano, Yoh & Wato win.
• 8 Man Tag: Yota Tsuji, David Finlay, Shingo Takagi & “Drilla” Dan Moloney VS Jake Lee, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & HENARE; Jake, Khan, Callum & Henare win.
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Fatal 4 Way: Los Oscuridad VS El Desperado & KUUKAI VS Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X VS Ichiban Sweet Boys; Ichiban Sweet Boys win and become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
• IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: OSKAR & Yuto-Ice VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa; Oskar & Yuto win and retain the titles.

PLAY BY PLAY

After Six Man Tag: Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura & Katsuya Murashima VS Taichi, Satoshi Kojima & Tomohiro Ishii…

The Stone Pitbull scores the win off the Young Lion, though not without getting a bloody nose for it first. There’s still tension between these teams, despite all being Hontai. Ishii stands Yuya up, Shota gets in Ishii’s face, Taichi gets in Shota’s way, but Shota pushes past Taichi to still stare Ishii down. Yuya and Taichi stare down, and while these two old friends smile, Ishii SPITS at Shota! Shota starts firing shots off on Ishii! Shota CHOPS and CHOPS, but Ishii HEADBUTTS Shota down! Young Lions hurry in there but Ishii shrugs them off. Ishii storms off, will Hontai become stronger even by fighting themselves?

Six Man Tag: Gabe Kidd, Hiromu Takahashi & Clark Connors VS Andrade El Idolo, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young!

While the War Dogs/Unaffiliated combination fell at WrestleKingdom, the war with the United Empire is far from over! Will the Mad Man, Timebomb and 100 Proof get the team back on track? Or will La Sombra, The Crown  of Fire and #DangerousJAY just conquer them again?

But the Empire doesn’t even wait for introductions to be over! They attack while Gabe’s still on the corner! The fans boo as Jakob TOSSES Connors, and Andrade fires off on Gabe in one corner while Akira stomps Hiromu down in the other! The bell rings to get this on record, and Andrade TOSSES Gabe out now. Connors UPPERCUTS Jakob in return, then whips him into railing! And then LARIATS him! Andrade keeps after Gabe while Akira talks trash on Hiromu. Andrade hits SNAKE EYES on the apron! Akira CHOPS Hiromu, whips him corner to corner, but Hiromu reverses. Hiromu LARIATS Akira, snapmares, but Akira avoids the basement dropkick!

Hiromu dodges a lariat to kick and whip but Akira reverses, only for Hiromu to RANA! The fans fire up with Hiromu, he brings Akira up and around to whip to the corner. Hiromu runs in and LARIATS, but Akira stops the snapmare this time. Hiromu CHOPS, snapmares again, and runs, but Jakob KICKS him! The ref reprimands, but Jakob & Andrade already BLAST Connors & Gabe! Akira TOSSES Hiromu out, and he whips Hiromu into railing! Hiromu falls to the rampway but Akira rains down fists! The fans rally for Hiromu while Akira drags him up. Akira SMACKS Hiromu off the apron, and Andrade has a chair, but wags his finger. He doesn’t need it.

Akira puts Hiromu back in the ring, and he has a cocky kneeling cover. ONE, but Akira CHOPS Hiromu! Hiromu CHOPS back! Akira CHOPS again, then tags Jakob. Jakob fires body shots, then he fires knees. Jakob snapmares to stomp Hiromu, then basement DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Jakob bends Hiromu’s fingers! The ref reprimands, Jakob SNAPS the fingers at 4! The fans boo but Jakob tells them to shove it. Tag to Andrade and he climbs up. Jakob wrenches the arm, and Andrade AX HANDLES it! The fans boo but Andrade soaks up the heat. Andrade fires hands, bumps Hiromu off buckles, then stomps a mudhole in.

The ref counts, Andrade stops to drag Hiromu around. Andrade stomps Hiromu in the stomach, then ELBOW DROPS! Gabe & Connors coach Hiromu to fight, but Andrade climbs the corner. FALLING SPLIT LEG MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Hiromu survives but Andrade smirks as he drags Hiromu up. Andrade brings Hiromu over, tags Akira, and they mug Hiromu. Akira scoops Hiromu to SLAM him, then wrenches and whips him to a corner hard! Hiromu falls, Akira stays between him and the corner as he covers, TWO! STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! The fans rally, and Hiromu CHOPS Akira!

Akira eggs Hiromu on, so Hiromu CHOPS again! Akira TACKLES Hiromu and rains down fists! The ref reprimands, Akira stands Hiromu up, and he wrenches again. Akira whips corner to corner, but Hiromu reverses! LARIAT, snapmare, and basement DROPKICK! The fans fire up while both men crawl. Akira anchors a foot and he pulls Hiromu’s hair! Hiromu breaks free, blocks a kick and a punch, then DRAGON SCREWS! Both men are down, they crawl for their corners, hot tags to Gabe and Andrade! Gabe dodges to BOOT Andrade , then LARIATS in the corner! The fans bark with Gabe and he whips corner to corner!

Gabe keeps moving and he runs Andrade into the other corner! Then he LARIATS Andrade down! The fans fire up with Gabe and he drags Andrade back up. Andrade ELBOWS Gabe, then winds up, but he swings into a clinch! URENAGE! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up for Gabe while he rises up. They bark with Gabe and he brings Andrade around. Andrade fights the saido, then runs, but Gabe UPPERCUTS! Gabe runs, COMEBACK- DROPKICK! The fans fire up while both men are down! Andrade and Gabe slowly rise up and the fans rally. Andrade pounds the mat, the fans clap along, and Andrade runs corner to corner, CIEN KNEES! Cover, TWO!!

The fans fire up but Andrade just tranquilos, then he reels Gabe in. Andrade snap suplexes, but that’s just Uno Amigo! But then Gabe suplexes for a BRAINBUSTER! No mas amigos! Gabe rolls, hot tag to Connors! Connors runs and he CLOBBERS Andrade, BLASTS Akira, then dodges Jakob to cravat SMASH! Andrade kicks and whips but Connors reverses to SNAP POWERSLAM! Connors aims from a corner, the fans bark it up, and Andrade stands up, into the SPEAR!! Cover, the Empire breaks it! Gabe and Hiromu go after them, but Jakob and Akira toss them out first! The brawling continues outside while Connors focuses on Andrade.

Connors drags Andrade up, vows to finish this, but Jakob & Akira CLOBBER Connors! Gabe & Hiromu return, and Gabe UPPERCUTS Jakob while Hiromu TOSSES Akira! Connors and Andrade rise again, and Connors snarls. Connors reels Andrade in, but Andrade wrenches! Connors UPPERCUTS, runs, but Andrade BOOTS him down! Andrade then BLASTS Gabe off the apron! Andrade grins as he goes to Connors, but Connors cradles! TWO! Boot feint to SHADOW ELBOW! Andrade raises the ungovernable fist, and he reels Connors in! Underhooks and THE MESSAGE!! Cover, Empire wins!

Winners: Andrade El Idolo, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young, by pinfall

Another victory for The Empire, and they even TOSS Daiki Nagai aside! Andrade already sent his Message, but he asks for a mic so he can speak. Gabe says F that and he snatches the mic! “There’s nothing else to say. If you’ve got something to say, then let’s effin’ fight about it.” Gabe dares Andrade to use actions rather than words, and they brawl is on! The Young Lions rush in there, but then Andrade breaks free to CLOBBER Gabe! Gabe throws hands in return, and Andrade backs off. Andrade smirks while he hops the railing to then sit at the timekeeper’s desk.

Gabe gets the mic back to say, “Tranquilo janai, p*ssy! I’m gonna talk, watch and learn how it’s done. I’m gonna speak to these people.” Then in Japanese, Gabe brings up how back in 2013, La Sombra was IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Andrade says yes he was! Gabe says HE was IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion! Yota Tsuji, that’s his dog, but Gabe does want that title back! February 11th, New Beginning in Osaka, Andrade El Whatever The F VS Gabe Kidd, winner gets a shot at Yota Tsuji’s IWGP Global Heavyweight title! KOI YA, CABRON! Then Gabe does the tranquilo, but with middle fingers!

The Mad Man and La Sombra are set on a collision course for Osaka, who comes away from that as the #1 contender?

8 Man Tag: Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato VS EVIL, Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo!

It was truly a historic night as the Olympic gold medalist went straight from Young Lion to NEW NEVER Openweight Champion! He now teams with the former NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions in an effort to shake The House of Torture. Will Wolf take another bite out of the King of Darkness? Or will Darkness Fall on 2026 after all?

But then The House attacks during introductions! The fans boo but what else is new for them? They TOSS Yoh, Yano & Wato, then stomp away on Wolf! The bell rings to get this on record, and The House whips Wolf to a corner. Dick runs in and ELBOWS, Ren adds an ELBOW, then Evil LARIATS! Fale adds a SPLASH, then they snapmare Wolf into position. Evil & Ren hold Wolf up while Dick climbs and Fale distracts the ref! The fans boo more, but Yoh & Wato hit Evil & Ren first! Yano even trips up Fale! Yoh ROCKS Dick, then he and Wato clear the ring. The fans rally as Wolf stands, but Dick kicks low.

Dick hops up, leaps, but Wolf blocks the chop! IPPON! Ren is back, but he gets an IPPON! The fans fire up with Wolf, but Wato reaches out. Wolf tags Wato, Wato runs in and ELBOWS Dick! Wato then BULLDOGS Dick down! The fans cheer, Wato covers, TWO! The fans rally behind Wato and he reels Dick in. Wato suplexes but Dick fights it. Dick wrenches and headlock punches Wato down! Evil BLASTS the Hontai corner while Dick stomps Wato. The fans boo as the House beats up Hontai on the outside. Dick throws hands on Wato, then brings him over to bump off buckles. Tag to Fale and he brings Wato around for a scoop and SLAM!

Fale then turns Wato over, and stands on him! Fale steps off, then flips Wato back over for a cocky cover, TWO! The fans applaud but Fale tags Evil. Evil drags Wato up, FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, who rings the bell?! It’s Dick! He gives a BS victory announcement and even says, “Happy New Year!” The fans boo and the ref says no, that’s not how this works! Evil tags Ren, and Ren has the bell hammer in his back pocket! Evil distracts the ref so Ren can HAMMER Wato! Ren then tosses the hammer, and it somehow makes it back to Abe-san. Ren then whips Wato, but Wato reverses to DROPKICK Ren! The fans fire up while both men are down!

Ren and Wato crawl, hot tag to Yoh! Yoh goes up and CANNONBALLS onto Ren! Then he BLASTS Evil, BLASTS Dick, and pokes Fale in the eye! Yoh kicks, Ren blocks, and Ren CHOKES Yoh! The ref counts, Ren tells him to shut up, then he whips Yoh. Yoh reverses to THROW Ren by his hair! The fans cheer for Yoh, but Yano says hold on! If they’re gonna do this, they do it together! They set up, but Fale & Evil storm in! “YANO! TO-” Fale & Evil CLOBBER them from behind! The fans boo but Evil drags Yoh up. Ren BOOTS Yoh down, tags Dick, and they try this again! Fale again distracts the ref while Dick climbs, New Year’s Prayer DICK CHOP!

The fans boo despite Dick’s manners as he covers, only for Yoh & Wato to break it! The fans cheer, but they and Wolf get TOSSED back out! Dick then holds Yoh open, but the ref doesn’t trust that! Dick argues with the ref, the ref SHOVES Dick, and Yoh reels Dick into a cradle! TWO!! Dick escapes, kicks Yoh, then runs, but into a SLINGBLADE! The fans fire up for that, and Yoh has Dick in the TEXAS CLOVERHOLD!! The fans cheer as Dick TAPS, Hontai wins!

Winners: Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, Yoh & Master Wato, by submission

Direct Drive pays tribute to The Ace with that win, and The House continues to lose out! But then those sore losers attack anyway! The fans boo as Ren stomps away on Wolf! Ren grabs his pushup bar, and he soaks up the heat while he aims at Wolf. Wolf slowly rises up, and Ren CLOBBERS him with the pushup bar! The fans boo more, but Ren holds up the NEVER Openweight title, making it clear what he wants. Ren then tosses the belt back down as he and The House take their leave. Will the Souled Out Son of Strong Style steal that title from Wolf soon enough?

8 Man Tag: Yota Tsuji, David Finlay, Shingo Takagi & “Drilla” Dan Moloney VS Jake Lee, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & HENARE!

We already saw the other half of the War Dogs/Unaffiliated fall to the United Empire, so this is a last chance for payback. Can the NEW IWGP Double Champion lead the Rebel & The War Dragons to victory? Or will the Gentlemanly Killer, the Dominator, The Prince & The Mauler continue the win streak from WrestleKingdom?

As the introductions are made, Yota wants to make sure the announcer is up to date. For BEHOLD, he wears a shiny new version of the “V4” Heavyweight Championship! No need for “world,” he just IS the IWGP Heavyweight & Global Champion! Yota then takes the mic himself, and he calls out Jake! Was yesterday’s attack supposed to be Jake’s challenge to him? Well, sorry, you can’t take more than a year off and just think you can challenge for THE Heavyweight Championship! The fans cheer Yota laying down the law! Jake brushes that off, but Yota adds that as wrestlers, if Jake wants to challenge, he has to make his case.

Yota knows Jake loves to talk, so maybe Jake can convince him. Yota holds out the mic to Jake, the fans do cheer Jake on, and Jake takes the mic. Jake just kicks Yota low! The fans boo as the Empire attacks, and things spill out of the ring as Khan, Callum & Henare drag Takagi, Finlay, and Drilla out! Jake stomps Yota in the ring, and Jake dances around to mock Yota. Jake then KICKS Yota to a corner, but we see Finlay sends Callum into railing! Jake runs in at the corner, but Yota avoids the Facebreaker! Yota kicks then whips, but Jake blocks! Jake CLUBS the arm, then wrenches it so he can whip Yota back in. Yota rebounds to RAM Jake!

Jake brushes himself off, then fires a forearm! Yota BODY BLOWS! They go back and forth, shot for shot, but then Jake fires a flurry! Yota CHOPS in return! The fans fire up for that one! Jake runs, and he kitchen sink knees Yota down! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up while Yota goes to a corner. Jake lines up his shot, FACEBREAK- NO! Yota gets under the boot and lifts Jake up! Jake fights, and he RANAS Yota away! ROUNDHOUSE! But Yota GENE TRIGGERS, SUPERKICKS, and- KITCHEN SINK KNEE! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Jake and Yota crawl for their corners, hot tags to Callum and Finlay!

The fans fire up as Savage King and Prince of Pace fire off forearms! Callum gets the edge, but Finlay gets it back! Finlay throat chops, then whips, but Callum ducks ‘n’ dodges and builds speed, only for Finlay to dodge! Finlay CLOBBERS Callum with a shoulder tackle! The fans fire up again, and Finlay UPPERCUTS Callum! Finlay pushes Callum to a corner, and the fans bark along with him. The ref reprimands but Finlay fires LARIAT after LARIAT in the corner! Finlay goes to TEN, then he brings Callum around to BROKEN ARROW! Callum flounders while the fans fire up. Finlay flexes, then waits on Callum to get up.

Finlay reels Callum in, lifts, but Callum fights free! Finlay kicks low, reels him in again, but Callum BACKDROPS! Finlay sunset flips, TWO! Both men stand, Callum dodges and DROPKICKS! The fans rally, Callum rolls, hot tag to Henare! Henare BLASTS Takagi off the apron, then SENTONS Finlay! Callum PENALTY KICKS for good measure, then Henare drags Finlay up. Henare CHOPS Finlay, brings him around, and CHOPS again! Finlay goes to a corner, Henare roars, and the fans rally up. Finlay comes back to CHOP! Henare CHOPS again! And then fireman’s carries! Finlay fights free with elbows, but Henare fires fast hands!

Henare swings, but into the IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Both men are down but the fans fire up! Finlay stagger sup, hot tag to Takagi! Takagi CLOBBERS Henare but Callum throat chops! Callum whips, Takagi reverses and HIP TOSSES! Jake & Khan get in while Takagi LARIATS Callum up and out! The fans fire up, but Takagi bumps into Khan & Jake. Takagi is spooked, they kick him low and double whip. Takagi stops himself, then runs up to DOUBLE LARIAT! But neither Khan nor Jake fall! Takagi DOUBLE LARIATS again, but still no one falls! Khan storms up but into a clinch! Takagi kicks Jake, and he DDT FLATLINER COMBOS!

