Category: NJPW News & Results

NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results: Sanada retains, but Yota Tsuji looks like a fan favorite

Yota Tsuji looked like a star even in defeat while challenging Sanada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Dominion 6.4 in Osaka.

Is Yota Tsuji the kind of supernova that can shoot right to a world title? He’ll need to be to defeat Sanada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship so soon after returning from his overseas excursion. Now a member of LIJ, Tsuji has Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi and Titan out ringside to support him, and Shingo Takagi even leaves the Japanese commentary desk to join in. The Just 5 Guys crew is out to back the champ as well, watching as all six members of LIJ do the raised fist circle.

The “Yota” chants are evident and draw a smile from the challenger as the bell rings. Tsuji grabs a side headlock, then runs over the champ with a shoulder tackle. He spears Sanada when he tries a leapfrog, and the crowd loves it. They love it even more when he hits a somersault plancha to the floor.

Tsuji coms charging in from a football crouch but catches a kick to the face. Sanada decides to grab and lean back into the Skull End, and Tsuji is in the hold for quite some time. Sanada finally lets it go and attempts a moonsault, but he catches nothing but knees.

The two men stand and trade strikes, with forearms and chops going both ways. A backbreaker by Tsuji leads to a Boston Crab, with Yota smiling again as he leans back. Some fans are chanting for Sanada, but Yota chants drown them out.

A reverse Gory special is on target for Yota, but his moonsault not so much. Sanada isn’t quick to rise, however, as he is still shaking off earlier offense. The champ picks up the pace and hits a dropkick, knocking Tsuji out to the floor where he’s nailed by a plancha.

A huge missile dropkick by Sanada is immediately answered by a superkick. Both men are down, with the fans mostly urging on Tsuji. Back to chops they go, and once again Tsuji seems to be giving better than he gets. A driver of some sort gets him a two count, and he takes the champ up to the top rope. He delivers a Spanish Fly with a half twist and nearly gets a three from it.

Some back and forth leads to a Deadfall attempt, but Tsuji breaks free for a headbutt and a Stomp. He hooks the leg but Sanada just barely kicks out in time.

They run the ropes and Tsuji looks for a spear, but Sanada hits a dropkick, a moonsault, a Shining Wizard and Deadfall, and that burst of offense is enough to end it. LIJ doesn’t enter the ring to help out Tsuji, which the announcers note.

Sanada gets on the mic and says Tsuji should get on the grind and get some results for LIJ, then he can challenge for the title again. He says next time they are in Okada it will be for the G1, and that he will win it as champion and choose his challenger for Wrestle Kingdom. Taichi gives him a fist bump for that.

Sanada says today he can say that he really, really likes this town before a burst of gold streamers goes up and he’s held on the shoulders of his teammates.

Click here for full NJPW Dominion 6.4 results from Osaka.

NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results: Okada, Ishii, Tanahashi hold off Mox, Claudio, Umino

The BCC and Shots Umino couldn’t take the six-man titles from Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW Dominion 6.4.

The announcers had been speculating all night that there was a question about whether Claudio Castagnoli had made it to Japan. Shota Umino comes out first for his team, followed by Jon Moxley, and yes, Claudio. The champs make their way out to face them, with Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi entering as one unit. As the English announce team notes, there are titles at stake even though this match doesn’t need them.

The Ace and the Swiss Superman start things out for their respective teams. Claudio scores with a shoulder tackle and a European uppercut, but Tanahashi foils a second and plays the air guitar. That ticks off Mox, who ends up going toe to toe with Ishii. The champs all hit the ring and take down all their foes one by one.

Castagnoli trades shots with Tanahashi before hitting a sweet backbreaker and tagging in Umino. He wants Okada, and Tana gladly tags in the Rainmaker. That’s bad news for Umino, who gets sent over the barricade but fights off a DDT attempt and gives Okada his own taste of the steel. He also throws a table at Okada for good measure.

Moxley becomes the legal man for the first time and quickly hammers Okada with kicks. Claudio comes back in to deliver an impressive gutwrench suplex, forcing Okada to kick out at two.

A half crab by Moxley is cinched in, but Ishii hammers Moxley before getting nailed in turn by Umino. Everyone is knocked off the apron for a second, but Okada is stuck in the enemy corner and getting absolutely pummeled.

