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Sambus’ NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 Review
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Good morning (or super late night?) friends! It’s the 4th January, and of course that means it is time for the annual Tokyo Dome extravaganza presented by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Wrestle Kingdom has arrived! For the 19th iteration, proceedings are a little different, as normally our G1 Climax winner would be challenging for the championship, but Zack Sabre Jr challenged earlier in October and won the belt, thus he enters the main event as the defending champion. ZSJ goes up against Shota Umino, which on paper doesn’t scream ‘Tokyo Dome main event’ but the added bells and whistles of Wrestle Kingdom should give it some flair.
In terms of most anticipated contest, for me there is one clear frontrunner – Shingo Takagi vs Konosuke Takeshita. Honestly, does anyone REALLY need me to elaborate on that? Banger Patrol will be on high alert for that one.
Elsewhere, there’s some great potential too – AZM and Iwatani could do wonders for the prestige of the IWGP Women’s championship on this turf, the first ever Tokyo Terror Ladder Match could be absolute chaos in the best possible way, and Douki/Desperado may well bring the goods for their IWGP Jr Heavyweight title match. All in all, there’s some good stuff on tap – I will just need all your prayers to get through EVIL vs Tanahashi in the Lumberjack match…
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Tokyo Dome
Commentary: Chris Charlton & Walker Stewart
Kickoff: New Japan Ranbo
Now that the KOPW title has been retired, this year the winner will receive an IWGP World championship match. We kick things off with our first two competitors – Great O’Khan and Josh Barnett! #3 is Boltin Oleg, #4 is Hirooki Goto who lariats Oleg as soon as he gets in the ring. #5, Blue Justice himself, it’s Yuji Nagata. Nagata and Barnett get into a kick exchange, while O’Khan sits on the back of Goto in the corner. Oleg tries to eliminate Barnett, and both fall to the floor, eliminating both. #6 is Togi Makabe, #7 is Kenta, who power-walks down to the ring. Kenta and Nagata trade strikes until Kenta rakes the eyes. He goes for the Go To Sleep, Nagata falls to the apron. He clings onto the top rope as Kenta tries to punch him out. Big boot to the face, and Nagata is eliminated. #8 is Yoshi-Hashi. Kenta and Yoshi-Hashi chop each other, and Kenta gets him down, stomping away at him. Entry #9 is Yujiro Takahashi. Takahashi and Kenta work together, but a cross kick from Yoshi-Hashi catches Yujiro off-guard. Takahashi tosses Yoshi-Hashi over the top rope for the easy elimination. #10 is Toru Yano. Yano low bridges the rope to send Takahashi into Kenta to eliminate Kenta, and then rolls up Takahashi for 1, 2, 3 for another elimination. #11 is Hiroyoshi Tenzan, #12 is Satoshi Kojima. Tenzan and Kojima double team Yano, Mongolian chop to Yano. Tenzan gets rolled up but Kojima breaks that up. Tenzan stumbles into a lariat on Kojima, Yano rolls him up again, 1, 2, 3. Tenzan is gone. #13 has arrived and it’s Tonmoaki Honma. #14 is SANADA. Well that’s quite a fall from last year’s card, right?! Makaba gets the mounted punches in the corner on SANADA, teams with Kojima a little, but SANADA low blows him. Kojima gets eliminated by SANADA as #15 arrives, and it’s Taichi. SANADA stops what he’s doing and stands in the middle of the ring waiting for his former stablemate. Taichi takes his sweet time getting his entrance gear off, but SANADA slides under the bottom rope to avoid him as soon as he gets in. Taichi and SANADA both go at it at ringside, as does O’Khan and Makabe, all still in this one. #16 is my boy Tomohiro Ishii. Big To and Honma go at it, trading shoulder blocks, and Honma delivers the falling headbutt. Rights and left elbows are delivered until Ishii rocks him with a big elbow smash and hits a brainbuster. 1, 2, 3, Honma is gone. #17 and our final entrant is Alex Zayne. Taichi goes to kick SANADA, SANADA grabs the leg and wedges it ‘low’ and the ref thinks it’s a legit low blow and eliminates Taichi by DQ? OK. SANADA gets sent over the top rope in response and is eliminated. Zayne with the Cinammon Toast. Yano gets eliminated, trying to smack someone with the turnbuckle padding and falling over the top rope. O’Khan sends Ishii to the apron, Zayne joins him out there. O’Khan with a throat thrust to eliminate Ishii, boo! Zayne with a somersault leg drop to both O’Khan and Goto. Zayne goes to the apron, targetting Goto, and O’Khan eliminates him, leaving us with our final two competitors, O’Khan and Goto. The crowd comes alive for it!