The fans fire up, Henare runs in, but Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! YUKON feints and stands Henare back up for a JAB and YUKON LARIAT! The fans fire up with Takagi, and they join in on “OI! OI! OI!” Tag to Drilla and the War Dragons drag Henare up. They double whip Henare to a corner, then RAM LARIAT COMBO! They start up the “OI! WOOF! OI! WOOF!” before they double whip Henare again, for ELBOW! DOUBLE JAB! Double feint then JAB! But Khan trips Takagi! Henare HEEL KICKS Drilla! Callum goes after Finlay while Henare has Drilla and Khan goes after Takagi! They coordinate and whip, but the War Dragons reverse!

Khan & Henare collide, then Takagi snapmares Khan while Drilla scoop SLAMS Henare! Then the War Dragons go to the corners, climb up, WRESTLING SUMMIT ELBOWS! Cover on Henare, TWO! Henare survives, but Takagi gets the fans fired up for it! “TOKI GA KITA!” They all bark and the two fist bump. They haul Henare up, pump handle, but Henare fights free! Henare sends Drilla into Takagi, fireman’s carries Drilla, SAMOAN DROP! But Takagi SLIDING LARIATS! Khan returns, but Takagi blocks a kick and CLUBS the leg! Takagi fires boxing elbows, but Khan Mongolian Chops! IRON CLAW, then a flurry of knee strikes!

Khan BITES Takagi’s ear! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Khan runs. Takagi follows to LARIAT at the ropes! Takagi runs, Khan dodges, and Khan LARIATS! But Drilla SPINEBUSTERS Khan! The fans fire up while all four men are down! Henare and Drilla stir and the fans rally up. They head for each other, then fire forearms back and forth! The fans rally as the shots are fast ‘n’ furious! Henare fires a flurry, but Drilla ducks the wind up! Ripcord and CHOP! Henare CHOPS back! Drilla SUPERKICKS! Henare roars, avoids the enzigiri, then runs to RUGBY KICK! Drilla gets up, ducks ‘n’ dodges, but not the KNEE! HEADBUTT!

Henare runs to BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up again as Henare drags Drilla up. Khan joins in, IRON CLAW BOMB!! Cover, Empire wins again!

Winners: Jake Lee, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Henare, by pinfall

Jake Lee sits with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and shines it up while Khan & Henare stomp away on Drilla! Then they mug Takagi! Scoop and T T D!! The fans boo as Khan & Henare loom over the War Dragons. Jake steps into the ring and shows off the belt. Yota storms back in and tells Jake to quit screwing around. Jake plays with the belt a bit more before handing it back to Yota. Then he SLAPS Yota! Yota SLAPS Jake! Jake falls over, though maybe more from goofing around than anything. And Finlay starts CHUCKING chairs! The Empire taunts Finlay as he starts ripping at the apron!

Gedo and Young Lions get Finlay to back down, if only so much. Yota takes his leave for now but Callum gets a mic. Callum tells Finlay to shut up and go home already. “I didn’t work for a whole year, carrying this unit on my back, to be intimidated by you, some little puppies, and to be belittled every time I step in this ring. If you’re really the Savage King you think you are, name a time, name a place, and I swear to God, I will show you exactly who you’re dealing with. Just remember one thing: This isn’t the Empire that you left to crumble and shatter in Osaka. This is a brand new Empire!” Wait, is that Ospreay’s music?!

We saw the Aerial Assassin return to Japan last night, and now he’s here at New Year Dash! Ospreay goes to the ring, Finlay tells him to handle his guy. Ospreay joins The Empire in the ring, hugs it out with Henare, and even shakes hands with Khan. Callum gives over the mic while the fans cheer Ospreay on. Ospreay says, “Tadaima. <I’m home.>” Ospreay says it has been awhile, so maybe help remind him. Who is the best wrestler in the world? “OSPREAY!” Ospreay says he hasn’t come to cause problems, but to apologize. He is sorry. He didn’t realize him leaving was going to mess up everything. He didn’t realize how much he held the team together. But he wants to put it right.

Ospreay says he can’t come back right now, he still needs to recover. It will take a long time, but he’s getting closer and closer, better and better, and he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. And when he’s good to go, he’s got business to handle in AEW, then he’ll come back to NJPW. The fans cheer that! Ospreay says he’ll come back to support Callum. Callum’s his little brother, Ospreay has known him since he’s 15, he’s proud to see what he’s become. Callum is a grown man now, so let Ospreay help. Once Ospreay is back, the Empire will get back together and take NJPW over just like they did before. And they’ll even do it Callum’s way.

Ospreay sets the mic down, Callum stands up, and the two hug it out! The fans cheer, and Ospreay says for old time’s sake, crowns up! The fans cheer, though Callum doesn’t do it. He has the chair?! Henare stops Callum, he knows what The Prince was planning on doing! Callum storms off, though Ospreay doesn’t notice right away. Is there not going to be much to the “united” in the United Empire after all?

Meanwhile, backstage…

Yota Tsuji waits until the Unaffiliated and War Dogs are all present. “Until now, Bullet Club War Dogs and the Unaffiliated wrestlers have maintained a cooperative relationship. But that ends today. Our ‘alliance’ is finished. From here on, we will fight as a single unit. Our name is ‘Unbound Company,’ a group that cannot be bound by anyone.” Takagi adds that now both factions are one, things are going to get a lot more interesting in NJPW. Hiromu agrees, it’ll be more, more, more fun for everyone. Yota tells NJPW to get ready!

Yota heads out, but Drilla says he’s not fine. What did Henare tell him in that ring? Don’t act like they didn’t almost kill him?! Drilla has the same cut in his head as Henare, and he came back the very next night! Hell, that cage match had Henare crying! Drilla was in that cage with a freshly torn bicep! He taped it up, he followed Finlay’s orders, and he went to work! He didn’t cry for almost two years that he almost got killed, you absolute effin’ p*ssy! You think that blood was bad? Wait ’til the War Dragons drain Henare of everything! All his mana, his spirit, his passion, and send him back to New Zealand to cry more!

Drilla says who even cares about that fat Khan! What’re they gonna do, Takagi? What does Drilla want? Drilla wants a match! Let’s see how good you feel after two years! Takagi warns Khan & Henare that they’re in for it now! The War Dragons are ready for war, will they get their fill from Khan & Henare? As for Finlay, he tells Callum that he’s just been getting on Finlay’s nerves. Seeing Ospreay after all these years, it reminds Finlay of the violence he is capable of. Callum wants the Savage King, he wants to talk the dog cage match, fine! Just remember that last time Finlay saw Ospreay, Finlay left Ospreay in a pool of his own blood!

If Callum wants violence, he has to realize that means two very different things to him and Finlay. To Finlay, violence IS blood, violence is broken bones, damage and time off of your career! Finlay can leave Callum in blood without a cage or weapons. Finlay will do it with his own bare hands! The Savage King is also ready for war, will nothing hold the Unbound Company back from tearing the United Empire down?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Fatal 4 Way: La Oscuridad VS El Desperado & KUUKAI VS Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X VS Ichiban Sweet Boys!

Sho & Douki cheated their way to winning Super Junior Tag League, but instead of having NO challengers, they ended up getting THREE! We saw The Rogue Luchador earn his golden ticket to THE Junior Heavyweight Championship last night at WrestleKingdom, will he and Double K grab these titles as well? Will the Bone Soldier & Mr. X bring gold home to the War Dogs? Or will Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita prove that The Mighty Don’t Kneel?

The introductions are made, though Sho is still worried he’s gonna get bullied. The belts are raised, and we see if the champs can win their own game!

Sho of course has to get a mic and talk, saying that while Ota is supposedly part of the Tokyo area, it is really just more Kawasaki, so that makes everyone here a bunch of country bumpkins. And after all these jerks ruined the Douki Games last night, ain’t no way they’ll win tonight! Oi, stay back! The ref keeps the other teams from crowding Sho & Douki, and Sho says this is all just cuz the other teams are afraid of them! Sho & Douki then bail out of the ring before they get bullied again! The fans boo, but then Kuukai TORNILLO TOPES! He wipes them out into the railing! But then Robbie X SUPERKICKS Despy out and the bell rings!

The Sweet Boys kick Taiji & X low, then fire hands. They double whip, but the “Unbound” reverse, only for the Sweet Boys to DOUBLE RANA! They then fake the planchas to DOUBLE ASAI MOONSAULT! Down go X & Taiji, but then Despy & Kuukai BLAST The Sweet Boys! Then they build speed, but Sho & Douki trip them both up! The fans boo, but Sho stomps Kuukai and Douki stomps Despy! The fans boo as Sho CHOKES Kuukai on the ropes! Douki drags Despy up, he and Sho coordinate, and they whip, only for Despy & Kuukai to dosido! They LARIAT Sho & Douki, then whip them into each other!

Kuukai runs, Despy gives him the boost, DOUBLE DROPKICK! Douki & Sho tumble outta the ring while Kuukai & Despy kip up. The fans cheer as now Taiji & X step up to Kuukai & Despy. The forearms and CHOPS go back and forth, faster ‘n’ furious, but then X SOBATS Despy and Taiji CLAWS Kuukai’s eyes! They double whip Kuukai, DOUBLE ELBOW, then ASSISTED MOONSAULT! Taiji BOOTS Despy down, then X wheelbarrows, VICTORY SPLASH! Cover, but Eagles breaks it! X ROCKS Eagles, Eagles BOOTS X, X CHOPS Eagles! Douki UPPERCUTS X to stop the Robbie VS Robbie fight!

Douki whips X to a corner but X goes up and over to handspring away! Then the Robbies DOUBLE CHOP, and split the wishbone! Then they DOUBLE KICK Douki down! The fans fire up for “ROBBIE! ROBBIE!” but it’s X that starts up the “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” Eagles says “OI OI OI!” and he shoves X. “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” Sho SHOVES one into the other! Roll up on Eagles, TWO! Eagles ROCKS and cravats Sho, but Sho shoves Eagles at the ref! Eagles stops short, but Sho SPEARS Eagles down! Fujita is back but Sho dodges to kick low! Sho fires forearms, sends him at Kuukai, but Kuukai puts Fujita on the apron.

Kuukai dodges Sho, SOBATS, then KNEES! Kuukai sends Sho to Fujita, Fujita GAMANGIRIS, and Kuukai SUPERKICKS! Then he sets Sho up for Fujita’s MISSILE DROPKICK! Kuukai covers but Fujita SLAPS him! Fujita stands Kuukai up, Kuukai CHOPS! Fujita fires a forearm, Kuukai fires a forearm back, and they go back and forth! Kuukai CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! Fujita CHOPS in return! The fans fire up as Fujita runs, but Taiji scoops to BACKBREAKER! Eagles SOBATS Taiji, SLICED BREAD! Eagles then drags Taiji to a drop zone, goes up the corner, but Kuukai CHOPS first! Kuukai climbs up, ROCKS Eagles, but Taiji joins in.

Taiji CLUBS Kuukai, slips underneath, TOWER OF DOOM! Eagles flounders, X EXPRESS!! Cover, KANEMARU YANKS THE REF OUT! The fans boo as the Heel Master helps out! Douki uses the DEATH PIPE on everyone! The fans boo but Douki winds up on Taiji. Taiji BOOTS the pipe, mule kicks the leg, then he hooks Douki. Douki powers out, Sho winds up, but Fujita snatches the “Black Mirror” from Sho! Fujita SMACKS Sho with it first! The fans cheer as Taiji drop toeholds Douki into a BLACK MIRROR SHOT! Kanemaru kicks Fujita, takes a swig, but Fujita uses the mirror as a shield! Then he SMACKS Kanemaru down!

The fans fire up as Taiji drags Douki up to a fireman’s carry. T K O! Despy TOSSES Taiji and Kuukai covers Douki! But Fujita breaks it! Fujita drags Kuukai up, Kuukai fights free, and Kuukai runs, but has to duck a chop! Kuukai wheelbarrows, but Fujita stops the roll! WHEELBARROW GERMAN! The fans fire up, Eagles BOOTS Despy, and then Eagles builds speed! CANNONBALL TOPE! Direct hit on Despy & Kuukai, and Eagles goes over the railing! Eagles lands safe in the aisle and the fans fire up! But then X has Fujita! Fujita switches, O’Conner and CHAOS- NO, X victory rolls it, TWO! Fujita runs up, but into a fireman’s carry!

X hits a ROLLING SENTON, then he goes up top! The fans fire up as X reloads, X EXP- NO, Fujita moves and X rolls through! Eagles runs in, but X blocks the boot! DREAMCAST KICK! But Fujita ROCKS X! X ROCKS Fujita, and they go back and forth! X SMACKS Fujita, Fujita CHOPS X! Fujtia whips, X handsprings through and goes Matrix! PELE! The fans fire up, X handsprings, but the Sweet Boys catch him into torture racks! DOUBLE BURNING HAMMER!! Cover, TMDK WINS!!

Winners: Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita, by pinfall (NEW IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions)

The Douki Games are over, and the gold is back around the waists of these Ichiban Sweet Boys! The Sniper & The Young Punk have brought these belts back to TMDK, but will Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa do the same?

Wait, Akira is back out here?! He CLOBBERS Robbie X and POSTS Taiji! The fans boo but what is the Crown of Fire after the Bone Soldier for? He stomps away while the fans boo, but Akira says this is their hero, huh? Akira drags Taiji up, fisherman and AOI SHODOU! Akira grins as he stands on Taiji, but then here comes Hiromu! The Timebomb dares Akira to come get some, but they each get mics first. “Oi, Akira! What do you want? You want a fight with me? Or with Ishimori? Who do you want?” Akira says BOTH! Well, how greedy. Then they’ll make Akira regret picking a fight with them.

The Unbound are still bound together, will Akira have to get himself a friend if he wants this to be a fair fight?

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: OSKAR & Yuto-Ice VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa!

While both sides were disappointed that this match couldn’t fit on the WrestleKingdom card, the Knock Out Brothers ended up extra disappointed in that they couldn’t take the NEVER Openweight Six Man titles! The Chin & The Mullet are already coming in with gold, will they be leaving here with even more gold? Or will Oskar & Yuto put them on ice?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see which team is truly mighty!

The teams sort out and Yuto gets right in Oiwa’s face. ZSJ and Oskar stare down, but Red Shoes has everyone settle down. In the end, it is Oiwa and Yuto to start. The fans rally as Yuto eggs Oiwa on, so Oiwa fires a forearm! Yuto fires back, Oiwa fires again, and the two go back and forth. The fans rally as the forearms go faster and faster! Yuto ROCKS Oiwa, eggs Oiwa on, but Oiwa wrangles him with a top wristlock! Yuto avoids the stomp, but Oiwa avoids the lariat. Oiwa arm-drags, then has the armlock! Yuto scrambles to the ROPEBREAK! Red Shoes counts, Oiwa lets go at 3, and the fans applaud. Oiwa then clamps right back on!

Oiwa and Yuto pull hair, they end up in the TMDK corner, and ZSJ tags in. ZSJ DROPKICKS Oskar down, then he and Oiwa mug Yuto. Yuto stumbles, Oiwa stomps him down, then he and ZSJ double whip. They DOUBLE ELBOW Yuto down, then they double armlock! Red Shoes reprimands but they shift to an arm and leg! Then double toehold! Then leg and arm! Then DOUBLE STRAIGHT ARMBARS! But Oskar stomps ZSJ & Oiwa! ZSJ kicks Oskar, Oiwa joins in, and they DOUBLE- NO, Oskar is too tall to suplex! Oskar tries, but they double wrench, wrench, and wrench! Then they wrangle him for DOUBLE ARM STOMPS!

The fans fire up while Oskar bails out. ZSJ scuffs Yuto, eggs him on, and Yuto rises up. ZSJ kicks Yuto but Yuto fires a forearm! ZSJ UPPERCUTS, Yuto fires a forearm, repeat! ZSJ UPPERCUTS again, but Yuto ROCKS ZSJ with a haymaker! ZSJ UPPERCUTS in return, then runs, but Oskar catches him to the NIGHTMARE SLEEPER! Feed to Yuto’s BOOT! Yuto then DECKS Oiwa for good measure! Yuto tags Oskar and they haul ZSJ up. Oskar kicks ZSJ low, then Oskar drags ZSJ up to CLUB him down. Oskar paces around ZSJ, drags him up, and CHOPS him down! Oskar has a cocky cover, ONE!