Umino pokes the bear a bit too much, leading to an Okada DDT. Both men are down and the fans are clapping, so Claudio and Tanahashi tag in. The Ace blasts Mox with a low dropkick and smashes Umino with a stiff slap. He dragon screws Claudio’s leg as well, then tags in Ishii. The Stone Pitbull prevails in a test of strength to suplex Castagnoli.

Claudio repays him in kind, tagging in Moxley to unleash corner clotheslines and punches before biting Ishii’s ear. Mox gets the Figure Four appplied until Okada breaks it up. Moxley’s double clothesline knocks down both members of Chaos, and a piledriver on Ishii forces Tana into a save.

Moxley rains down hammer and anvil elbows and hits a sliding lariat for another near fall. Ishii suplexes his way out of a bulldog choke and the two men exchange strikes until Mox hits a DDT.

A bloody Mox hits a Stomp only to see Okada make the save. A clothesline forces another kickout even as Moxley is clearly now bleeding. His cutter to Ishii is answered by a running lariat, and now both men are down on the mat.

Okada returns with a vengeance, cranking on Umino’s neck. He kicks Shota’s head repeatedly as well until a dropkick puts that to a halt. Claudio sends Okada for a big swing that goes 20+ revolutions. Umino nearly pins Okada afterward, but a save is made.

Umino’s around the world neckbreaker connects, but Okada wipes him out with a dropkick. Death Rider II hits, but Okada is still able to kick out at two.

A series of signature moves from different men follows, and Umino is hit by triple team offense and still somehow kicks out at two. A vicious Rainmaker ends a back and forth exchange between Okada and Umino, and that’s a move Shota isn’t kicking out of.

Moxley takes the microphone after the match and says they bring a message from the best wrestler in the world. It’s Bryan Danielson, and he says there’s no rain in the desert for the Rainmaker. Okada takes the mic in response and says he will share a ring with Bryan, because he can make it rain anywhere … and the Forbidden Door will be opened!

Click here for full NJPW Dominion results from Osaka.

NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results: Hiromu Takahashi squeaks by Master Wato

Hiromu Takahashi had just enough to retain his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Master Wato at NJPW Dominion 6.4.

Carrying his Best of Super Juniors trophy, Master Wato heads down the ramp first. The English announce team reminds viewers of how Wato made his debut during the pandemic and finally has a chance to make it to the top of the mountain tonight. Hiromu Takahashi makes his entrance next as only he can.

Wato hears the cheers from his hometown fans as the bell rings, bringing a wry smile from Hiromu. He gets the better of the early exchanges, but the champ drags him to the floor and hammers him into the barricades several times. A dropkick off the apron sends Wato through the gate, and Hiromu brings him back in the ring to cover for a quick two.

Chops and a corner charge set up a low dropkick for Takahashi. He brings Wato up the ramp in the fireman’s carry position, then suplexes him on the ramp. The ref orders them back to the ring, then starts a count for Wato. Hiromu is amused as Wato rolls himself back down the ramp to help him get back there quicker and beats the 20 counts.

Wato retaliates with a dropkick to compose himself, then hits a nice tope con hilo to the outside. A bulldog follows, and he covers for a two count. They roll around on the floor until Hiromu can force a rope break.

A short series of counters ends with a falcon arrow for Hiromu. He picks up Wato and smashes him into the corner pad, but gets countered on the mat with a lot of pressure on his neck. Takahashi has to scoot forward on his backside to get his legs to the ropes for a break.

Hiromu gets in trouble on the apron, and ends up on the floor where he is a sitting duck for a torneo, Wato tries to come off the top rope but is countered and hits the mat hard.

It takes some doing, but Hiromu scores a near fall with the Dynamite Plunger. He connects with a clothesline, but his Time Bomb II is countered and leaves Wato looking for the RPP. Hiromu meets him in the corner and they battle back to the center of the ring. Wato hits Recientemente and gets another near fall.

A big German suplex and a bridge force Takahashi to kick out, then he nerly gets rolled up. Wato switches to Vendaval, and Hiromu looks like he’s fading but manages to hang in there. He’s not tapping out, and he summons up all the strength he has left to get his foot on the middle rope for a break.