Pump kick from O’Khan, 1, 2, no. Mongolian chops delivered, but Goto gets back into it with a GTR. O’Khan to the apron, tries to suplex Goto out, but a headbutt puts a stop to that. Lariat by Goto, and O’Khan is eliminated! Goto gets a World title shot!
Winner: Hirooki Goto
Time: 34:34
Rating: **3/4 – It didn’t have the surprises that some previous Ranbos have had, but it did feature relatively high profile talent, fitting for the high stakes stipulation. There was very little substance in the first two thirds, but it had its moments towards the end. Taichi/SANADA getting into it made sense, although the DQ elimination was a little questionable. Zayne was probably the biggest surprise here, getting to look good in his spot up against some of the bigger names.
[Tokyo Terror Ladder Match – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships] Intergalactic Jet Setters (c) vs Ichiban Sweet Boys vs Catch 2/2 vs Bullet Club War Dogs
First ever Ladder match inside the Tokyo Dome. The War Dogs have some hilariously over-the-top snakeskin-lined fur coats for their entrance. The belts are hung up on the cables and lifted above the ring, with all eyes on the gold as the bell rings. And here we go! It instantly breaks down, with Knight diving at a few opponents. Dropkick into a ladder from KUSHIDA, TJP squashes Knight in the corner with a ladder, and Drilla brings a chair in to take out TJP. Connors slams a ladder into Catch 2/2, and the War Dogs hit a high-low with chairs to Akira. Connors brings in a ‘big boy’ ladder and sets it up along, beginning the climb with Drilla too. KUSHIDA hits a handspring back elbow into the ladder, knocking it down.
A table is set up at ringside, Knight gets shoved to the floor before he can do more damage though. The War Dogs prop the table up against the barricade and look for a powerbomb…running Drill Claw! Drilla kinda missed the table there, but still hit it on the floor. Moloney tries to suplex Akira through a table, but TJP makes the save. Assisted senton from the shoulders of TJP sends Moloney through a table! In the ring, springboard clothesline from Knight takes Eagles down, and he sets another ladder up. Knight makes a ladder bridge between the big ladder and the ring ropes. Knight levels Connors and lays him out on the bridge. 450 splash into Connors on the ladder from Eagles! Kevin Knight makes the climb, Fujita puts a stop to that and gets another ladder. He climbs up one side, Akira meets him on the other. TJP is up there too, assisted cutter by Catch 2/2! Eagles walks the ladder bridge and carries on up the big ladder, but TJP is right there too. MIST to Eagles! TJP with a reverse DDT off the ladders through the ladder bridge.
Electric Chair Drop from KUSHIDA to Akira, with Knight making the assist with a big time dropkick. Knight climbs, but the ladder is slightly too far from the titles. Knight is poised…CROSSBODY off the ladder and honestly he ate SHIT on that, almost landing on his face!! Fujita cuts off KUSHIDA on the ladder, KUSHIDA applies an ankle lock and then tosses him to the mat. Eagles ties up the legs of KUSHIDA in the ladder, Knight makes the save with a hurracanrana. Knight is climbing, and Drilla pushes over the ladder from underneath, sending Knight over the top rope. Moloney and TJP climb, Drilla is pulled into the ladder, knocking him off. Eagles replaces Drilla opposite TJP now, and Akira and Fujita climb the adjacent ladder too. All four go at it, Eagles kicks TJP off, as does Akira. Akira and Fujita are left up there, and Akira turns around to do…something? And Fujita pulls him backwards into a submission over the top of the ladder. Fujita reaches up and grabs the belts.
Winners and NEW IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: Ichiban Sweet Boys
Time: 13:02
Rating: *** – Couple of fun and crazy spots without burning out the crowd in the opener. That was a bit of an odd finish though, as there was no real reason for Akira to turn round on the ladder.