ZSJ UPPERCUTS, UPPERCUTS, and UPPERCUTS, but Oskar CHOPS him back down! Oskar kneels on ZSJ for a cocky cover, TWO! Oskar tags Yuto, they mug ZSJ more, then Yuto drags ZSJ around to KICK! And KICK! And KICK! Yuto KICKS away in the corner, but stops as Red Shoes reprimands. Yuto SOBATS, then he gets gangsta! “BOMBACLAT!” DOUBLE KNEES! Yuto drags ZSJ out, then he BLASTS Oiwa! Oiwa gets mad, he storms in, and he fires off on Yuto! The fans rally but Oskar attacks Oiwa! Oskar TOSSES Oiwa out, then drags ZSJ up. But ZSJ BOOTS Yuto away! And he PELES Oskar’s arm!

The fans fire up as ZSJ crawls, hot tag to Oiwa! Oiwa runs in, he RUNS Yuto over! Oskar guzels but Oiwa breaks free and rolls to get a leg! Oiwa puts that leg in ropes and STOMPS the leg down! The fans fire up while Oskar writhes. Yuto fires forearms, whips, but Oiwa reverses. Oiwa DROPKICKS Yuto down and the fans fire up! Oiwa drags Yuto up, reels him in, and he hits a BIG back suplex! Then a SENTON! Cover, TWO! Yuto toughs it out but the fans rally up for Oiwa. Oiwa kicks Yuto around, stands him up, and fires a forearm. Oiwa runs, but into a kitchen sink knee! Yuto calls to Oskar, then sends Oiwa into Oskar’s boot!

Oiwa falls, Yuto tags Oskar in, and Oskar hobbles his way in. Oskar drags Oiwa up, CHOPS him back down, and the fans rally up. Oskar stands Oiwa up, CHOPS him back down, then paces again. Oskar stands Oiwa back up, scoops, but Oiwa slips free! ARM- NO, Oskar stops the arm-drag and whips Oiwa, but Oiwa dropkicks the legs out! Both men are down and the fans rally back up! Oiwa tags ZSJ and ZSJ runs up to PENALTY KICK! But Oskar stands and scoops ZSJ to SLAM! The fans fire up again while Oskar seethes. Oskar kicks ZSJ around, drags him up, and CHOPS him! ZSJ staggers, Oskar storms up and CHOPS him down!

The fans rally while Oskar eggs ZSJ on. ZSJ rises up, but Oskar CHOPS! ZSJ blocks to UPPERCUT the arm! Oskar CHOPS him down again! The fans rally up and Oskar stomps away on ZSJ. Oskar stands ZSJ up to ROCK him, and ZSJ goes to a corner. Oskar CLUBS ZSJ, then spins him around to ROCK him with a forearm! ZSJ UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! ZSJ fires up, the fans are with him, but Oskar kicks low! Oskar whips, ZSJ goes up and comes back to GUILLOTINE FACELOCK! Oskar THROWS ZSJ away! And then LEG DROP FLOPS as ZSJ moves! PENALTY- NO! Oskar blocks it!

The fans fire up as Oskar stands, and ZSJ fires SLAP after SLAP! Oskar DECKS ZSJ with a forearm! Oskar stands ZSJ up to hit a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as ZSJ is still in this. Oskar waits on ZSJ to stand, then NIGHTMARE- NO, ZSJ drops to victory roll, TWO! ZSJ catches an arm but Oskar fights the takedown! Oskar scoops, BACKBREAKER! Yuto adds a KNEE! Cover, Oiwa breaks it! Yuto stomps Oiwa, then he and Oskar double whip. They DOUBLE BOOT Oiwa, then they go to ZSJ. Oskar drags ZSJ up and brings him around, DOUBLE POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO! ZSJ survives and the fans fire up!

Yuto brings ZSJ back up, feeds him to Oskar’s scoop, but Oiwa is back to SLEEPER Yuto! ZSJ has a SLEEPER on Oskar! The fans rally as both Knock Out Brothers endure, then ZSJ shifts to a COBRA TWIST! Oiwa has the ARCH CLUTCH on Yuto! Oskar fights but ZSJ shifts to have a MOUNTED ARMBAR! CLARKY CAT!! Oskar endures, kicks with his free leg, but he’s still so far away! Oskar kicks and kicks and finds the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer as TMDK lets the Knock Out Brothers go. Oiwa kicks Yuto out and ZSJ waits on Oskar. The fans rally and ZSJ fires up! ZSJ brings Oskar around, reels him in, but Oskar is too much to scoop!

Oskar fires body shots and he CLUBS ZSJ down. Oskar then winds up, runs, but ZSJ SLAPS him! And SLAPS him again! Oskar stumbles to a corner and ZSJ runs in, but into a BOOT! ZSJ tumbles, Oskar runs in, ELBOW in the corner! Then the GIANT LEG DROP, brother! Cover, TWO!! ZSJ survives and Oskar is frustrated but the fans fire up again! Oskar aims from a corner, runs in at ZSJ again, but ZSJ SCOOPS?! ZACK DRIVER!! The fans fire up but ZSJ can’t make the cover from how much that took! Oskar and ZSJ crawl for their corners while the fans rally again, hot tags to Oiwa and Yuto! The fans fire up again as these two fire forearm after forearm!

The shots go back and forth, faster and faster, and Oiwa ROCKS Yuto again and again! Wrench and YANK, then Oiwa runs, but Yuto ROCKS him! Yuto runs, but Oiwa slips around to TENZAN- NO, Yuto fights free with a knee! Yuto runs up, he BOOTS Oiwa down, and covers, ONE?!?! Oiwa snarls as he rises up, and he ROCKS Yuto! Clinch and TENZAN PLEX! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again as Yuto stays in this. Oiwa drags Yuto up again, whips him to a corner, and runs up to SPLASH! Oiwa whips, YANKS the arm, and wrenches, wrenches, and wrenches again! But Yuto DECKS Oiwa! The fans fire up while Yuto grits his teeth.

Yuto steps to Oiwa as Oiwa stands up, and Oiwa fires forearms! Yuto bobs ‘n’ weaves to fire shots, and he DECKS Oiwa again! The fans fire up as Ice eggs Oiwa on. Yuto scuffs Oiwa, then SLAPS him! Oiwa gets right up and the fans cheer! Yuto grins as they both step up again. Yuto fires palm strikes, but Oiwa LARIATS Yuto right down! The fans fire up as Oiwa rains down forearms! Red Shoes wants to check Yuto but Oiwa shoves him aside! Red Shoes shakes out his arm while Oiwa drags Yuto up. Oiwa SLAPS Yuto down, then sits him up to LARIAT again! Yuto sputters, but Oskar storms in! Oskar fires a forearm, but Oiwa fires palm strikes!

Oiwa reels Oskar in, and he suplexes Oskar?! The fans are thunderous as The Mullet shows his power! Oiwa roars, Yuto rises, and Oiwa runs in for a DROPKICK! GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Yuto survives and the fans fire up again as Oiwa rises. Oiwa shakes his head and he drags Yuto back up. Yuto fights the gut wrench, and he BITES Oiwa’s leg! The fans boo, Red Shoes reprimands, but Yuto stops at 4. Oiwa hobbles, but he still runs up, only for Yuto to ROCK him! Oiwa falls back, ZSJ tags in, and ZSJ hobbles a bit as he goes to Yuto. ZSJ kicks and scuffs Yuto, even eggs him on, and Yuto fires up!

Yuto SPITS at ZSJ, ZSJ SLAPS, Yuto SLAPS, it is a SLAP fight!! Yuto fires a dozen SLAPS and ZSJ falls! The fans are thunderous again as Yuto fires up! But ZSJ ducks the buzzsaw and Oiwa waistlocks! ENZIGIRI and CHAOS THEORY!! Then jackknife bridge! TWO!! Yuto survives and the fans fire up again! ZSJ tags Oiwa back in and Oiwa climbs. ZSJ brings Yuto over, scoop and SLAMS him into the drop zone, and NECK TWIST BODY PRESS COMBO!! Cover, TWO!! Yuto survives again and the fans continue to cheer! ZSJ sends Oskar into railing while Oiwa drags Yuto back up. Oiwa calls his shot, then runs, THE- NO, Oskar’s back and he scoops Oiwa!

But ZSJ’s back and he BOOTS Yuto! Oiwa fights free of Oskar for ZSJ to UPPERCUT! Oiwa ROCKS Oskar, then they LARIAT ENZIGIRI COMBO! Oiwa LARIATS Oskar up and out! The fans fire up again while Oskar staggers around! ZSJ aims from the apron, PENALTY KICK! Oskar falls, Oiwa goes to Yuto, and the fans are thunderous as he whips Yuto to ropes. Yuto ducks ‘n’ dodges, but DOUBLE FOREARMS hit! Yuto swings, but into a backslide! TWO!! Oiwa shoots in, but into a KNEE!! Yuto roars and he sits Oiwa up! ICE HIGH!! Cover, TWO?!? Oiwa survives, the fans are electric, but Yuto aims from a corner!

Oiwa sputters, the fans rally and duel, and Yuto runs back in! CRU- NO! Oiwa blocks the boot to jackknife bridge! TWO!!! Yuto barely gets that arm up in time, but Oiwa spins! AMBITION HITS FIRST!! The fans fire up again and Yuto takes aim again. BUZZSAW! Cover, but ZSJ has the ANKLE LOCK!! He drags Yuto away from Oiwa, then shots for Oiwa to get up! But Oskar clamps on the NIGHTMARE SLEEPER!! ZSJ is already turning purple! Yuto winds up, AMBITION for ZSJ!! Then Oskar hits the NECK HANGING BOMB!! The Knock Out Brothers fire up, and they stand Oiwa up! Feed to Oskar, but Oiwa ROCKS Oskar first!!

Oiwa then spins, ROLLING ELBOW on Yuto! Oskar runs up, Oiwa deflects the boot to GERMAN SUPLEX! The fans are thunderous as Oiwa then hauls Yuto up, THE- NO, Yuto blocks The Grip, but Oiwa hits the RIGHT HAND DISCUS LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!!! Yuto survives and the fans are erupting! And all this on the night after WrestleKingdom! Oiwa rises, powers up, and runs, but into a scoop!! Oskar almost loses his grip, but he hauls Oiwa up! K O B DRIVER!!! Cover, KOB WINS!!

Winners: Oskar & Yuto-Ice, by pinfall (still IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions)

Both teams gave it their all, but Oskar & Yuto had just that much more! TMDK have the World Tag League trophies, they have the NEVER Openweight Six Man titles, and they have the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles, but what will it take for them to truly be the top team in NJPW?

As for the champions, they’re already confronted by Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura. The fans are a bit torn seeing them here, perhaps because they’re stepping on the champs’ moment. Shota still grabs a mic first, and he tells Yuto & Oskar, “We will never give up! Fight us one more time!” More fans boo than cheer, and the champs aren’t taking this seriously, but then Yuya takes the mic. The fans would rather cheer Oiwa! TMDK takes their leave, promising they’ll come back for another shot some day. Yuto & Oskar agree, they’d rather have TMDK again than Shota & Yuya.

Yuya says they already know how tough the Knock Out Brothers are. So don’t try to run from their challenge! Yuya and Yuto get face to face, but Oskar is still very dismissive. Wait, now we’re joined by Taichi & Ishii! The fans cheer the Holy Emperor & Stone Pitbull as they step into the ring to also stake their claim! Taichi takes the mic, and he asks, “Can you hear that?” The fans cheer more, and Taichi tells these “young punks, and NJPW, too, you’ve forgotten about us, huh?!” The fans cheer because they haven’t forgotten! Taichi promises he and Ishii will show them what a REAL NJPW fight is all about!

Taichi says he and Ishii want their tag titles back. The fans cheer that! Taichi dares KOB and even Shota & Yuya to bring it! Yuto picks up the mic to say, “Well, some real tough guys showed up!” They all want their shot, huh? If both Hontai teams want it so bad, they gotta fight it out first! Then they’ll all get that pro-wrestling high! The fans cheer on “AISU! AISU!” Yuto says who better to close out the Ace Era than ICE! So for now, get to steppin’! The fans cheer on “K O B! K O B!” while Oskar and Ice stare down their challengers. No one moves, so Yuto asks if they even understand Japanese! GET LOST!

No one leaves, and Yuya gets in Yuto’s face! Ice tells the Heat Storm, “Back off, dumbass!” Taichi and Yuya were fine earlier, but now they’re each pushing each other aside to get at Yuto! Shota tries to back Yuya off but Yuya is still angry. Taichi takes the mic to say he and Ishii will handle Shota & Yuya first, so KOB better be ready. Taichi & Ishii leave, followed by Shota & Yuya. Who will come away from that rematch the NEW #1 contenders?

As for KOB, Yuto asks the fans what’s up. “Wasn’t this IWGP Tag title match raw as hell?” The fans cheer that! Yuto continues by saying KOB is lighting NJPW up! The fans cheer again, and Yuto says just kidding, he would never say stuff like that. Yuto just wants good fights, good money, and that pro-wrestling high. Like him or hate him, your opinions don’t matter, he fights for himself and for Oskar. KOB stays true to themselves! The fans cheer that, but Yuto says he’s not stupid, though. He knows all the fans love pro-wrestling, and maybe they’re a bit sad after Tanahashi truly retired.

Yuto knows he can’t be “the sun,” doing what Tanahashi did, like spreading love to the fans. “I can’t make people happy with my smile. I’m no hero, I’m not naturally cool, and I don’t speak well. But what if you’re like me, and can only reflect the light from others? You guys wanna see it all. The joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, raw emotion. You want that pro-wrestling high? Then just follow me.” The fans cheer that! Yuto knows this ring is full of guys who love pro-wrestling! The staff loves pro-wrestling and devotes their lives to it! “Backstage is full of awesome, badass guys. The only place you can get this pro-wrestling high is NJPW.” The fans cheer that!

“The longer you feel it, the more you realize the ultimate high that awaits. Sure, you can get it by yourself while watching this screen. But sharing that high with those around you who love pro-wrestling is what it’s all about. Enough beating around the bush. I’LL get you all that pro-wrestling high! Come back and feel it!” The fans cheer that! Yuto says if you’re out there, thinking life is dull like he used to think, you can get that legal high with NJPW! Tell your friends! Save ’em! Even if your daily life sucks, just come right back here! Let out your emotions! Get mad, cry, laugh, fantasize about past, present, future, about what happened and what should’ve happened.

Because in 2026, KOB will be the spark! Don’t think, just feel NJPW! LET’S GET HIGH! Tch tch, BIG UP! Mic drop from Yuto-Ice and the fans cheer! Will the Knock Out Brothers be just as unbound in the New Year as they were before? Will this be the moment we look back and say, “This is where it all began.”

My Thoughts:

A great New Year Dash, which NJPW has really managed to make not just an aftermath show but a pivot point for the coming year. While United Empire racked up wins tonight, the big thing is that Ospreay is planning on spending some time in NJPW once he’s healthy, and Callum is oddly upset by that. Callum wants to be the guy now, so naturally, Ospreay returning undercuts that. If Ospreay was healthy, Callum would’ve definitely hit him with that chair, but it was a nice detail that the others saw Callum thinking about it and stopped him. After Empire settles things with “Unbound Company,” maybe there’s an Empire Civil War where the members have to choose if they’re Team Ospreay or Team Callum.

Speaking of, quite the surprising move for the remnants of LIJ to join the dwindling Bullet Club to make a new faction, officially ending both LIJ and Bullet Club once and for all. “Unbound Company” isn’t the best name, even if you were to say “Unbound Co,” like an actual corporation. “The Unbound” would’ve been better, but whatever. With all the contract talk, hard to say if Finlay, Gabe and Connors even stay beyond the next thing, but perhaps all these new matches (Gabe VS Andrade, Finlay VS Callum, War Dragons VS Khan & Henare) are ways of convincing those three to stay with NJPW. Though at the same time, I feel like Andrade should win to then challenge Yota.

That 8 Man Tag was great, and makes it clear Jake Lee is getting his shot at the world title. Well, not even world title officially, Yota reset the name and design to before it was unified with the Intercontinental Championship, a really cool move. Yota truly is the top Reiwa Musketeer with this, because who else would get this honor? I wonder if Yota gets himself into a double header situation, where he has to defend the Global title to open a show and then the top title to close a show, or he does a double main event. Either way, fun stuff in store for NJPW, they could definitely use something of a pick-me-up, even without factoring in Tanahashi’s retirement.