Wato’s waistlock forces a series of elbows from the champ, who finds the mark with a series of kicks and a big lariat. Wato hits a spinning kick to the head and hits the Tsutenkaku German for two. Hiromu nearly rolls him up for the win, then hits a pair of kicks but can’t hit Time Bomb II. He hits the original Time Bomb instead, and that’s not enough to win it.

The fans are louder now as they get behind Wato. But the Time Bomb II is on the mark, and the hometown challenger goes down to defeat.

Click here for full NJPW Dominion 6.4 results from Osaka.

NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results: David Finlay snuffs out El Phantasmo’s bid for revenge

See how David Finlay was able to prevent El Phantasmo from getting revenge in the NEVER Openweight Championship match at NJPW Dominion 6.4.

The man who vowed to take down Bullet Club one member at a time, El Phantasmo, comes to the ring first. That task might be more difficult now, since BC leader David Finlay has added four more members to the group just tonight, and they flank the entranceway as he makes his ring walk.

ELP wastes no time taking it to his former teammate, flying to the floor and then over the barricade to crash into Finlay. The fans seem to enjoy that quite a bit.

Phantasmo lays in some chops and forearm shots before sliding the champ back into the ring. A springboard cross body and springboard moonsault lead to a two count for the challenger.

Some more fancy rope work has Finlay back on the floor, but when Phantasmo tries to run the ropes, the new Bullet Club recruits menace him into hesitation that Finlay uses to his advantage.

Finlay continues his assault on the outside, shares a Too Sweet salute with the others, then hurls ELP into the post before posing. The champ goes under the ring and gets out a table. He almost regrets it as Phantasmo tries for a move off the apron, but Finlay takes the fight back into the ring for a senton and a near fall.

A hard Irish whip into the corner racks ELP’s back with pain, and Finlay steps on the back of his neck as well. Finlay stays on the attack, grabbing a chinlock and forcing Phantasmo’s face into the mat.

The fans try to rally ELP as he’s hit repeatedly in the back of the head. A dropkick finally buys the challenger a breather, and the fans chant for him again. An atomic drop and a body slam score for Phantasmo, who comes off the middle rope with an elbowdrop.

The Bullet Club recruits get on the apron as a distraction, and Finlay charges into the corner to make him pay. The champ whips out an exploder suplex, but he’s caught rushing into the corner and hung in the tree of woe. ELP’s sliding kick connects, and he covers for another two.

A big springboard tornado DDT is on target, but Finlay kicks out again at two. ELP looks for CRII, but Finlay fights out and sets off an exchange of strikes. Phantasmo twists his foe’s nipples and bounces right back up after a suplex and stomps the champ into a corner.

ELP comes in a little too fast and is catapulted into the turnbuckle, and Finlay scores a couple of near falls in quick succession. Phantasmo replies with a series of kicks, then another two count. But Finlay powers him off the top rope into a Dominator, forcing the challenger to dig down to kick out before the three.

Finlay looks for Oblivion but gets caught with a pair of superkicks, and it’s a longer two count this time. ELP slams the champ down and ends up diving onto all four members of the BC on the outside. He superkicks Gedo too, but he’s now taken too long, so Finlay pushes him off the top rope and then sends him through a table on the floor.

They head back into the ring, where Finlay hits a powerbomb. He does the throat slash gesture and hits Oblivion, and that’s all she wrote for ELP.

Click here for full NJPW Dominion 6.4 results from Osaka.

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results: Sanada holds off intriguing challenger, Bullet Club grows

Check out all of the action for NJPW’s start of the summer card with full Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results.

Is there change in the air? It’s always possible when eight championships are on the line on one pro wrestling card, which is the case for NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall.

Except for one eight-man tag and one match to determine a No. 1 contender for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship — and even that bout is intriguing considering the man holding that particular title is Kenny Omega — every bout on this year’s card is a championship match.

With that much gold on the line, it’s tricky to pick the showdowns that stand out from the rest, but three figure to be measuring sticks for whether things will be shaken up across New Japan this summer. The first sees David Finlay, leader of the Bullet Club, take on former teammate El Phantasmo for Finlay’s NEVER Openweight Championship. Will this be a measure of revenge for ELP after he was unceremoniously booted from the group, or further validation of Finlay’s new direction for one of pro wrestling’s most famous stables?