[IWGP Women’s Championship] Mayu Iwatani (c) vs AZM
Hot start as both trade strikes, Iwatani getting the upper hand with a spin kick to the abdomen. Low dropkick in response by AZM as Iwatani spills to the floor, and AZM nails a step up crossbody to the outside! Running La Mistica back in the ring, rollup into a dropkick by Iwatani, followed by another. Frog splash connects, 1, 2, no. AZM runs into a superkick, but gets Iwatani in a tree of woe and nails a double stomp. AZM up top, double stomp, cover for 2. Kicks and strikes traded again, superkick by Mayu takes AZM down. Running big boot in the corner, Iwatani heads up top again, shotgun dropkick and she signals for a moonsault. Misses as AZM rolls out of the way. Roundhouse kick from AZM, looks for a powerbomb but can’t get it. Destroyer! She hooks the arms, BUTTERFLY DESTROYER! 1, 2, no! AZM to the top, misses a stomp this time and dives into a boot.
La Mistica again, but rolls into a sushi hold, 1, 2, no. GERMAN! Just a 1 count. German by Iwatani, 1 count as well. Rollup by AZM, 1, 2, NO. AZM goes for a tilt-a-whirl, but Iwatani catches her, tombstone piledriver! Moonsault connects, 1, 2, NOOO. Iwatani looks for another German, turns it into the Two-Step Dragon Suplex to pick up the 1, 2, 3.
Winner and STILL IWGP Women’s Champion: Mayu Iwatani
Time: 8:46
Rating: ***3/4 – Great little banger here! They set a fast pace in the opening seconds and didn’t let up. Don’t know how you’d pack any more into a sub 9-minute match. Hats off to both ladies, they used this platform to show exactly why all eyes should be on Stardom (and by proxy the IWGP Women’s division).
[NJPW World Television Championship] Ren Narita (c) vs Jeff Cobb vs Ryohei Oiwa vs El Phantasmo
ELP dives to the outside to take out Narita, and the ref rings the bell. Cobb and Oiwa big boy each other, and knock ELP out of the picture when he tries to get involved. Oiwa with a big biel on ELP, and Cobb release suplexes ELP too. Oiwa works over the arm of Cobb, and Narita interrupts to choke him out. Splash to Narita, Oiwa goes for the cover and gets 2. He dumps Narita like a sack of spuds over the top rope, ELP sends Oiwa out too, but Cobb is waiting. Tour of the Islands is countered though. ELP has Cobb with wrist control, jumps to the ropes and does the rope walk, but Cobb smacks him and sends him flying to the floor to take out Narita and Oiwa below. Cobb is feeling the Tokyo Dome and takes a run up…NO HANDS TOPE CON HILO you mad son of a bitch! Back in the ring, Hammer and Sickle connects, followed by the moonsault for 2. Dropkick from Oiwa, gutwrench suplex on Cobb, ELP breaks up the cover with a dropkick.
ELP up top, rising headbutt from Oiwa meets him. Cobb is there to get Oiwa in a powerbomb position…Oiwa grabs hold of ELP though and we get a modified Tower of Doom spot. Narita on the top, Hell’s Guillotine connects, 1, 2, no. Narita scrambles for covers on everyone but just gets 2 so he wipes out the ref. And of course Narita pulls out the push-up bar. Jado takes it off him though, thank God. Sudden Death from ELP, Oiwa targets both ELP and Cobb. Dropkick from Cobb, Sudden Death again, ELP leaps into the arms of Cobb, F5000! 1, 2, Oiwa breaks it up. Oiwa with a deadlift on Cobb but Cobb breaks out of it. Lariat from Oiwa, DOCTOR BOMB BY OIWA ON COBB! 1, 2, Narita pulls out the ref. Push-up bar shot by Narita, goes for one on Cobb but Cobb tosses him away and breaks the push-up bar in half. Low blow by Narita, gets caught in a Tour of the Islands though! 1, 2, ELP with a swanton! THUNDERKISS 86 CONNECTS! 1, 2, 3.
Winner and NEW NJPW World TV Champion: El Phantasmo
Time: 9:58
Rating: ***1/4 – The Narita spots are SUCH a chore, but this brought the spectacle, especially with Cobb being a crazy bastard, and ELP bumping all over the place. Oiwa looked particularly good too, getting a fair bit of shine and looking like a big boy up against Cobb. Good stuff whenever the focus wasn’t on Narita.
[Tanahashi Final Road – Lumberjack Match] EVIL vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Well at least we’re getting all the House of Torture stuff out of the way in one sitting. EVIL gets a live rendition of his music on keyboard playing him to the ring. Lumberjacks include Dick Togo, SHO, Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi as the House of Torture contingent, and Tanahashi brings out Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Master Wato and Tiger Mask as his backup.