Ren VS Wolf might not be that, unless Ren actually agrees to not use The House of Torture’s interference. Actual wrestling from Ren would be some fresh stuff, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Ichiban Sweet Boys taking the junior tag titles helps, though, as it strengthens TMDK and perhaps starts a new feud for House of Torture. Akira going after Taiji and Hiromu two nights in a row is intriguing. Maybe Templario returns to be a tag partner, or maybe a new signee, who knows. Hiromu VS Akira for the GHC Junior Heavyweight title makes the most sense, but again, we’ll have to wait and see.

We got an awesome main event from KOB VS TMDK. Perhaps half the reason it was moved to tonight and not wedged into the already stacked WrestleKingdom card was so we could get this level of a match. Great win for KOB, which honestly I should’ve expected when A) it wasn’t on WK20 and B) TMDK won the NEVER Six Man titles. Either way, the closing segment was okay with the challengers showing up. The fans here made it clear Shota isn’t accepted as the Face that NJPW wants him to be. I know I said something like this months ago but NJPW has it right with Yota, they’ve got it right with Heel Narita, but Shota is getting that Super Cena kind of backlash. Shota should’ve gotten edgier during his shaved head “Second Chapter” phase.

But thankfully, Taichi & Ishii are in the mix, the fans love those guys. I hope NJPW understands the reception from the fans and makes this a rematch of Taichi & Ishii VS Yuto & Oskar so that the fans will be happy no matter what. Yuto’s promo on his own was great stuff, which is ironic for him thinking he doesn’t speak that well. Yuto really could move up to be a big star, a true pillar of NJPW rather than the “Musketeers.” Or at least more than Shota since, again, fans like what NJPW is doing with everyone else other than Shota.

My Score: 8.9/10

Thank You, Ace!

Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Final Road has finally reached the Tokyo Dome! And his final WrestleKingdom sees one last match with The Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Kickoff Show – Shoma Kato & Tatsuya Matsumoto VS Katsuya Murashima & Masatora Yasuda; Katsuya & Masatora win.
• Kickoff Show – NJPW World Television Championship: El Phantasmo VS Chris Brookes; ELP wins and retains the title.
• NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Tornado Ranbo: TMDK wins and are the new NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions.
• IWGP Women’s & NJPW Strong Women’s Championships Winner Takes All: Syuri VS Saya Kamitani; Syuri wins and is the dual IWGP Women’s & NJPW Strong Women’s Champion.
• 10 Man Tag: David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, “Drilla” Dan Moloney, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi VS Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, HENARE, Andrade El Idolo & Jake Lee; Khan, Callum, Henare, Andrade & Jake win.
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: SHO VS El Desperado VS Kosei Fujita VS Taiji Ishimori; Desperado wins and will challenge DOUKI for the title.
• NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL VS Aaron Wolf; Wolf wins and becomes the new NEVER Openweight Champion.
• IWGP World Heavyweight & IWGP Global Heavyweight Championships Winner Takes All: Konosuke Takeshita VS Yota Tsuji; Yota wins and is the dual IWGP World & Global Heavyweight Champion.
• Final Road – Finish Line: Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Kazuchika Okada; Okada wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Kickoff Show – NJPW World Television Championship: El Phantasmo VS Chris Brookes!

The Headbanga put out the challenge to the whole wrestling world, and he got an answer rather quickly from the Sultan of Schadenfreude! If Brookes enjoys the misery of others so much, will he have the happiest New Year already? Or will The ELP Show continue into a 2026 season?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who gets more than just 15 minutes of fame!

The bell rings and we’re on the clock as the two circle. The fans rally, the two tie up, and ELP slips around, only for Brookes to wrench. ELP rolls, trips Brookes, turns him over, and has the BOW ‘N’ ARROW! Brookes pops free to a cover, TWO! A close call already but the two reset. They tie up, ELP waistlocks again, then half nelsons to spin Brookes to a cravat. Brookes wrenches out, ELP wrenches back, and ELP has the wristlock. Brookes wrenches, bridges, handsprings, and WRINGS ELP out, but ELP UP KICKS him away! ELP kips up and the fans cheer the standoff. ELP and Brookes reset again as the fans rally.

ELP offers a handshake, Brookes takes it, but Brookes kicks low! Brookes headlocks, ELP powers up and out, but Brookes RUNS him over! Brookes mocks the “E L P!” chant, then runs. ELP drops down, hurdles, but Brookes stays back! Brookes CHOPS ELP, then whips, but ELP ducks ‘n’ dodges to roll off Brookes’ back and RANA! The fans fire up while Brookes tumbles out. ELP builds speed but he fakes Brookes out to backflip! The fans cheer, Brookes BOOTS Jado in frustration! The fans boo and ELP rushes out there, but Team Schadenfreude stands in his way! Then Brookes SHOTGUNS ELP down!

The fans boo more but Brookes drags ELP up and around. Brookes drapes ELP out for a MAGIC SCREW to the floor! The fans are torn, but Brookes puts ELP in the ring. What is Team Schadenfreude up to now? Bunbun distracts the ref so the others can feed Brookes the endless ribbon, which he uses to smother and choke ELP! Wait, that’s no ribbon! That’s a slingshot! They stretch it out, all the way up to the ramp! And it’s a long ramp! INCOMING! SMACK!! The fans are torn again but Brookes covers ELP, TWO! ELP survives that unique attack, but Brookes CHOPS him down! ELP gets up and he CHOPS in return!

ELP CHOPS again, the fans “WOO~,” and ELP CHOPS again! Brookes blocks a kick to KICK the leg out, then BASEMENT SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO! ELP is still in this but Brookes clamps on with a chinlock. The fans rally while ELP endures. ELP rises, fires body shots, and he RAMS Brookes into a corner. Brookes dodges a chop to CHOP, then he goes up the corner. Brookes winds up, FLYING SENTON! Cover, TWO! Another unique attack from Brookes but ELP still survives. We hit five minutes so Brookes hurries to CHOP ELP. ELP fires a forearm, Brookes CHOPS again, and repeat! ELP fires SLAP after SLAP, but Brookes SOBATS!

Brookes whips corner to corner, ELP goes up and over, then handsprings away. ELP ducks ‘n’ dodges to springboard CROSSBODY! And then LIONSAULT! Cover, TWO! The fans rally while both men are down, and ELP kips up! ELP scoops Brookes, SLAMS him, then hurries to go up the ropes! Springboard AX HANDLE! And ELP air guitars! The fans rally up as ELP tunes up the band, but slingshot man Baliyan Akki is on the apron! ELP SUPERKICKS him down, then Jado handles the rest of them! Jado says to settle this, but Brookes dodges Sudden Death! IRON OCTOPUS! ELP endures, fights free, and straitjackets!

The fans fire up for the torture rack, and SPINNING NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Brookes survives being an “Unidentified Flying Opponent,” but ELP goes up top! Brookes hurries to SMACK him first! Brookes climbs, ELP SHOVES him away, but Brookes goes back up! SUPER BUTTERFLY PLEX! The fans fire up again, and Brookes runs corner to corner to SHOTGUN! High stack cover, TWO! ELP survives and the fans fire up again! Jado coaches ELP but Brookes goes up the corner first. But ELP kips up and GAMANGIRIS! ELP climbs up to SUPER STEINER! Then ELP goes back up, for the THUNDERKISS 86, but onto knees!

Brookes drags ELP into a cradle, TWO!! ELP escapes with nanoseconds to spare! The fans rally and Brookes vows to end this! Brookes drags ELP up, underhooks, and MANTIS- NO, ELP flips free! Brookes SMACKS ELP, ELP BOOTS Brookes, but Brookes KNEES and ENZIGIRIS! ELP rebounds, SUDDEN DEATH! Brookes stays up, ELP runs, but into a LARIAT from Brookes! Cover, TWO!! ELP survives and the fans fire up again! Brookes hurries to underhooks, lift, and PRAYING MANTIS BOMB!! Cover, TWO?!!? ELP survives and the fans are thunderous! Brookes is the most shocked, and we pass ten minutes!

The fans rally harder as Brookes drags ELP up. Brookes reels ELP in, but ELP is a ragdoll! The ref checks ELP but Brookes hauls him back up. Brookes underhooks, lifts, and- NO, ELP flips up and over! Backslide, TWO! ELP reels Brookes in now, tucks the arms, but Brookes BACKDROPS for a bridging cover! TWO as ELP bridges up! ELP spins Brookes around, has the arms tucked in, C R 2!! Cover, TWO?!?! Brookes survives and now ELP is shocked! The fans rally up, ELP aims from the apron, and THUNDERKISS ATTACK! Then a somersault back to the apron, for a proper “E L P!” THUNDERKISS 86!! Cover, ELP WINS!

Winner: El Phantasmo, by pinfall (still NJPW World Television Champion)

The Calamari King gave ELP quite the fight to not only kickoff the new year but to kickoff WrestleKingdom! But in the end, The ELP Show continues on! They both shake hands and bow in respect, but will we see Brookes and Schadenfreude International in NJPW again some day? Will The Headbanga keep his reign going all through 2026?

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Tornado Ranbo!

Yoh wanted to defend these titles in a big way for WrestleKingdom 20, and he’s got his wish! Now he, Toru Yano & Master Wato must somehow make it through SEVEN trios in order to keep the titles! Will Direct Drive, Producer, and Way to the Grandmaster prove they’re the best trio in NJPW? Or are we guaranteed to have new champions in the New Year?

The first trio sent out, accompanied by hit J-Pop group, The Rampage, are Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura & Kaisei Takechi! Next out is the House of Torture’s Sanada, Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru! Sanada wears a wild LED robot armor that literally announces, “SANADA HAS ARRIVED!” The trios sort out, but then the House just attacks! Typical move from them as Kanemaru beats down Yuya, Sanada beats down Shota, and Ren keeps after Takechi! The bell rings to get this on record, and the House mugs Takechi! The fans boo, but they double whip Takechi to ropes. Takechi BOOTS Ren, then Shota & Yuya CLOBBER Sanada & Kanemaru!

The fans cheer as now Takechi brings Ren up, but Ren kicks low! Ren then CLAWS Shota’s eyes and Yuya’s eyes! Ren runs, but into a TRIPLE DROPKICK! The fans fire up for the heroes as they double whip Ren corner to corner. But the first countdown is here, and we’re throwing a third team into this already! Shota ELBOWS Ren, Takechi ELBOWS Ren, and Yuya SPLASHES Ren, right as Bullet Club’s Clark Connors, Oskar & Yuto-Ice are sent out! Shota kicks Ren out, and 100 Proof brings THEKLA with him! The Toxic Spider is here to support her dawgs for real as they swagger their way down the ramp.

Ren slides back into the ring but Shota stomps him back down. Then the Knock Out Brothers storm in and they QUADRUPLE LARIAT everyone down! The fans fire up as Yuto KICKS away on Yuya, then Oskar digs his boot into Shota! Yuto SOBATS Yuya, then gets gangsta with it. “BOMBACLAT” and DOUBLE KNEES! Shota fires back on Oskar, but Oskar scoops to SLAM! The fans fire up while Shota tumbles out of the ring. Thekla taunts the House of Torture boys, and then Connors runs in with WHEEL-SAN! Connors runs over everybody and the fans fire up! But the countdown is back already, and here comes team four!

The fans fire up as TMDK is here! The Knock Out Brothers will be facing them tomorrow at New Year’s Dash with the IWGP Tag Team Championships on the line, but Zack Sabre Jr, Hartley Jackson and a newly bleach-blonde Ryohei Oiwa want to fight now! The War Dogs stand at the ready, and the brawl is on! Yuto and Oiwa fire forearms, Oskar ROCKS ZSJ, and Connors runs at Hartley. Connors’s shoulder tackle bounces off Hartley, and Hartley TOSSES Connors! Connors holds onto ropes to stay safe on the apron, ZSJ UPPERCUTS Oskar and Oiwa wrenches Yuto. Connors CLOBBERS Hartley with Wheel-san! Oiwa DROPKICKS Oskar outta the ring!

Then TMDK wrench and wrench and wrench Yuto, wrangle him, and STOMP the arms! The fans fire up, but Connors SPEARS ZSJ! Oiwa DROPKICKS Connors! Yuto and Oiwa fire forearms, and the countdown is back already! The fifth team is… Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi! The fans cheer as the living legends are on their way! Yuto ROCKS Oiwa, Oiwa comes back, and the brawl continues! Oskar clamps on the NIGHTMARE SLEEPER, then feeds Oiwa to Yuto’s AMBITION! They get Oiwa up, scoop and- NO, Oiwa slips free to shove Oskar into Yuto! Oiwa dodges Oskar, LARIATS Yuto, but Yuto is stuck on the ropes!

Oskar BOOTS Oiwa, brings him around, but Oiwa TOSSES and ELIMINATES Oskar, and thereby the War Dogs! The fans fire up as that’s the first of the match! ZSJ goes after Yuto, Tiger, Taguchi & Togi get in there, and they whip Oiwa to ropes. They CLOBBER Oiwa, then Taguchi gives ZSJ a stink face! Tiger Mask stomps Oiwa, he and Togi double whip Oiwa to a corner, then Tiger KICKS! The countdown ins back while Taguchi HIP ATTACKS Oiwa! The sixth team is… Bishamon & BARS! The fans rally while Taguchi covers Oiwa, TWO! Ren CLAWS Yuya’s eyes, whips Takechi, but Takechi reverses, sending Ren crashing up and over railing!

Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi & Boltin Oleg make their way out while Takechi fires forearms on Ren right in front of the crowd! Taguchi KNEES Oiwa, fires forearms, and Togi CHOPS Oiwa against ropes! Tiger CLUBS ZSJ’s arm, then stomps him in the corner. The House of Torture brawls with Takechi, Shota & Yuya on the outside, Hartley and Togi brawl inside, and now Bishamon jumps in! They go after TMDK, Oleg ROCKS Tiger Mask, but Taguchi HIP ATTACKS Goto! And HIP ATTACKS Hashi! And HIP- ATOMIC DROP from Oleg! Togi CLUBS Oleg, puts him in a corner and LARIATS! Tiger KICKS and KICKS and SOBATS Hashi!

Togi climbs up to rain down fists on Oleg! Tiger runs, but into a FIERCE FLASH! Oleg slips free and YANKS Togi down! The countdown returns, and the seventh team out is… Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi & Satoshi Kojima! Bishamon double whips Togi but he DOUBLE LARIATS in return while Stone Pitbull, Holy Emperor & King of Bread Style make their entrance. Oleg CLUBS Togi, then they DOUBLE LARIAT! Neither man falls, so Tiger KICKS, KICKS, and SOBATS Oleg! But Oleg gets under the buzzsaw to fireman’s carry! Oleg SMACKS Togi using Tiger Mask, then KAMIKAZE! Cover, Oleg ELIMINATES Tiger Mask and his team!

Ishii, Taichi & Kojima are finally ringside, with sumo wrestling stars ringside to show their respect for Taichi. The fans fire up as Hontai meets Hontai, and we get TRIPLE SHOULDER TACKLES! Oleg & Bishamon are the ones standing! Oleg fireman’s carries Ishii, but Ishii slips free! Oleg fires elbows to get free, and he CHOPS! Oleg suplexes Ishii! Ishii fights free, and Ishii suplexes?! He manages to send Oleg up and over! The fans are thunderous, but Yuya runs in and ELBOWS Ishii! Feed to Takechi for a forearm! They double whip, Ishii stops himself, and Taichi SOBATS Yuya! Taichi BOOTS Takechi! And the final countdown is here!

Naturally, the last team is the team everyone wants after: the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions, Yoh, Yano & Wato! Shota runs in but Taichi kicks and CLUBS him! Kojima joins in, and they mug the Roughneck! But Shota avoids the lariat sandwich to shove Taichi into Kojima! TORNADO DDT on Taichi, but Kojima ROCKS Shota! Kojima runs, but into a DROPKICK! Ishii runs in but Shota dodges him, and ROCKS Ishii! Ishii roars, ROCKS Shota, but Shota roars! They fire forearms again and again as the champs make their way down the ramp. Ishii LARIATS Shota! Wait, is Yoh cosplaying as a younger Yano?!