Hiromu Takahashi defends his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Master Wato, who made quite the impression by winning the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. A victory over Hiromu would give him the right to claim he’s the best junior heavyweight in the company.

And in the main event, Sanada will attempt to fend off a challenge to his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Yota Tsuji. While Sanada had to break free from Los Ingobernables de Japon  to take his game to the next level, Tsuji is attempting to do just the opposite, saying he wants to join LIJ while trying to bring home the top prize in NJPW.

It should be an exciting night with a title change or two and perhaps a couple of surprises before it’s all said and done, not to mention the reveal of the G1 Climax 33 lineups.

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results:

(click on any match with a link for full details)

  • Will Ospreay def. Lance Archer by pinfall to become No. 1 contender for Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
  • Ospreay gets on the microphone and says he’s out for revenge on Omega, and will walk into Canada to bring the title back … likely meaning at Forbidden Door in Toronto
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Bushi and Titán) def. Just 5 Guys (Taichi, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Taka Michinoku) by submission
  • Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira and TJP) def. Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kushida and Kevin Knight) by pinfall to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions …
  • … but the new champs are attacked right after the match by Dan Moloney, who cornered them during the bout, and Clark Connors
  • Zack Sabre Jr. def. Jeff Cobb by pinfall to retain the NJPW World Television Championship
  • Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) def. House of Torture (Evil and Yujiro Takahashi) and United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Aaron Henare) by pinfall to become the new IWGP Tag Team Champions and Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions …
  • … but after their victory, they are laid out by the new Bullet Club War Dogs, Alex Coughlin and Gabriel Kidd
  • The G1 Climax 33 field will include Kazuchika Okada, Naito, Sanada, Ospreay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay, Shota Umino, Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo, Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, Toru Yano, Kenta, ZSJ, Taichi, Eddie Kingston, El Phantasmo, Ren Narita, Evil, Chase Owens, Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Henare, Kidd, Coughlin, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, Yota Tsuji, and Kaito Kiyomiya
  • David Finlay def. El Phantasmo by pinfall to retain the NEVER Openweight Championship
  • Hiromu Takahashi def. Master Wato by pinfall to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
  • Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii) and Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli) and Shota Umino by pinfall, with Okada accepting a recorded challenge from Bryan Danielson after the match and suggesting “the Forbidden Door will be opened”
  • Sanada def. Yota Tsuji by pinfall to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall: Date, start time, how to watch

Everything you need to know to tune in for NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall this weekend.

A NJPW summer doesn’t get started in earnest until Dominion arrives. That happens this weekend, as Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall becomes the 15th show to bear the Dominion name and the ninth at the venue in its title.

As always, there are championship matches aplenty. Of the nine bouts on the card (there’s also one non-televised match to kick things off for the live crowd), there is gold at stake in seven of them, plus a No. 1 contender match for an eighth title.

The main event will be a test of the star power of two men who haven’t spent much time in these kinds of spots to date. IWGP World  Heavyweight Champion Sanada is set to take on Yota Tsuji, who only just returned to the company from his overseas excursion at Wrestling Dontaku 2023 last month. Will fans take to them as top of the card talent?

AEW fans might want to check out Dominion as well, since several matches figure to play into the dual-branded Forbidden Door event later this month. Lance Archer and Will Ospreay will face off for the right to challenge for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, a title that just happens to be held by Kenny Omega. It’s also worth noting that Omega was said to be out of the company but “not in Canada,” meaning he could make an in-person appearance.

The NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship is also intriguing, as champions Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi battle Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Shota Umino. This is the kind of matchup that could easily be run back at Forbidden Door, though Mox has also seemingly been campaigning for a one-on-one match with Okada …

The action all goes down late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, depending where you are in the U.S. Here’s everything you need to know to watch Dominion.

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall

  • Date: Saturday, June 4, 2023
  • Location: Osaka-jō Hall, Osaka, Japan
  • Start time: 3:00 a.m. ET/midnight PT/4:00 p.m. JST
  • How to watch: On NJPW World (subscription required) in Japanese or English

MJF thinks ‘New Japan Pro-Wrestling sucks,’ except for 1 wrestler

MJF is getting an early start on having NJPW fans boo him ahead of Forbidden Door.