EVIL takes advantage of a brief distraction by the lumberjacks, but Tanahashi takes back control. Both men grab the hair, middle rope crossbody from Tanahashi and EVIL heads outside to recuperate, pulling up a chair and sitting there for a moment. Tanahashi holds onto the top rope and goes to skin the cat, Togo cuts him off but gets kicked away, and EVIL grabs the leg of Tanahashi and hits a dragon screw. EVIL brings Tanahashi to the floor, throws him into the ringpost and then wraps the chair around the throat before hitting a home run and smacking it with another chair to a chorus of boos from the Tokyo Dome. Master Wato gets attacked by the House of Torture, and EVIL takes a spray can, tagging him with ‘HOT’ across the chest. That could give the wrong impression, EVIL.
Back in the ring, Tanahashi fires off a dragon screw legwhip. Diving forearm, and Tanahashi turns his attention to the lumberjacks on the apron. Body slam to EVIL, middle rope senton connects, 1, 2, nope. Slingblade attempt but EVIL exits the ring and heads up the ramp. Oleg is there to greet him and he drapes him over his shoulder, returning EVIL to the ring. EVIL rakes the eyes, Tanahashi drops behind, goes for a German but can’t get it, manages to hit the Twist & Shout though. Tanahashi looks for the Slingblade, EVIL grabs the ref and puts him in the path of danger. With the ref down, the House of Torture goons get involved. DICK CHOP! Togo has the choker now, and finally Tanahashi’s ‘friends’ make the save. Tope suicida by Tiger Mask. SHO and Kanemaru try to take out Oleg, but he reverses and nails a double suplex. Wato is back in this with a tope con hilo to wipe out the others.
Tanahashi tries to mount a head of steam, but a lariat from EVIL takes him down. Dragon Suplex to EVIL! Slingblade, 1, 2, no. High Fly Flow connects, Tanahashi looks for one more, but EVIL shoves the ref into the ropes. Salt in the eyes from Togo, EVIL heads up top to meet Tanahashi for a superplex. Darkness Falls, 1, 2, no. Sharpshooter applied, but Tanahashi clings on and won’t tap. EVIL remonstrates with the referee. Lariat, Tanahashi won’t go down, until another lariat does the job. Everything is EVIL…but Tanahashi rolls through into a rollup, 1, 2, 3.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
Time: 15:08
Rating: ** – EVIL matches in 2024 were dull and uninspired, and that doesn’t look to have changed as we enter 2025. The emphasis on outside interference is so tiresome, and even Tanahashi on good form couldn’t save this.
House of Torture attack post-match. Someone in a hoody runs them off though…and it’s KATSUYORI SHIBATA!!! WTF!
Shibata takes the mic, face to face with Tanahashi. “If you’re not tired, how about we have a match tomorrow”. Oh my! Last minute addition to Wrestle Dynasty, hell yeah. Tanahashi says he’s never been tired, let’s do it. Shibata vs Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome, tomorrow! That’s cool.
[Winner Takes All– NEVER Openweight Championship & AEW International Championship] Shingo Takagi vs Konosuke Takeshita
OK, this is the perfect placement for this, a fantastic antidote to all the House of Torture crap. Don Callis is accompanying Takeshita for this one. Big fight feel, this is going to be good.
Both men square up against each other and charge with duelling shoulder blocks. Takeshita takes Shingo off his feet with a diving shoulder tackle, Shingo responds with an arm drag and a shoulder tackle of his own. Toying kicks to the head of Takeshita, and Takeshita asks for more. BIG right elbow from Takeshita knocks Shingo flat on his back. Senton connects, 1, 2, no. Hurracanrana takedown from Takeshita sends Shingo to the outside. He follows Shingo out there, where Shingo catches him with a Death Valley Driver on the floor! Back in the ring, they both head up top, and Shingo connects with a superplex. Sliding lariat gets 2. Shingo tries to make his SHTAK SHTAK SHTAK call but Takeshita cuts him off with a German attempt! Shingo counters and tells us that it is indeed Takagi time. Made in Japan attempt, can’t get it so he nails an exploder instead. German by Takeshita, back drop driver by Shingo, straight into another German by Takeshita and both men are down. We see Ishii watching at ringside, waiting to see who his opponent will be tomorrow night.