Takechi DROPKICKS Kojima out of the ring, Taichi AX BOMBERS Takechi! Yuya ROCKS Taichi, but Taichi BOOTS Yuya! Yuya DOUBLE CHOPS, Taichi ROLLING RIDGE HAND CHOPS! Taichi runs, but into a DROPKICK! Yuya hurries to get Taichi up, wrench and cording hold! The House of Torture intercepts the champions at the ramp and they brawl on the outside! Taichi fights the Deadbolt, and he has the waistband! The fans fire up as Taichi tries his sumo throw! Yuya tries Deadbolt, but Taichi SUMO THROWS Yuya! The fans cheer again, and Taichi runs up, but into a RAN- NO! Taichi stops the rana!

Taichi powers up, he lifts Yuya, and he goes for ropes! Yuya fights that, to RANA Taichi up and over, DOUBLE ELIMINATION! That takes both trios out! Kanemaru & Sanada mug Yoh in the ring, they double whip him to ropes, but Yoh ducks and DOUBLE HAIR THROWS a la Yano! The fans fire up, but Ren kicks Yoh! Ren whips, Yoh reverses and HAIR THROWS! Then the fans join in with “Y! O! H!” Kanemaru runs, but into an atomic drop! Yoh vows to end this, and he gets under for ONI- NO, Sanada CLUBS Yoh! Sanada ROCKS Yoh, but Yoh FALLING LOW BLOWS! The fans cheer as Sanada’s own trick comes back to bite him!

Yoh gets another “Y! O! H!” but Kanemaru grabs him! Yoh smothers Kanemaru, but REN WHISKEY MISTS?! Then Kanemaru WHISKEY MISTS! DOUBLE MIST!! Ren TOSSES Yoh, but Yoh holds on! Sanada runs up, he BOOTS Yoh, but Yano & Wato are there to catch him! The fans cheer as the champs are safe! Then they drag Kanemaru & Ren out! Wato gets in, Sanada kicks him and sets him up on the ropes, but Yoh shoves the ref away! LOW BLOW on Sanada again! Then Yoh TOSSES Sanada up and out! Sanada holds onto ropes, but Wato SUPERKICKS Sanada! Kanemaru & Ren catch Sanada! So Yoh runs up, but Sanada DUMPS Yoh!

The fans freak out as Yoh holds on, but Kanemaru & Ren YANK Yoh down to ELIMINATES him!! We’re now guaranteed NEW champions! But then Yano YANKS Sanada down, and ELIMINATES The House of Torture!! TMDK, and Bishamon & BARS are the remaining trios! Speaking of, Oleg and Hartley get back in the ring to RAM shoulders! And RAM shoulders again! And again! The fans rally as now Hartley and Oleg CHOP back and forth! Oleg DOUBLE CHOPS, then runs, but Hartley CROSSBODIES! ZSJ & Oiwa get Oleg with the NECK TWIST SPLASH COMBO! Hartley SENTONS! Cover, TWO!! Oleg survives and the fans fire up again!

TMDK hauls Oleg up to double whip! Oleg ELBOWS Oiwa away, Bishamon DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE Hartley, then they send Oiwa and ZSJ into each other! Oleg CLOBBERS ZSJ & Oiwa! They whip ZSJ into a corner, Goto LARIATS, Oleg SPLASHES, and Hashi CHOPS! Then a feed to the FIERCE FLASH! Hashi calls it, and they get ZSJ up! Oleg is on defense, but Oleg catches him into a SLEEPER! SHOTO for ZSJ!! Cover, Hartley BREAKS it! The fans fire up as the teams brawl again! Hashi SUPERKICKS Hartley, then they hit GOTO GO TO HUNTER! They kick Oiwa, double whip, but Oiwa breaks the double lariat to DOUBLE LARIAT back!

The fans fire up, but now Oleg clinches Oiwa! BELLY2BELLY! The fans fire up again, Oleg runs at ZSJ and SPLASHES! Then he fireman’s carries ZSJ, but ZSJ slips free! ZSJ trips Oleg, turns him over, JAPANESE LEG ROLL CLUTCH!! TMDK WINS!!

Winners: TMDK, by pinfall (NEW NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions)

It was a wild ride, but in the end, The Mighty Don’t Kneel! Hartley finally gets a championship here in NJPW, and now “The Chin & The Mullet” will be bringing these belts with them to New Year’s Dash. Will 2026 truly be a mighty year?

IWGP Women’s & NJPW Strong Women’s Championships Winner Takes All: Syuri VS Saya Kamitani!

Two rising stars who have been making history all over the wrestling world now collide to make even more history together! Will the Karate Girl add another belt to the collection? Or will the Golden Phoenix truly be golden?

The introductions are made, both titles are raised, and we now crown the Queen of NJPW!

The bell rings and the fans rally up as the two stare down. They circle, feel things out, and tie up. Syuri waistlocks but Saya pries free to switch. Syuri switches to snapmare and chinlock, but Saya slips around to hammerlock. Syuri rolls to wrench and wristlock back, but Saya fires a body shot. Saya wrenches, Syuri rolls and wrenches back, then Syuri hammerlocks to headlock. Saya fires more body shots, then powers up and out. Saya hurdles, but Syuri shoves her and blows past, only for Saya to go Matrix! Saya rolls Syuri, Syuri rolls through, but Saya ducks the buzzsaw! Saya smiles while the fans cheer the standoff.

Saya and Syuri reset, and Saya eggs Syuri on. Syuri shoves Saya, then she dodges the lariat to DROPKICK Saya to a corner. Syuri runs in, KNEES low, and reels Saya in for a HALF HATCH! Cover, TWO! Syuri stays on Saya with an ARMBAR! Saya clasps her hands, fights around, and kicks her way to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while Syuri lets go. Syuri brings Saya up, reels her in again, and snapmares for a KICK to the back! Saya writhes and the fans rally while Syuri waits. Saya sits up, and Syuri KICKS her again! Saya yelps in pain, but Syuri runs to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Saya stays in this.

Syuri stomps Saya, runs the ropes, but Saya uses the ref as a shield! Then Saya runs to DROPKICK Syuri! The fans are torn but Saya runs again, but Syuri SOBATS! Syuri runs, but Saya’s teammates distract the ref and trip Syuri up! The fans rally up while Syuri tumbles out of the ring. Saya takes aim for the springboard SUPER CROSSBODY! Down goes everyone and the fans fire up again! Saya stands tall as the fans cheer, and she puts Syuri back in the ring. Saya then storms over to stand Syuri up, only for Syuri to ROCK her! Saya comes back to ROCK Syuri! The fans rally as Syuri nods, and she ROCKS Saya! Syuri eggs Saya on, so Saya ROCKS Syuri!

The forearms go back and forth, faster and faster! The fans fire up as neither woman stops! Saya fires a flurry, and goes an extra round, to then DECK Syuri! The fans fire up, Saya runs, but Syuri follows! LARIAT at the ropes! Syuri runs, but Saya ROCKS her at the ropes! Saya runs, WHEEL KICK! The fans fire up again, Saya storms back up to Syuri, but they DOUBLE FOREARM! Both women stagger but stay standing. They run back in and DOUBLE FOREARM again! Saya runs up, but Syuri dodges to V-TRIGGER! The fans fire up and Syuri feeds off the energy! Syuri goes up the corner, but Saya rises!

Saya ROCKS Syuri with a forearm, then climbs up the corner. The fans rally as Saya goes to the very top, for a SUPER DUPER STEINER! Then she drags Syuri up to FISHERMAN NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! Syuri survives but Saya sits her up! KAMI- NO, Syuri stops the knee, spins Saya, but Saya DRAGON WHIPS her down! Saya goes up the corner now, but Syuri rises! Syuri ROCKS Saya, goes up to the very top, and she hooks an arm?! SUPER DUPER WRISTLOCK TAKEDOWN!! Then KIMURA!! Saya endures, flails, but Syuri switches it up to a SILVER CLUTCH! Saya endures, kicks around again, but then Syuri legscissors the arm!

The fans rally and Saya’s teammates coach her, but she’s stuck at the middle as Syuri makes this a DISARMER! Saya still kicks, still fights, still reaches out, but Syuri DROPS back with the arm! Saya flails and finds the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer as Syuri lets Saya go, and Syuri drags Saya up to for a DRAPING DDT! Cover, TWO! Saya survives and the fans applaud, but Syuri stands Saya up. Syuri scoops but Saya slips free! Saya HEEL KICKS Syuri down! Saya vows to end this now, and she drags Syuri up. The fans rally as Saya reels Syuri in, hooks the leg, but Syuri slips free! GERMAN SUPELX! But Saya lands out!?

Saya dodges Syuri, rolls her, then lifts, BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO!! The fans fire up again and Saya drags Syuri back up. Saya hooks the leg, STAR CRUSHER!! Cover, TWO?!? Syuri survives the modified Fisherman Buster and the fans are thunderous! Saya rises again, vowing to finally put this away! She reels Syuri back in, adds an extra spin, but Syuri slips free of Star Crusher to wrangle the arm! DISARMER!!! Saya endures, rolls, slips free, but the PENALTY KICK hits! Cover, TWO!! Saya survives and the fans fire up as Syuri roars! Syuri scoops Saya for the RYUEN! Cover, TWO!! Saya survives and the fans fire up again!

Syuri drags Saya up, and Electric Chair Lifts! But Saya POISON-RANAS out of it! Cover, TWO!! Saya goes to a corner, runs back in, JUMP KICK! Then she runs, but Syuri ROUNDHOUSES! Syuri roars, runs, but Saya RANAS! Cover, TWO!!! Syuri escapes with nanoseconds to spare! Then she waistlocks to GERMAN SUPLEX! Saya staggers back to her feet, but another ROUNDHOUSE finds her! And the BUZZSAW!! Cover, TWO!??! Saya survives and the fans fire back up! Syuri sits Saya up, aims, and BUZZSAWS!! Saya tumbles, Syuri drags her back up, and hoists her into the Electric Chair Lift! Saya fights, but Syuri still pops her into a fireman’s carry! SYU-SEKAI!! Cover, SYURI WINS!

Winner: Syuri, by pinfall (DUAL IWGP Women’s & NJPW Strong Women’s Champion)

It is truly Syuri’s World now! God’s Eye is truly on her as she has both belts. Saya grabs at Syuri’s hair to tell her this is far from over. But for now, Syuri stands tall as THE woman in NJPW! But will she only continue her conquest as 2026 rolls on?

10 Man Tag: David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, “Drilla” Dan Moloney, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi VS Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, HENARE, Andrade El Idolo & ???

If we’re being honest, both factions in this fight have been losing numbers left and right. But Bullet Club made an alliance with the Unaffiliated, and perhaps they are the stronger for it. Can they come out of this as the top dogs in NJPW? Or will they be conquered by the United Empire and their new allies?

Speaking of that, “The Benefactor” was one surprise, but what is the final surprise? It’s… JAKE LEE?! Wasn’t he supposed to be a War Dog?! Well, he got injured pretty early into his contract, so now he’s changed his allegiance! Will this betrayal lead to victory? Or can The Savage King and his soldiers still win the war?

The teams sort out, but then they just brawl! Finlay goes after Callum, Gabe brawls with Andrade, Takagi brawls with Henare, Khan is after Drilla, leaving Hiromu to go after Jake! The fans fire up but the ref reprimands. Things start spilling out of the ring, leaving Gabe and Andrade to fire hands at the bell! They CHOP and CHOP while Finlay now has Jake and fires off furious fists! Andrade CHOPS Gabe, whips him to ropes, but Gabe KICKS Andrade! Gabe whips Andrade, Andrade goes Spider-Man and tranquilo. Gabe runs up but Andrade DUMPS him out! Andrade BOOTS Gabe away, then triangle jump TORNILLOS!

The fans fire up while Gabe falls! Andrade puts Gabe in, goes up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! The fans rally while Andrade eggs Gabe on. Andrade suplexes, Gabe slips free, and Gabe ROCKS Andrade! Gabe LARIATS Andrade up and out! Gabe fires up, and he goes up, out, and up the corner?! ASAI MOONSAULT from Gabe! The fans fire up with Gabe, and he hurries to put Andrade in the ring. Gabe powers up the arm, but Andrade waistlocks. Gabe ELBOWS free, runs, but into a BOOT! Andrade CHOPS Gabe, then runs, but into a RIGHT HAND! Gabe roars, then runs, COMEBACK- NO, Andrade blocks!

Gabe blocks a lariat but not the SHADOW ELBOW! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Andrade and Gabe crawl, hot tags to Takagi and Henare! The fans fire up as they DOUBLE LARIAT! Takagi runs to RAM Henare, Henare rebounds to RAM Takagi, repeat! Then Takagi HEADBUTTS! Henare fires fast hands, but Takagi DOUBLE CHOPS! Takagi whips Henare to a corner, runs in, but blocks a boot to LARIAT! Takagi runs, but Henare follows to LARIAT! Henare runs, but Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! YUKON feint and DDT! The fans fire up again and Takagi drags Henare up. Henare swings, but into a spin and suplex! Cover, TWO!

The fans rally and Takagi gets them fired up. “TOKI-” NO, Khan CLOBBERS Takagi! The fans boo but Khan rains down fists while the rest of the team goes after Finlay and the rest. Khan then lifts Takagi, ASSISTED POWERBOMB with Henare! Cover, TWO! Takagi toughs it out and the fans rally up. Henare stalks Takagi, then clamps on the half nelson! Full nelson! Takagi fights the Ultima Nelson! The fans rally with “OI! OI! OI!” Henare ducks an elbow to HEADBUTT Takagi! Then SHINING WIZARD in the corner! And RUGBY KICK! But Takagi’s right up to PUMPING BOMBER! Both men are down and the fans fire up again!

Takagi hot tags Drilla, and Drilla waistlocks Henare. Henare fires elbows, then runs, but Drilla hurdles, drops down, and DROPKICKS! The fans fire up with Drilla and he WRECKS Henare with a dropkick! Gabe BLASTS Callum down, Drilla puts Henare back in, and the fans fire up with Takagi. Takagi scoops and SLAMS Henare, then goes up, YUKON ELBOW! Drilla goes up, MACHO ELBOW! Cover, TWO! Henare stays in this, but the War Dragons say, “TOKI GA KITA!” The fans join in with “OI! OI! OI!” as they RAM LARIAT COMBO! But Henare fights off CHOPS and forearms! ELBOW! JAB! Henare roars, but Drilla UPPERCUTS and Takagi LARIATS!

Drilla gets moving, GORE! Cover, TWO!! Henare survives but the fans rally up again. The War Dragons drag Henare back up, double pump handle, but Henare fights free! Henare sends Takagi into Drilla, but Takagi ELBOWS Henare! And JABS! Henare stays put! Takagi breaks free to HEADBUTT! Henare HEADBUTTS back! Drilla ENZIGIRIS! Then he runs, but into a BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Both men are down and the fans rally up again. Hot tags to Callum and Finlay! They fire off forearms and the fans fire up! Finlay gets the edge, then whips, but Callum ducks ‘n’ dodges and speeds up to BOOT Finlay down!

The fans fire up, but Finlay’s right back up! IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Finlay rains down fists, the ref reprimands, but Finlay stops at the count of 4. Finlay then crossface forearms Callum again and again, then reels Callum in. Canadian Rack, CANADIAN- NO, Callum slips free to BODY BLOW! Finlay sputters, staggers, but he runs back up. Callum ENZIGIRIS, SUPERKICKS, but Finlay ROLLING ELBOWS! Both men stagger, Finlay runs, but Callum DROPKICKS Finlay down! The fans fire up while both men sputter at the ropes. Tag to Jake Lee! Jake stands Finlay up, whips, and ELBOWS Finlay down!

Jake stomps away on Finlay, then whips him to a corner hard! Jake scoops Finlay on the rebound, then SLAMS him down! Cover, ONE, and Finlay flips Jake off. Jake just powers up the hand, guzels Finlay, but Finlay kicks free! Jake comes back to guzel again, CHOKE- STUNNER! Finlay turns things around, and he hurries to hot tag Hiromu! The fans fire up, and Hiromu whips Finlay into Jake! Jake falls, and Hiromu does it again! Finlay reverses, Hiromu SPLASHES in the corner! Then Finlay whips Hiromu, Hiromu reverses, Finlay CANNONBALLS Jake! The fans fire up the dysfunctional dynamic, but Finlay kicks Hiromu!