It’s fair to say that most of the AEW roster and its fans are excited to see the company join forces for the second annual edition of Forbidden Door next month in Toronto. It’s equally fair to say that MJF doesn’t share that sentiment.

After escaping the Four Pillars match at Double or Nothing this weekend still in possession of his precious Triple B (known to the rest of us as the AEW World Championship), MJF was asked during the media scrum if he was looking forward to wrestling at Forbidden Door.

Not exactly.

“Do I have to wrestle at Forbidden Door?” MJF said. “F–k that! Oh god, it’s a f–king indie fed. …

“With all due  respect, their greatest legend probably couldn’t lace my boots. I think I would make anyone on that roster look silly, and I don’t want to waste my time.”

Though his disdain was apparent, MJF did name one, perhaps surprising, NJPW wrestler he enjoyed watching.

“I think New Japan Pro-Wrestling sucks, except that Great-O-Khan guy,” he said. “He pops me. I like him.”

Why Great-O-Khan? Like so many things MJF, only the champ himself knows for sure. Check out his entire press conference time below, with video courtesy of Denise Salcedo.

MJF didn’t have to participate in the first ever Forbidden Door last year, falling as it did during the time between Double or Nothing and All Out when he was not actively wrestling. Alas, as the AEW World Championship will almost certainly be defended on this year’s show (as it was in 2022), meaning that like it or not, he’ll be on the card.

Maybe he’ll even get to wrestle Great-O-Khan. We’ll find out for sure over the next few weeks.

NJPW issues statement on Mercedes Moné injury, wishes her fast recovery

NJPW confirmed that Mercedes Moné injured her right ankle over the weekend.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling today issued a short statement confirming that Mercedes Moné was injured in the main event of NJPW Resurgence in Long Beach over the weekend.

NJPW confirmed that Moné injured her right ankle and wished her the best in her recovery.

Moné underwent a thorough appraisal of her injury immediately after her match and began treatment.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling joins fans in wishing Moné a full and fast recovery.

Moné was facing Willow Nightingale in the finals of a tournament to determine the inaugural NJPW Strong Women’s Champion, having already defeated Stephanie Vaquer. Nightingale got by Momo Kohgo before pinning Moné to win the title.

Reports on the night of the show suggested Moné suffered a broken ankle; while she didn’t discuss the nature of the injury, the wrestler herself hinted at missing some time while recovering in a social media post later that night.

The setback puts Moné’s wrestling future a bit more up in the air for the time being. She has worked exclusively for NJPW and sister promotion Stardom in 2023 to date, but had reportedly agreed to extend her time with them only through Resurgence. It could be several months until the wrestling world sees where the former Sasha Banks shows up next.

Mercedes Moné confirms injury suffered at NJPW Resurgence

Mercedes Moné tweeted that she’d “heal and be back better than ever.”

Wrestling fans anxiously waiting to see where Mercedes Moné will pop up next may have to be patient for longer than expected.

Reports began circulating Sunday night that Moné was injured during her main event match at NJPW Resurgence against Willow Nightingale, with PW Insider saying that the word backstage was that she suffered a broken ankle.

While she didn’t confirm that diagnosis, she did take to Twitter to confirm she was injured, saying that she was “gonna heal and be back better than ever.”

It’s certainly a bummer for Moné, who had embraced her life after WWE, where she shot to stardom as Sasha Banks before famously walking out on the company last year. Her work with NJPW was well received, and she enjoyed a brief run as IWGP Women’s Champion before dropping the title to Mayu Iwatani at a Stardom event in April.

Though there was speculation that would be her last appearance for NJPW/Stardom, Moné agreed to extend her time with those promotions at least through Resurgence, which took place in Long Beach and was heavily marketed around her participation.

Moné had made it known that she intended on making this the “world tour” portion of her wrestling career, and AEW fans had grown excited over the thought that she might show up for one of that company’s upcoming shows — either Forbidden Door with NJPW in Toronto, or All In London. All of that will have to wait, however, as she recuperates from her injury.