Both men charge again into the center of the ring, meeting with duelling lariats. Right elbow once again knocks Shingo down, and a lariat follows. Takeshita with the BASTARD DRIVER! He keeps the waistlock applied, wheelbarrow German! Shingo comes back with a lariat. Running elbow by Shingo, Made in Japan connects but just gets a 2. Stereo lariats again, Takeshita misses the Powerdrive Knee, they head up the buckles again and a leaping hurracanrana to Shingo connects. Blue Thunder Bomb, 1, 2, no. Shingo gets Takeshita on his shoulders, Last of the Dragon out of nowhere, but he can’t capitalize. Lariats connects by Shingo but Takeshita doesn’t go down. Poisonrana by Takeshita, one by Shingo too, but Takeshita is back up for a big elbow strike to the back of the head, and both men go down.
Takeshita pulls down the elbow pad, but Shingo comes back with some right hands. Knee to the side of the head by Takeshita, Pumping Bomber by Shingo, right elbow knocks out Shingo, 1, 2, no. Spinning Falcon Arrow, 1, 2, 3!
Winner, NEW NEVER Openweight & STILL AEW International Champion: Konosuke Takeshita
Time: 12:43
Rating: ***3/4 – Perhaps more of a sprint than I was expecting, with them going for the NEVER style rather than an all-out epic. The fighting spirit was strong in this one, with a little too much delayed selling peppered throughout, losing its efficacy, but the action was of course fantastic. I’m going to need a rematch. In the mean time, Ishii vs Takeshita tomorrow can immediately get in my veins.
[IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship] DOUKI (c) vs El Desperado
Quick reversals and escapes in the early goings. Suicide dive to the outside sends Desperado into the railings. Desperado follows suit with a tope con hilo, with both men flying into the railings, Desperado possibly getting the worst of it as he legs hit hard. They throw each other into the railings and battle up the ramp as the ref begins the 20 count, making it back in at 16. Step up enziguri for Douki, Desperado comes back with a spinebuster. Douki tries to sneak in a submission, but Desperado steps over into a modified Cloverleaf, forcing Douki to grab the ropes. Douki to the aron, dives back in and is caught, spins into a hurracanrana to send Desperado to the floor. Douki to the top rope, DOUKI BOMB to the floor but his arm SMACKED the floor hard. Oh damn, the ref calls for the bell, it looks like Douki legit broke his arm. Desperado wins by forfeit, but he looks pissed to have missed this opportunity.
Winner and NEW IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: El Desperado
Time: 5:30
Rating: N/R – Right call by the ref, but this sucks for everyone involved, especially for Douki. Really hope it’s not a full break – either way, best wishes to Douki for a speedy recovery.
El Despy takes the mic and says these things happen when you put everything into everything you do. He will not say sorry because this is the inevitable result. They will do this again down the line.
[IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship] David Finlay (c) vs Yota Tsuji
Tsuji gets Finlay in the corner, traps the head and hits the stomp, followed by a quebrada and Finlay heads to the floor to recuperate. Tope suicida is caught, Finlay sends Tsuji into the railings. In the ring, Finlay delivers a backbreaker and covers for a 2 count. He flips off the crowd and spits towards them, looks for the Irish Curse but Tsuji counters and curb stomps him. Tsuji Falls, 1, 2, no. Splash in the corner, tijeras sends Finlay back to the floor, and Tsuji meets him with a Fosbury Flop!
They exchange strikes back in the ring, and a hard clothesline from Finlay takes both men back outside again. Finlay places Tsuji on his shoulders and fires him off into the ringpost. Finlay clears the deck and hits the Irish Curse through a table at ringside. Finlay heads back in the ring, happy to take the countout victory. Tsuji is caught in the wires! But makes it back in at 19. Finlay biels him across the ring as he re-enters, and charges into the corner with a running back elbow. Suplex into the turnbuckle padding. Enziguri catches Finlay off-guard, but Finlay responds with a powerbomb from the middle rope! Dominator delivered, twice, THRICE! Three Dominators, 1, 2, NO. Finlay picks him up and Tsuji just collapses…but maybe he was playing opossum as he cradles Finlay for 2.
A couple of lariats to Tsuji, who comes back with a knee strike, and he KNEES Finlay in the head on a spear attempt! 1, 2, no. Marlowe Crash misses, powerbomb from Finlay, and a Buckle Bomb follows. One more powerbomb, 1, 2, no. He looks for another buckle bomb, but Tsuji counters and headscissors him into the buckles instead. Marlowe Crash connects! 1, 2, no. Tsuji positions himself for the Gene Blaster, but Finlay counters with the Gun Stun cutter, and then Into Oblivion, 1, 2, NO! Finlay tries the Into Oblivion again, countered, Finlay hits a spear. Tsuji rebounds, GENE BLASTER! 1, 2, Finlay gets his foot on the ropes! Elbow shots from Tsuji, Finlay is reeling. Curb stomp! He signals for the Gene Blaster once more, but Finlay rolls through into the Overkill! 1, 2, no. Backslide into another Into Oblivion attempt, countered with a knee strike and a powerbomb from Tsuji, Gene Blaster! 1, 2, 3.