Finlay lifts Hiromu, CANADIAN HAMMER SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Hirom fires up to fireman’s carry, but Jake’s too tall! Jake CLAWS Hiromu’s face, suplexes, but Hiromu slips free! SUPERKICK! Hiromu runs, but into a kitchen sink knee! Jake runs corner to corner, but Hiromu ducks the boot! Gabe runs in and LARIATS Jake! Jake sits down, Gabe SPITS on him, and Gabe blocks Andrade’s kick to UPPERCUT! Gabe runs, but Callum jumps in! DOUBLE BOOTS for Gabe! Drilla jump sin, he ELBOWS Andrade and BOOTS Callum! SPINEBUSTER for Andrade! Callum ROUNDHOUSES Drilla! Callum springboards, but Drilla catches him to a DRILLA-

NO, Callum lands out! Drilla avoids the kick, but not the BOOT! Drilla SPITS at Callum, Callum BOOTS again! Callum runs, but into a DROPKICK! Callum yoyos and HEEL KICKS! Handspring and- DRILLA KILLA!!! A scary landing for Callum but Khan runs up! Drilla LARIATS, but Khan doesn’t budge! IRON CLAW and FALL AWAY SLAM! Takagi is in, but Khan IRON CLAWS for ELIMI- NO, Takagi breaks free! Khan IRON CLAWS and HEADBUTTS, then runs, into a LARIAT! Takagi runs, Khan ducks the lariat, and he BOOTS Takagi! Takagi rebounds to PUMPING BOMBER! But Henare BODY BLOWS! And HEEL KICKS!

Henare then reels Takagi in, btu Takagi whips free! Takagi LARIATS Henare and himself out of the ring! Finlay brings Hiromu around, lifts him up, and he POWERBOMBS Hiromu out onto everyone! The fans are thunderous for the Savage King as he shakes the ropes! Hiromu gets up and he SLAPS Finlay on the corner! Hiromu then climbs up to bring Finlay around, and he SUPER DUPER PLEXES Finlay onto everyone!! The fans are thunderous as the Ticking Timebomb runs around the ring! But then Jake BOOTS him down! Jake puts Hiromu in the ring, in a corner, and he locks on target! FACEBREAKER SHOT!! Cover, The Empire wins!

Winners: Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, Henare, Andrade El Idolo & Jake Lee, by pinfall

Jake brushes himself off, he is a true gentlemanly killer. And he was also the ace in the hole for The United Empire against the War Dogs. But wait, who is this in the mask? They SUPERKICK Hiromu, and it’s another surprise for the Empire! Francesco Akira is back! The Fire Crown essentially stakes his claim to Hiromu’s GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, will the Empire truly conquer the world?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: SHO VS El Desperado VS Kosei Fujita VS Taiji Ishimori!

Anyone else getting deja vu? Pretty sure we’ve already seen the Murder Machine gatekeeping who can challenge Japones Del Mal for THE title in the Junior Heavyweight Division. Be that as it may, will Sho continue to deny others their fair shot at Douki’s gold? Or will someone overcome the odds that are stacked against them?

Speak of the devil, Douki is here himself! And he gets the mic to say, “Sorry to keep you waiting for Sho, but it is time for the start of the Douki Games! Drink it all in!” The fans boo, but Fujita makes his entrance first, followed by Taiji, then Desperado, and lastly, Sho. Kanemaru is also out here, perhaps as both security for Douki and an insurance policy for Sho. The ref wants Kanemaru to go away, Douki is cornerman enough for Sho, but then Taiji ARIHARA MOONSAULTS onto Kanemaru & Sho! The fans fire up as the Bone Soldier takes them both down! Taiji puts Sho in and the bell rings to get this on record!

Taiji & Fujita whip Sho to a corner, and Taiji runs in for DOUBLE KNEES! Despy runs in and LARIATS! Fujita runs in and CHOPS! Fujita & Despy send Sho to Taiji for a JUMP KNEE! But the teamwork stops as Despy stops Taiji from hitting Bloody Cross, and gives him a LOCO MONO! The fans fire, but Fujita stops Despy from hitting Pinche Loco to UPPERCUT him down! Then Fujita torture racks Sho, but Taiji pokes Fujita in the eye! But then Despy, Taiji and Fujita all realize they should stick to the plan and focus on Sho. They kick Sho around as he tries to scurry away, and he begs for mercy. He then says look! They all look, and Sho runs away!

Without Sho literally in the middle, Despy, Taiji, and Fujita start trading shots with each other! Despy ROCKS Fujita, ROCKS Taiji, but Fujita KICKS and ELBOWS and CHOPS in return! Fujita runs, but into DOUBLE ELBOWS! Taiji & Despy double whip Fujita to ropes, but Fujita stops himself. Fujita BOOTS Despy, DUMPS Taiji, then GAMANGIRIS Taiji and dodges Despy! Fujita RANAS Despy outta the ring, then goes to the corner. Sho runs in, but Fujita ROCKS him first! Sho staggers, Fujita springboards, but Sho dodges! Sho runs up, Fujita slips around, but Sho fights the German Suplex. Fujita ducks an elbow to CHOP!

Sho JUMP KNEES, Fujita HEEL KICKS! Fujita runs, but Sho uses the ref as a shield! But Fujita is ready and drop toeholds Sho into the surfboard! NEMOS SPECIAL!! Despy slips back in, as does Taiji! They keep Sho from tapping or verbally quitting, and the fans cheer as poor Sho suffers! Douki is upset, but then Taiji & Despy STOMP Fujita to set Sho free. Sho sputters and flops out of the ring, then Despy hits Fujita with a BIG back suplex! Feed to Taiji and he scoops to BACKBREAKER! Fujita scrambles out and the veteran rivals now stand alone. The fans cheer, and then Despy CHOPS! Taiji CHOPS! Despy CHOPS! Repeat!

The fans rally, they both throw forearms now, and they go back and forth! Taiji gets the edge, but Despy fires up! But then Taiji CLAWS Despy’s eyes! Taiji runs, but into an ELBOW! Despy runs, but into a BOOT! Taiji whips, Despy reverses, but Taiji handsprings to RED DOT KICK! The fans fire up again as Taiji hammerlocks and scoops Despy. Despy slips free, then wrenches Taiji to gut wrench and GUITARRA DEL ANGEL! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again and Despy underhooks. PINCHE- NO, Taiji slips free to LA MYSTICA! Then STANDING MOONSAULT KNEE-DROP! The fans fire up as Taiji aims from a corner!

Despy sits up, Taiji says BANG and he reels him in, BLOODY CROSS! But Fujita and Sho are back! Sho scoops Fujita to SLAM him onto the ref!! The fans laugh then boo, then Douki & Kanemaru jump in! The fans boo as the House mugs Taiji! Douki brings the Death Pipe into the ring and CLOBBERS Taiji! The fans boo but now Sho has his Torture Tool! Sho winds up, but ROBBIE EAGLES is here! SPRINGBOARD MISSILE DROPKICK for Sho! And Robbie X is here, too! He dodges to handspring and DOUBLE LETHAL INJECTION! The fans fire up as Robbie & Robbie have evened things up!

Wait, now Kuukai is here! He builds speed and Robbie gives him a boost to DOUBLE DROPKICK Douki & Kanemaru! Eagles builds speed and he DIVES! Cannonball tope takes out Douki & Kanemaru, but Eagles resets them for Kuukai’s TORNILLO TOPE! The fans fire up again and now Robbie X aims! He springboards to MOONSAULT them all down! The fans fire up things are even again, and Fujita goes up! But Sho SMACKS him with the “Black Mirror!” SMACK for Eagles, too!! The fans boo but Sho puts the ref back in. Sho tells the ref to do his job! Sho reels Fujita in, tucks the arms, SHOCK ARROW!! Cover, DESPY DECKS SHO!!

The fans are thunderous as the Rogue Luchador saves the day! JAY DRILLER!! Then PINCHE LOCO!! Cover, DESPY WINS!!

Winner: El Desperado, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship)

Douki is panicking because now he has to face the music! Will Douki survive much longer as champion with the Rogue Luchador chasing him down? Or will the House stack the deck higher than they ever have before?

The tron has a message.

Jun Kasai says that now, the Death Pain Invitacional is now the DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL! April 16th, 2026, who’s ready to roll the dice and gamble with their own bodies?

NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL VS Aaron Wolf!

Now this is historic! The King of Darkness isn’t just defending this title against someone in their first NJPW match, but against someone in their first pro-wrestling match period! The Olympic gold medal judoka makes the jump to the squared circle, but will he get more gold right from the jump? Or will Darkness Fall on Wolf’s debut?

For the challenger’s entrance, taiko drummer Keiji Suzuki performs, heralding in the Golden Beast, Aaron Wolf! He cut his hair short, trimmed his beard short, and wears the Young Lion gear! He is already preparing to be at the bottom, even though he goes for the top! Meanwhile, KENJI03 rocks out live on guitar for Evil as he has Dick Togo, Sanada, Don Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita follow him to the ring. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if Everything Is Evil!

Evil kicks Wolf before the bell! The fans boo but Wolf fires back! They brawl, the bell rings, and the fans rally behind Wolf as the shots keep going! Wolf fires a flurry, but Evil CLAWS Wolf’s eyes! The ref counts, Evil headlocks, but Wolf fires body shots. Wolf powers up and out, they RAM shoulders, and neither man falls! Wolf runs to RAM Evil, then runs again, but Evil kicks low! Evil runs, but Wolf RUNS him over! The fans fire up with Wolf and he whips corner to corner. Wolf runs in and LARIATS Evil! Wolf reels Evil in for a suplex! The fans fire up as Wolf runs to ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Evil bails out and the ref keeps Wolf back!

Evil is frustrated already, but Wolf eggs him on. The ref has Wolf stay back while Evil catches his breath. Evil goes looking under the ring and he brings out a chair. Wolf rushes out after Evil but Evil slides into the ring. Evil then BLASTS Wolf off the apron! Evil argues with the ref, but just so the House can attack! The fans boo, Yoh & Wato are ringside and protest on Wolf’s behalf, but Evil goes out to drag Wolf up and around the way. Evil has Wolf at the ramp, CLAWS his eyes, then grabs a chair! Evil puts the chair around Wolf’s neck! Evil winds up, HOMERUN! The fans boo as Evil says it went yard. Evil laughs and leaves Wolf behind for the ring count.

The fans rally for Wolf while he writhes, this is certainly a crash course in pro-wrestling. Evil “puts one out” while the count climbs, and Wolf stirs at 6 of 20. Wolf checks his neck, rises up at 10, and the fans rally even harder. Evil pretends he’s running the bases, but Wolf is in at 15! The fans cheer, but Evil is right on Wolf. Evil whips Wolf into bare buckles! The fans boo as the House of Torture Special snuck in there! Evil drags Wolf up and taunts him about being in over his head. Evil whips Wolf back in, and Wolf hits bare buckles again! Cover, TWO! Another cover, TWO! A third cover, TWO!! Evil tries a double knuckle lock cover! TWO!! Evil hooks the leg, TWO!!

The fans fire up as Wolf shows his grit and Evil is shocked! Evil taunts Yoh & Wato, then scuffs Wolf. Evil talks more trash, tells the ref to just call it, but Wolf is stirring. The fans rally up for Wolf, Evil tells them to shut up, but the ref does check. Wolf sits up, Evil is on him, but Wolf CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Evil CLAWS Wolf’s eyes again! But Wolf bends the fingers, and then reels Evil in for IPPON! Dick gets on the apron, Wolf SLINGSHOTS him into the ring! But Yujiro sneaks in! Wolf kicks him first, IPPON! Ren tries, kick and IPPON! Sanada tries, kick and IPPON! The fans fire up with Wolf, but Evil uses POCKET SAND!!

The fans boo as Evil kicks low and hooks a leg! FISHERMAN BUSTER! Evil then gets the legs, steps through, and turns Wolf over! SCORPION DEATHLOCK!! Evil sits deep on Wolf, but Wolf just powers up! The fans fire up with Wolf as he pushes up off the mat! But Evil drags him from the ropes! Evil puts on the pressure, but Wolf fights up again! He fights his way forward, to the ROPEBREAK! The fans are thunderous, but Evil is frustrated as he lets go. Evil “apologizes” to the ref and comes back to taunt Wolf. The fans rally as hard as they can, and Evil drags Wolf up. Evil runs, LARIATS, but Wolf stays up!?

The fans fire up while Evil is stunned! Evil LAREIATS again, but Wolf is still up! Wolf fires a flurry of forearms! Evil ROCKS and ROLLING ELBOWS, then LARIATS! Wolf falls but Evil has him rise again. Evil runs, but into a HIGH SNAP POWERSLAM!! Cover, TWO!! The fans are thunderous again and Wolf rises back up. Wolf drags Evil up and reels him in, OLYMPIC SLAM!! Cover, TWO!! Evil survives but the fans still rally for Wolf. Wolf roars, drags Evil up, and scoops again, for a SLAM! Wolf shouts, “IKU ZO!” The fans are with Wolf as he goes up, for a DIVING BODY PRESS!! Cover, YUJIRO YANKS THE REF OUT!

The fans boo as Tokyo Pimp screws Wolf! Dick uses the SPOILER CHOKER, and he sets Wolf up for Ren’s PUSHUP- NO! Wolf blocks the bar! So Ren LOW BLOWS instead! The fans boo, but Yoh & Wato DOUBLE SUPERKICK Ren! Sanada and Yujiro go after them, then feed Wato to Fale’s SHOULDER TACKLE! They feed Yoh to a SHOULDER TACKLE! They mug Yano, and feed him to Fale’s SHOULDER TACKLE! Then Dick gets a TABLE in the ring! The fans boo as Fale CHUCKS it at Wolf! The table is then set up in a drop zone, and Fale goes up the corner?! Evil & Dick put Wolf on the table, Fale DIVING BODY PRESSES through the table!!

The fans boo as hard as they can but The House clears out the wreckage to hide the evidence! They get the ref back in the ring, but the fans rally for Wolf as hard as they can. Evil laughs as he runs, LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!?!? The fans fire up again while Evil is shocked! Evil slashes his throat and vows to finish this now! Evil drags Wolf up, and he wants the cameras to see this! EVERY- IPPON!! ARMBAR!! Evil hurries to stack Wolf and scrape his face, but Wolf just THROWS Evil down! INVERTED TRIANGLE!! Evil is caught! The fans go nuts while Hontai keeps the House out of the ring! EVIL IS OUT!! WOLF WINS!!!

Winner: Aaron Wolf, by submission (NEW NEVER Openweight Champion)

Tokyo Dome erupts! As much as they wanted Wolf to win, they can’t believe he DID win! Evil is half-conscious now, but will he ever live this down? As for Wolf, he’s already captured a title and he only just got here! Is his future in pro-wrestling just that bright?

IWGP World Heavyweight & IWGP Global Heavyweight Championships Winner Takes All: Konosuke Takeshita VS Yota Tsuji!

The Alpha won G1 Climax 35, then won the title at King of Pro-Wrestling, while the Gene Blaster took his title from Gabe Kidd in an epic tiebreaker. Both men want to define Strong Style in this new age, but only one man can have both belts! Will Konosuke Takeshita prove he is THE Alpha of Wrestling? Or will Yota make NJPW truly tranquilo?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and as 2026 begins, there can only be one at the top of the mountain!

It’s of note that Konosuke wears a red ribbon armband a la Shinsuke Nakamura in his younger days. Is this a declaration that the Alpha wants to be the new King of Strong Style? The bell rings and the fans fire up as the two step up. Both men point out their part of the crowd cheering them on, and the dueling only gets louder. The two circle, tie up, and Konosuke waistlocks, only for Yota to wrench and wristlock. Konosuke spins, slips through, and wrenches to wristlock. Yota rolls, wrenches, hammerlocks, then headlocks. Konosuke wrenches, headlocks, but Yota powers him to ropes. Konosuke turns things around, and the ref calls the break.

Yota dares Konosuke to hit him, but Konosuke steps back. The fans applaud as the two reset. They circle again, tie up collar ‘n’ elbow, and Yota goes for an arm. Yota then slips around to waistlock but Konosuke fights the full nelson. Yota powers up but Konosuke drop toeholds. Konosuke keeps on the leg, then floats to a chinlock stretch. Yota fights to his feet, puts Konosuke on the ropes, and the ref calls the break. Yota lets go slowly, then pats Konosuke on the shoulder, before he SLAPS him! The fans fire up while Konosuke scowls. Konosuke swings, but into a BODY BLOW! Yota fires more shots, then whips, but Konosuke reverses, only for Yota to RANA!