Wrestling Dontaku 2023 results: Hiromu Takahashi gives his all but can’t dethrone Sanada

Both Hiromu and Sanada had their supporters inFukuoka.

Just 5 Guys are all out to support Sanada during his entrance as Kevin Kelly discusses how many things have changed for the champion in a short period of time. LIJ is also out at ringside to support Hiromu Takahashi, something they haven’t always been great about doing for each other in the past.

There are loud chants for Hiromu as the opening bell rings and they lock up for the first time. There’s a clean break along the ropes but Hiromu tries to rush the champ and comes up empty. Sanada grabs a side headlock and takes things to the mat, where the challenger wraps his legs around the champ’s head and forces a rope break.

Both men run the ropes until Hiromu low bridges his former teammate to the apron and dropkicks him to the floor. Hiromu lands his dropkick off the apron as well, blasting Sanada over the guardrail before launching himself over the rail to land another dropkick, taking his own nasty back bump on the concrete to do it.

Back into the ring they go, but only long enough for Sanada to send Hiromu back to the outside. Sanada DDTs his foe on the floor, which the English announce team calls evidence of the “Just 5 Guys Sanada” that he hasn’t been showing much of during this tour, saving it for this match.

Sanada pounds away on Hiromu, looking like he’s seized all the momentum while he works on the challenger’s neck. Hiromu tries to fight back with chops but eats a suplex and has to kick out at two.

The other members of LIJ try to get the fans back into it, and Hiromu makes another push forward only to get smacked back harder than he’s hitting. A hurricanrana finally buys Takahashi a moment to compose himself, bringing the crowd to his aid a bit.

A flurry of offense includes a shotgun dropkick, and he’s able to cover but doesn’t come close to keeping Sanada down for three. A falcon arrow follows, leading to a more convincing two count.

Two impressive leapfrogs are followed by a dropkick and then a plancha to the floor by the world champion. He asks for noise from the crowd and hears some cheers of his own, and he rolls Hiromu back into the ring for a somewhat haphazard near fall.

A short exchange of counters ends with Hiromu’s inside cradle for two, and he pulls off a DDT right after that but can’t capitalize. Sanada is lifted and smashes into the corner pad, and the challenger jumps into a combination leg triangle and armbreaker. Sanada powers out and eventually hits a TKO for another near fall.

Sanada signals to the camera for the finish, dropping back into Skull End. Hiromu is bent back pretty far, and the fans chant to encourage him to find a way out. He finally frees himself only to have Sanada spin him around by the neck. The champ hits a moonsault, but Hiromu gets his knees up on a second attempt.

With the help of the ropes, Hiromu gets Sanada up for a Time Bomb, but Sanada kicks out at two. Both men run the ropes again, but it’s Takahashi who strikes with a lariat. Sanada evades a Time Bomb 2 and hits a shining wizard, but the challenger counters Deadfall with a German suplex.

Hiromu tries for a running lariat but finds it has no effect. Sanada connects on several uppercuts, knocking his foe into the ropes and staggering him on his feet. Takahashi looks like he’s got nothing left even though he keeps coming forward.

Somehow, Hiromu finds the energy for a cutter out of the corner, and he hits Time Bomb 2 for a very close two count. The crowd thought he had it.

Hiromu tries to get the champ up again, but Sanada kicks his way free only to see the challenger block his shining wizard. A reversal off the ropes leads to Sanada going for and applying Skull End again. Can Hiromu possibly escape a second time?

It appears he’s fading in the hold, even as the fans keep chanting for him. Sanads realizes there’s no tap coming, so he delivers another moonsault, looking incredulous as Hiromu kicks out again. Sanada wants Deadfall but is countered with a rollup.

Undeterred, Sanada strikes with a shining wizard and finally hits Deadfall, and that’s enough to put Hiromu away.

After the match, Sanada says they wrestled once before, 11 years ago, but have grown so much since then and will undoubtedly have more growth to do going forward. He thanks the fans for selling out the arena and says next time they return, Just 5 Guys will be even better.

But before he can leave the ring, the Godzilla-esque video that’s been running for weeks pays off with the return of Yota Tsuji, who clears the ring, spears Sanada and briefly holds up the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship before laying it back over the champ’s chest.

Click here for full NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2023 results.