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.