The fans fire up as Konosuke tumbles out of the ring! Yota builds speed, but he stops as Konosuke goes around the way. The fans boo but Yota now waits on Konosuke. Konosuke steps up to the apron, then steps inside, and the fans duel as the two reset again. They tie up, Konosuke headlocks, but Yota fires body shots. Yota powers up and out, but Konosuke RAMS him! The two stay up, so Yota runs to RAM Konosuke! Konosuke rebounds to RAM Yota, and Yota rebounds into a BOOT! Konosuke whips, Yota reverses, but Konosuke ducks ‘n’ dodges to TAKESHITA LINE! The fans rally up while Konosuke catches his breath.

Konosuke drags Yota around to clamp on a chinlock. Yota endures, but Konosuke grabs an arm to have a COBRA CLUTCH! Yota endures and reaches out for the ROPEBREAK! The fans applaud, and Konosuke lets go to stand Yota up. Yota fires more body shots, but Konosuke CHOPS in return! A blunt shot as Yota clutches his chest, but Konosuke stands him up to CHOP him down! Konosuke then drags Yota up, whips him to ropes, but Yota reverses to kitchen sink knee! The fans cheer while Konosuke is down and Yota goes to a corner. The fans continue to duel, and Yota runs in for a STINGER SPLASH!

Yota runs to RUN Konosuke over, then he runs to SPLASH DOWN! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again as Konosuke stays in this. Yota paces before he brings Konosuke up. Yota reels Konosuke in, but Konosuke fights the suplex! Konosuke shoves Yota, but Yota avoids the elbow to half nelson and GUT BUSTER! Konosuke coughs, takes a swing, but Yota catches him to a spin. But Konosuke suplexes first! BRAINBUSTER! Yota scrambles to a corner, clutching a shoulder. The ref checks Yota, then keeps Konosuke back. Yota goes to the apron while he shakes out that bad arm, but Konosuke pushes past the ref!

Konosuke hauls Yota right up and APRON DDTS! The fans are torn as Yota falls to the floor, but Konosuke just smirks as he brings Yota back up. Konosuke whips Yota into railing! Then he runs up and BOOTS Yota over the railing! Konosuke leaves Yota behind for the ring count to handle. Yota already sits up as he clutches his shoulder, and the fans rally up as he slowly stands up. We’re already at 10 of 20 but Yota hobbles his way over, and he rolls in at 13. Konosuke storms up but Yota fires body shot after body shot! The ALPHA ELBOW knocks Yota down! Then Konosuke NECK TWISTS Yota a la Steven Segal!

Yota writhes and Konosuke goes up the corner, SUPER SENTON! Cover, TWO! Yota survives and the fans cheer, but Konosuke clamps on with a chinlock. Konosuke grinds Yota down, twists him around, and shifts into a chinlock stretch! Yota still endures while the fans rally up, but Konosuke pulls him back! Yota still fights, but Konosuke adds a COBRA CLUTCH to it! Yota reaches with his foot, ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while Konosuke lets go in frustration. The dueling continues, but it sounds more in favor of Yota than Konosuke. Konosuke stands Yota up to whip him to the corner. Konosuke runs in, but Yota ducks the knee!

Konosuke tumbles up and out, and Yota fires up as he takes aim! Yota builds speed, but Konosuke slides in! RANA! Yota tumbles out, and now Konosuke builds speed! Konosuke FLIES, and direct hit on Yota! The fans fire up while both men are down by the ramp. The ring count returns, but Konosuke already stands at 5 of 20. Konosuke goes up the ramp to walk it off, but he puts Yota in at 15 of 20. The fans applaud as this continues, and Konosuke aims from a corner. Konosuke runs corner to corner, forearm SMASH! Snapmare, then Konosuke runs back in, only for Yota to dodge the knee! BACKBREAKER, FLATLINER, CURB STOMP!

The fans fire up as the Gene Combination hits! Konosuke rises again but Yota runs, only for Konosuke to BOOT! Konosuke whips, scoops, but Yota uses that to arm-drag! Konosuke tumbles out of the ring and the fans fire up again! Yota builds speed and FOSBURY FLOPS! The fans fire up for the direct hit on Konosuke! Yota hurries to get Konosuke up and into the ring, and the fans fire up again as he shouts. Yota goes up the corner for a DIVING DOUBLE STOMP! Cover, TWO!! Konosuke survives that coup de grace and the fans fire up again. Konosuke clutches his chest and ribs while Yota rises again.

The fans rally and duel even harder, and Yota feels that energy. Yota goes back to Konosuke, stands him up, and goes up the corner, MARLOWE- NO, Konosuke dodges! Then DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Neither man falls, so DOUBLE LARIATS collide again! DOUBLE LARIATS again, and Yota falls to his knees! Konosuke runs, but Yota dodges to GENE TRIGGER! WAGAMAMA KNEE on return!! Konosuke hurries to scoop and tuck for the BAS- NO, Yota fights and flips things around! Yota tucks Konosuke in, BASTARD DRIVER!! And then WHEELBARROW GERMAN! Yota uses Konosuke’s combo, but Konosuke uses GENE BLASTER?!?

Both men are down and can’t make the cover! The fans are thunderous as Yota rolls away and Konosuke pursues! Yota makes it to the ropes for safety and the fans rally even harder. Konosuke rises up, and he eggs Yota on. Yota slowly stands, gets in Konosuke’s face, but Konosuke ROCKS him! Yota BODY BLOWS! Konosuke ROCKS Yota again! Yota shakes that off to BODY BLOW again! Konosuke walks that off, comes back, and ROCKS Yota! Yota BODY BLOWS, Konosuke ROCKS, repeat! The fans rally as the shots keep going back and forth! Both men lean on the other, then Konosuke fires boxing elbows!

Konosuke winds up, ROLLING- BODY BLOW from Yota! Konosuke falls to the mat! The fans fire up again while Yota eggs Konosuke on. Konosuke stands, winds up, but Yota BODY BLOWS! Konosuke still fires a shot! Yota BODY BLOWS, Konosuke URAKENS, but Yota SUPERKICKS! Yota roars, but then his arm holds him back! ALPHA ELBOW!! And then a lift, but Yota slips free of the bomb to CANADIAN DESTROYER!! Both men are down again and the fans rally as hard as they can! Yota backs off to a corner while Konosuke sputters. GENE- NO, Konosuke dodges to then GERMAN SUPLEX! But Yota’s right up?! GENE BLASTER into the corner!

Both men fall again and the fans are thunderous! The ref checks, Yota and Konosuke are both able to continue, and they slowly rise again. Yota nods as he stands, and he roars to power up! The fans cheer as he aims from the corner, GENE- WAGAMAMA KNEE!! Konosuke hurries to lift Yota back up, BLUE THUNDER BOMB! But that’s not enough, as Konosuke reels Yota in! RAGING- NO, Yota fights and fights, but Konosuke powers through! RAGING FIRE!! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Yota survives by a literal foot and Konosuke is shocked! The fans rally up again as Konosuke rises to his feet. Konosuke scowls as he looms over Yota.

Konosuke brings Yota up, but Yota’s a ragdoll. The ref checks on Yota but Konosuke stands him up. Yota pushes Konosuke away, so Konosuke eggs Yota on. The fans duel as Yota shakes out the bad arm, and he winds up to CHOP! Konosuke brushes it off, then takes off his armband. Konosuke ALPHA ELBOWS again! Yota drops right to his knees and the fans fire up again! Yota sits up, gritting his teeth, and Konosuke runs in! WAGA- NO! Yota stops the knee! And he gets under Konosuke to POWERBOMB! Then he flips Konosuke over, to OVER-BOMB! The fans fire up again as Yota hoists Konosuke up top!

Yota climbs up behind Konosuke, dragon sleepers, but Konosuke fights! Yota rains down HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS in return! The fans fire up, the ref reprimands, but Yota still drags Konosuke up! INVERTED SUPERPLEX!! Cover, TWO?!? Konosuke survives and the fans fire up again while Yota reloads in the corner. Yota runs in, GENE- NO, Konosuke sidesteps again! But Yota switches the waistlock! Konosuke switches, goes up, POISON-RANA! Konosuke roars, the fans fire up, but Yota’s right on Konosuke! GENE TRIGGER in the corner! The fans continue to duel, and Yota sees Konosuke sit up!

Yota goes up, MARLOWE- NO! Konosuke shoves Yota onto the post! Konosuke climbs up to the very top, and he brings Yota up for a SUPER DUPER BLUE THUNDER BOMB!!! Cover, TWO?!?!? The fans are electric as Yota survives! Konosuke vows to end this! WAGAMAMA KNEE!!! Cover, TWO?!?!?!? Takeshita can’t believe it but Yota survives! The fans are electric again, but Konosuke trusts in his Strong Style, and he brings down his kneepad. Konosuke aims from the corner as Yota sits up, BARE BONE WAGAMAMA- HEADBUTT!! Yota hits first, and then he manages to smile?! Yota roars as he eggs Konosuke on!

Both men rise up forehead to forehead, and then Konosuke dares Yota to hit him again! Yota backs away to a corner, and the two prepare like cowboys at a shootout! They power up, run in, and GENE BLASTER hits first!!! The fans are electric as Yota then flips Konosuke over, BOSTON CRAB!! Yota wants to use the classic Young Lion hold to finish this, but Konosuke powers up! Yota powers Konosuke down! Konosuke bites his own thumb to ignore that pain, and he powers up again!! The fans are electric as Konosuke claws his way over, but Yota just puts on MORE pressure!! KONOSUKE TAPS?!?! YOTA WINS!!!

Winner: Yota Tsuji, by submission (DUAL IWGP World & Global Heavyweight Champion)

The Alpha is furious, but perhaps more with himself than with his opponent! These two fought an instant classic, and it all came down to one of the simplest yet most iconic and effective moves in wrestling! Konosuke will now return to AEW emptyhanded, how will he ever face the Don Callis Family? As for Yota, he is the first man to hold both of these belts, as handed to him by the President of Sansei, the sponsor of WK20. Yota gets a mic to tell Takeshita to hold on a moment. “Oi, Takeshita! I know for a fact that deep within, your spirit has not died. And I know, Takeshita, that I’ve found a wrestle that I can’t possibly bear losing to.”

Yota continues by saying he came up in this NJPW ring, he grew up in this NJPW ring, and they all supported him being in this NJPW ring. It is because of all the fans here tonight, all the staff, and everyone around the world that Yota is here as both Global AND World Heavyweight Champion! Do not forget, this cerulean blue ring is one he is proud to say is- JAKE LEE ATTACKS!? The fans boo as the Gentleman Killer is NOT a gentleman anymore! He puts Yota in the corner for a FACEBREAKER SHOT!! The fans boo but Jake picks up the world title. Jake sets that across Yota’s chest, his target very clear. Will Yota’s run as double champion be over before it even begins?

Final Road – Finish Line: Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Kazuchika Okada!

Not only is this a milestone WrestleKingdom, if it is to be remembered for the next 20 years, it will be remembered for this moment right here. After 26 years in the business, The Ace is moving on from his in-ring career to fully focus on being President of NJPW. And in the most suitable fashion, he is facing perhaps his greatest rival for what will truly be the final time. Will it be one more Rainmaker Shock in the end? Or can Tanahashi retire on top?

The big fight introductions are made, the moment is surreal, and yet it is very real as we all say our final goodbye to The Ace!

Tanahashi takes off the jacket, and for the last time ever, the fans cheer those abs. The bell rings, and the fans are thunderous already as they cheer on Tanahashi with all they have one last time. Tanahashi and Okada circle, feel things out, and they tie up. Tanahashi waistlocks, Okada wrenches, but Tanahashi wrenches back. Okada rolls, wrenches, but again Tanahashi wrenches back. Okada rolls again, trips Tanahashi, and he has the toehold, but Tanahashi uses his free leg to hook Okada. Okada fights the armbar, rolls around, and tries to stack, but Tanahashi keeps his shoulders up. Okada slips through to headlock, but Tanahashi wrenches free to facelock.

Both men stand, and Tanahashi hits a double wristlock takedown. Okada keeps his shoulders up, but Tanahashi puts on the pressure. Okada reaches up to headscissor, Tanahashi kips free, and the fans cheer the standoff. The Tokyo Dome continues to rally strongly behind Tanahashi, and the two tie up again. They’re in a deadlock, but Okada’s height gives him leverage. Okada has Tanahashi on the ropes, he feints the chop and pats Tanahashi on the shoulder. But then he kicks low! The fans boo but Okada pulls hair to have the headlock. Red Shoes reprimands but Okada mocks the chant, “Go Ace!” Okada grinds the hold, but Tanahashi fights up.

Tanahashi fires body shots, powers up and out, but Okada RUNS him over! Okada does a half Rainmaker pose and the fans boo. Okada brings Tanahashi back up, fires forearms, then CLUBS Tanahashi on the neck. Okada bumps Tanahashi off buckles, whips corner to corner, then runs in, but Tanahashi ELBOWS him away! Tanahashi goes up to CROSSBODY! The fans fire up, but Tanahashi skips the air guitar to ELBOW DROP! And SOMERSAULT SENTON! Cover, TWO! Now Tanahashi air guitars and the fans cheer. Tanahashi brings Okada up to scoop and SLAM him into the drop zone! The fans cheer as Tanahashi hops up and strikes the pose.

But Okada is up and BODY BLOWS! Then he DROPKICKS Tanahashi off the top! Tanahashi tumbles to apron then floor! The fans boo, then they rally up as Okada goes out to fetch Tanahashi. Okada whips Tanahashi into railing! Then he BOOTS Tanahashi over the railing! Okada taunts the fans, the fans boo in return, and Okada just grins. Okada drags Tanahashi back up, drags him along the railing, and DRAPING DDTS on the floor! Red Shoes reprimands and the fans boo, but Okada “apologizes” as he leaves Tanahashi behind. Okada paces while the fans rally up for Tanahashi. Okada mocks them a bit, then drags Tanahashi up.

Okada RAMS Tanahashi into railing, the fans boo, but Okada shrugs. Red Shoes starts the ring count, but Okada puts Tanahashi in the ring at 4 of 20. Okada then brings Tanahashi up and around, ROCKS him with a forearm, then bumps him off buckles. Okada winds up to ELBOW Tanahashi, and ELBOW him again! And ELBOW him again! Tanahashi slumps down but the fans rally up more. Okada brings Tanahashi around, Tanahashi fires his strike fest, then fires more forearms. Okada kicks low and DDTS! The fans are all stunned with how hard Tanahashi is spiked! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up but Okada frowns.

Okada looms over Tanahashi, then clamps on a chinlock. Tanahashi endures but the fans rally with “GO ACE! GO ACE!” The entire Tokyo Dome is behind Tanahashi as he rises up and fires body shots. Okada CLUBS Tanahashi, then stalks him to ropes. Okada whips corner to corner, runs in, but Tanahashi dodges! Tanahashi fires fast hands, then whips, but Okada reverses. Tanahashi FLYING FOREARMS! The fans fire up with Tanahashi as he rises back up! Tanahashi fires more strikes, then he scoops Okada for a SLAM! Tanahashi goes back up the corner and tries this again. Pose and SUNSET SENTON! Cover, TWO!

The fans rally and Tanahashi powers up. Okada stands, Tanahashi runs, but Okada TOSSES Tanahashi out! But Tanahashi skins the cat! The fans fire up and Tanahashi blocks a kick to DRAGON SCREW! The fans fire up again while Okada goes to a corner. Tanahashi runs in, but he blocks a boot! DRAGON SCREW again! The fans continue to rally as Tanahashi grabs the legs! Tanahashi ties the legs up, but Okada fights the turnover! Okada CLAWS Tanahashi’s face! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands but Okada goes to a corner. Okada and Tanahashi run in, and Tanahashi DROPKICKS the legs out!

Okada tumbles out of the ring, but Tanahashi goes to the apron. The fans fire up as Tanahashi climbs! One last time, Aces are high, SUPER HIGH FLY ATTACK!! The fans are thunderous for the direct hit and both men are down! Tanahashi rises up first and he crawls to the ring. The ring count starts, and Tanahashi rolls in at 6 of 20. Okada is still down past 8 of 20, but he rises at 10. Okada stands on the apron at 14, steps in at 15, but Tanahashi gets the leg! DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Okada flops back into the ring while the fans rally again. Tanahashi powers up again, runs the ropes, and- FLAPJACK from Okada!

Both men are down again while Gedo applauds from ringside. The fans rally as Okada and Tanahashi slowly rise up. Tanahashi runs in at the corner, but Okada pops him up for the Alabama Lift! REVERSE NECKBREAKER! Okada then drags Tanahashi up, scoops and SLAMS him, then goes to the corner. Standard formula has Okada hit the MACHO ELBOW! And then Okada winds up the Rainmaker… MIDDLE FINGER! The fans boo as this is not the Okada they want! Okada grins as he drags Tanahashi up, waistlocks, but Tanahashi fights the ripcord! Then Tanahashi slips around, and TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT!

Tanahashi stands Okada up, TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT again! And then a third TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! The fans fire up, Tanahashi runs, but Okada scoops to TOMBSTONE!! No hesitation nor mercy from Okada on that one, but the fans rally as hard as they can for Tanahashi. Tanahashi sits up in a daze and Okada aims from a corner. Tanahashi stands, but into a SHOTGUN! Tanahashi is sent into buckles, then he tumbles back out of the ring! Okada goes out to fetch Tanahashi again, and he brings Tanahashi to the ramp! They go up the ramp, Okada UPPERCUTS, then he gut wrenches, TOMBSTONE on the ramp!

The fans boo even more and Red Shoes reprimands, but Okada just smirks as he leaves Tanahashi behind. Tanahashi sputters while the fans rally up again. Okada just waits as Red Shoes starts the ring count. Tanahashi slowly sits up but it’s proving difficult. Tanahashi rolls his way down the ramp, but we’re already at 10 of 20! Tanahashi is still so far away as we hit 13! 14! 15! Tanahashi crawls, the fans rally even harder, and we hit 17! 18! Tanahashi springs to life at 19, and he’s in at 19.5! The fans cheer, but Okada’s right on Tanahashi for another scoop and SPINNING TOMBSTONE! Cover, but Okada lets Tanahashi up at two?!

The fans boo but Okada pretends to not know why. Okada ripcords and DISCUS RAINMAKERS! Cover, but Okada lets Tanahashi up again?! The fans boo Okada toying with Tanahashi, but he grins as he drags Tanahashi back up. Okada ripcords Tanahashi for the- DRAGON PLAM! Okada frowns as Tanahashi fires PALM STRIKE after PALM STRIKE! Okada short arm LARIATS Tanahashi down! We pass 20 minutes as Okada winds up again, short arm LARIAT! Okada isn’t done, he drags Tanahashi back up, ripcords, and RAIN- NO, Tanahashi ducks to ripcord and RAINMAKER?!? Both men are down but the fans are thunderous!

Tanahashi rises, he runs, but Okada ducks the slingblade to ripcord! But Tanahashi ducks the Rainmaker, but ducks a lariat! Okada ripcords again, RAINMAKER!! Cover, TWO!?!? Tanahashi survives and Okada seethes but the fans are electric again! Okada has Tanahashi’s legs and turns him over! BOSTON CRAB!! Okada wants to do to Tanahashi what Yota did to Konosuke! The fans rally while Tanahashi endures, but Okada puts on the pressure! Tanahashi still fights, but Okada puts even more pressure on! The fans rally as hard as they ever have, and Tanahashi pushes up again! Tanahashi refuses to give in, and he makes his way over to the ROPEBREAK!!

The fans cheer while Okada lets go in frustration. Okada scuffs Tanahashi, taunts him, but the fans boo. Red Shoes reprimands, but Okada drags Tanahashi up. Okada whips Tanahashi to ropes, and he DROPKICKS! The fans boo but Okada ripcords again! RAIN- NO, Tanahashi ducks it! But Okada BOOTS Tanahashi! Okada runs, but into a SLINGBLADE! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Okada sits up first, Tanahashi follows, and the fans rally as Tanahashi clamps on with a SLEEPER! Okada endures while the fans chant “GO ACE! GO ACE!” Tanahashi squeezes tight but Okada still rises up!

Okada is turning red, maybe even purple, and he’s fading! Tanahashi sits Okada down, then runs to PENALTY KICK! Shoutout to Shibata! Then Tanahashi shouts out Nakamura! The fans fire up as the spirit of the Three Musketeers is in the Tokyo Dome! “YAO~!” KINSHASA!! Then Tanahashi goes up top, HIGH FLY FLOW!!! Cover, TWO!?!? Okada survives, we hit 25 minutes, and the fans are electric! Both Okada and Tanahashi sit up slowly, perhaps running on fumes, but Tanahashi full nelsons! Okada fights the Dragon Suplex, breaks the nelson, and fires elbows. Okada then scoops again, but Tanahashi slips free!

Okada ducks a lariat, ripcords, but Tanahashi SLINGBLADES! Tanahashi hauls Okada back up, full nelsons, and DRAGON SUPLEXES! Bridging cover, TWO!! Okada escapes with nanoseconds to spare, but Tanahashi goes to a corner! The fans are thunderous again as Tanahashi climbs! HIGH FLY FLOW onto Okada’s back! Then Tanahashi flips Okada over, goes back up top, and HIGH FLY FLOWS, but onto KNEES!! Okada writhes from the double-edged nature of that save, but the fans rally up again! Tanahashi and Okada stir, then slowly rise again. They go forehead to forehead, then forearm for forearm!

The fans rally with every shot as these two go back and forth! They lean on each other as they stand, and the fans also give everything they’ve got left as the shots keep going! Tanahashi eggs Okada on, Okada fires forearm after forearm, but Tanahashi DRAGON PALMS! Okada UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! Tanahashi fires a flurry of forearms! But Okada gets under to waistlock. Tanahashi fights free, DRAGON PALMS, then runs! But into the DROPKICK! Okada drags Tanahashi up, scoops again, but Tanahashi fights it! The fans rally as Tanahashi continues to block the gut wrench!

Okada powers up but Tanahashi tries to gut wrench now! We’ve hit 30 minutes, halfway on this time limit, and Tanahashi gut wrenches?! But Okada fights it to a REVERSE DDT! Maybe even a Destino! Okada then scoops, EMERALD FLOWSION! But Okada won’t stop there, he brings Tanahashi back up to ripcord and RAINMAKER!! Red Shoes can’t look, but Okada still covers. Red Shoes counts it, TWO?!?!?! Tanahashi survives and no one can believe it!! Okada says fine, if that’s how Tanahashi wants it. He encourages the fans to cheer Tanahashi on even more, then he dares Tanahashi to get back up.

Tanahashi stirs, reaches out for Okada, and the fans are as loud as they’ve ever been! Okada nods as Tanahashi sits up. Tanahashi stands, but Okada scoops to SLAM! Then Okada goes to the corner, more of the standard formula! MACHO ELBOW!! And then the Rainmaker… TRUE POSE!! The fans cheer as Okada is turning back the clock! Ripcord and RAINMAKER!!!! Cover, OKADA WINS!!

Winner: Kazuchika Okada, by pinfall

And so, after 33 minutes and 3 seconds, Tanahashi’s final match comes to an end. Okada clocks one last win over Tanahashi, punctuating the final chapter in a storied rival and a legendary career. Okada bows to show his utmost respect for Tanahashi, then he grabs the mic. The fans finally cheer Okada, and he tells Tanahashi, “You must be tired. And let me just say one more thing… Thank you very much.” The fans cheer that, and Okada bows one more time before taking his leave. The AEW International Champion has another claim to fame, will 2026 be the Year of the Rainmaker?

As for Tanahashi, he hears the fans cheering him on, even though he lost. Once he’s caught his breath, he stands, and they begin his retirement ceremony. Tanahashi is handed bouquets by the Bushiroad Owner & CEO, as well as the Sansei R&D Vice-President. But before Tanahashi can grab the mic to speak, JAY WHITE is here?! The fans can’t believe it, but The Switchblade is indeed back in NJPW live and in person, though still an AEW star. White walks down to the ring, fist bumps ELP before he steps into the ring, and he gets to hand Tanahashi his final bouquet. White bows in deep respect and hugs it out with Tanahashi.

Tanahashi & White pose for the photos, then White gives one last bow before exiting. But the surprises keep on coming! WILL OSPREAY is here! The Aerial Assassin fist bumps Shota Umino before he, too, hands Tanahashi a bouquet, bows in respect, and hugs it out with him. Oh, but hold on, now KENNY OMEGA appears! And so does KOTA IBUSHI! The latter is the most surprising given that broken leg he suffered weeks ago. But at the same time, neither of these men were going to miss this moment. The Golden Lovers take their time walking down that ramp, and the others help Kota into the ring.

Omega hands his bouquet first, and Ibushi hands his next. Tanahashi can’t believe Ibushi toughed it out like that! They hug it out, and well, Tanahashi shouted him out during the match so he had to be here! KATSUYORI SHIBATA Returns to NJPW, though he plugs his ears from how loud his theme is playing. Tanahashi’s already emotional and this is just about sending him over the edge. The Wrestler goes to the ring, refuses to use the steps, and he hands Tanahashi his bouquet. Shibata throws off his shirt, and the two have one last collar ‘n’ elbow! Then they CHOP and CHOP and CHOP! Then they hug! The fans cheer as even Shibata is tearing up!

But the hits just keep on coming! The Great Keiji Mutoh gets up from his ringside seat so he can hand Tanahashi one more bouquet. Then it’s none other than THE Dragon, Tatsumi Fujinami! Another bouquet, another hug, and another photo op. Tanahashi is on the brink of blubbering, and we got one star-studded line-up for the photo op! The special guests then step back outside, and- WAIT! Tetsuya Naito is here! The fans cheer as the Uncontrollable Charisma uses both his old theme and his new theme, and a lot of time, to keep us waiting. Someone carries the GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championships with him, but that’s BUSHI! The real Naito walks out right after!

Tanahashi jokes that there’s a time limit on this, they should hurry up already. But Naito being Naito, he does things on his time. Los Tranquilos de Japon hand their bouquets over, and then Naito takes the mic! Naito again doing things his way, “Buenas noches, Tokyo Dome~!” The fans cheer, and Naito says he looked up to Keiji Mutoh, that’s what inspired Naito a pro-wrestler. Once he got closer to that goal, it was Tanahashi who became his example and why he joined NJPW. Last year, Naito left here. And even despite that, Tanahashi is the one who gave Naito this chance to walk down the ramp one more time, so he thanks Tanahashi for that.

Naito says that maybe he’ll never return to this ring again. Probably not. He probably won’t ever be a NJPW wrestler again, but he is looking forward to perhaps meeting Tanahashi as part of NJPW one day. Until then, adios. Naito holds up the LIJ/LTJ fist, the fans are wary, and so is Tanahashi. Tanahashi says why not, and he fist bumps Naito. Tanahashi and Naito bow in respect, and then Naito lightly spits in Tanahashi’s direction. Naito then steps out, and finally, Tanahashi is given his chance to speak. The fans cheer, Hontai drums the apron, and Tanahashi nods. “Yes, yes, please, just wait a moment.”

Tanahashi thanks everyone for coming out tonight. Tanahashi is honored to have seen a packed Tokyo Dome, just as he’s dreamed for NJPW. Thank you all again. “Today, I retire. But the New Japan wrestlers will keep fighting with everything they’ve got. Everyone, please keep supporting us!” The fans cheer that! Tanahashi wants to leave with that, but the fans and Hontai won’t let him! Tanahashi steps back inside, and he calls for an air guitar. The Young Lions fetch one from under the ring! Big pass, it’s a pop-fly! And a big catch! The fans cheer, and Tanahashi gives us one final Tokyo Dome air guitar concert!

The fans cheer and clap as Tanahashi rocks out! But of course, we need the “EN-CO-RU! EN-CO-RU!” Tanahashi says okay, okay, LASTO! The encore begins, and he throws the air guitar to the fans. But the fans want the true encore! They want the third act! ELP throws another air guitar, and it’s another big pass for one last big catch! LASTO! The fans cheer again as we get the final air guitar jam session! And the jump! Tanahashi falls back and the fans cheer again! Tanahashi SMASHES the air guitar and kicks it out. Tanahashi then takes the mic back while the fans cheer, “TANAHASHI SAEKO!”

Tanahashi thanks the fans, and he claims he never gets tired. But he has one last thing to ask of the fans. Let’s do the wave in the Tokyo Dome! The fans are ready since Tanahashi was asking for this the last few weeks. He coordinates where it’ll start, and he says well, they’ve all been sitting for awhile, so why not get the blood circulating? Ready, and GO! The weave moves all around the Tokyo Dome! Yes, thank you, but give us more! Keep it going! Even up in the upper deck! Thank you, thank you! The fans cheer and Tanahashi thanks them again. And now, to finish the retirement ceremony, the ten bell salute.

Tanahashi is emotional again as we wait through all ten rings of the bell. With that, it is truly official! Hiroshi Tanahashi has retired from in-ring competition! Tanahashi gives each corner one final pose, he high-fives fans around ringside, and even goes up to the stage. Tanahashi brings the mic with him as he rides part of the stage like a cart! The fans are now allowed to take pictures and record video as Tanahashi rides around the arena! Tanahashi waves and says his final goodbyes to the fans. He even rides behind commentary. Tanahashi finishes the lap around the Tokyo Dome, returning to the stage.

Tanahashi takes the mic back, stands at center stage, and Tanahashi says, “Right now… I must say one thing. There is one thing I’ve resolved to do in my heart. I am so, so happy that I fell in love with pro-wrestling. 26 years, it is because of every single fan’s support that has brought me this incredible life. I have done absolutely everything, I gave it my all, and so in the end, Tokyo Dome… AISHITEMAAAASU~!” Pyro goes off for the final declaration, and The Ace walks through smoke and light as he proverbially hangs up the boots. Do not cry because it is over, smile because it happened. #ThankYouAce, and may NJPW’s future be bright under your leadership.

My Thoughts:

An awesome WrestleKingdom, not just for being the 20th, not just for being a great event, but as an amazing farewell to Tanahashi. As great as Tanahashi’s career has been, even he was not going to buck tradition. He and Okada had a great match, maybe their best, and naturally, Tanahashi lost. That entire closing segment was amazing, with a lot more special guests than expected, but it was so nice to see them all again. I also like that Tanahashi got to ride a cart all the way around the arena to let everyone see him up close one last time.

And of course, every match from start to finish on this card was top tier. The NJPW World TV Championship had a wonderful mix of comedy and serious action, great showing for Brookes even in defeat. The Tornado Ranbo is a really fun concept, I hope they do that again next year, and what a great surprise that TMDK won rather than House of Torutre, or even over Yoh’s team retaining. Syuri VS Saya was a great showing for what Stardom (and Joshi Wrestling in general) has to offer, and great win for Syuri to have both NJPW titles now.

There is a LOT of story stuff to unpack in how Jake Lee joined United Empire, but depending on how contract negotiations are going for David Finlay, we might not get to explore that dynamic beyond tonight. In fact, it’s not just Finlay but Drilla AND Connors, too. Given Connors’ relationship with Thekla and she is in AEW, Connors going to AEW would make some sense. Not sure if Connors would join Bang Bang Gang or what. Same goes for Drilla and Finlay. We saw Jay White tonight, hopefully that means he’s close to returning to action in order to help Bang Bang Gang as they desperately need him.

Great Fatal 4 Way, Sho being picked on by all three opponents was fun. Despy winning out is the right choice, he and Douki will have a great match to finally settle things between them. Aaron Wolf really had the fans behind him here, and I figured that if they were giving him the title match as his debut, of course he had to win. They did a good job overbooking this as only the House of Torture can, and that helped make Wolf even stronger. Wolf going straight from Young Lion to established guy, can’t wait to see where he goes from here.

And awesome double title match from Yota VS Konosuke. I had a feeling Yota would win out, Konosuke’s already traveled back and forth between AEW and NJPW enough. Yota has definitely proven to be the strongest of the Reiwa Musketeers, and then Jake Lee attacking was quite the surprise. Again, this is perhaps NJPW already moving on from a Jake Lee VS David Finlay feud, presuming Finlay is already out the door. Commentary was also bringing up Yota (aka NJPW through Yota) considering just unifying these titles, meaning one of those belts disappears. Which would be a shame, neither of those belts is 10 years old.

My Score: 9.5/10