Winner and NEW IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion: Yota Tsuji
Time: 19:36
Rating: ***1/2 – They had an uphill battle after the crowd were a little deflated from Douki’s injury, but this built very nicely into a pretty good back and forth encounter. Both men emptied their arsenal, with Tsuji eeking out the victory, appearing to be just that bit better on this day.
Tetsuya Naito vs Hiromu Takahashi
This was originally scheduled for the anniversary show in 2020 but was cancelled due to COVID. So it’s well overdue that we finally get the encounter now. Takahashi has a big mascot suit for his entrance which somehow looks pretty cool despite being ostensibly silly.
Naito stretches out the fist for the LFI pose…and Takahashi walks away! Lockup, full nelson from Takahashi, misses a kick and Naito hits the tranquilo pose, so Hiromu goes for a senton, and Naito dodges. Manhattan drop, neckbreaker across the knee, and Naito locks in a body scissors across the neck and shoulders. Hiromu reaches the ropes to break the hold. Chops from Takahashi, lariat in the corner and a running dropkick gets 2. He looks for a suplex, Naito avoids it and fires off an armdrag and a dropkick to the back of the neck. Delayed neckbreaker, lackadaisical cover for 2. Takahashi gets Naito on his shoulder, dumps him to the apron and hits the sunset flip powerbomb to the floor.
Back on his shoulders, Takahashi delivers the Death Valley Driver, cover, 1, 2, no. German suplex to Naito, clothesline, and the Timebomb connects for 2. Naito looks for the tornado DDT, Hiromu puts on the breaks, Naito goes for it again and hits it, but Takahashi rolls through into a cover for another 2 count. Takahashi perhaps looks for Timebomb 2, but Naito counters with the short Destino, and both men are down. Esparanza in the corner, little bit flaky there. Destino, 1, 2, no. Destino attempt again, but Takahashi counters with the Timebomb, 1, 2, no. Naito counters another Timebomb attempt with some elbow shots, weakening the neck, but Takahashi fires up from it momentarily. He breaks free, enziguri from Naito, Hiromu roll! 1, 2, no. Shotgun dropkick into the corner, TAKAHASHI WITH A DESTINO!! Timebomb 2 connects! 1, 2, NO! He goes for the Timebomb once more, but Naito knees his way out of it. Slap to the face! Takahashi did not like that. He charges, Naito catches him with a spinebuster. Sloooow Destino, 1, 2, NO. Body slam, Naito is looking to the turnbuckle, don’t be crazy son! Takahashi grabs the leg of Naito, holding him back, and fights back to his feet. Valencia, followed by the Destino, 1, 2, 3.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito
Time: 17:08
Rating: ***1/2 – Some might say it had a methodical start, others would say it was pretty damn slow. It finally kicked it up a notch in the latter half, and Hiromu hitting the Destino was neat. Naito is such a shell of his former self, but Takahashi had a good performance here with some strong emotion, showing he can hang with his mentor and almost having his number.
Naito offers the LFI pose and holds his fist aloft, waiting patiently for Takahashi to return it. Hiromu bows low to Naito and finally joins fists, keeping LFI united going into 2025.
[IWGP World Heavyweight Championship] Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs Shota Umino
Umino rides out on a pretty sweet motorcycle and takes a lap around the Tokyo Dome. From the get-go, they work into the ropes, and Umino gives a clean break. ZSJ works out of a wrist clutch, and Umino quickly finds out that you can’t go hold for hold with Sabre Jr. They trade full nelsons, Umino misses an enziguri, they go shot for shot and a dropkick from Umino finally catches ZSJ. A couple of hammer and anvil elbows applied, Zack comes back with an arm wringer and then works over the fingers for some digital manipulation. He traps the arm and stomps on the elbow of Umino, targeting the left arm. Umino tries to fight back, but one more arm wringer cuts his momentum off once more.
Abdominal stretch applied by the champion, transitioning to wrap Umino’s own arm around his throat for added leverage. ZSJ to the ropes, Umino fires off a dropkick to give him some space. Fisherman’s suplex with a bridge gives the challenger a 2 count. Overhead kick to the arm by ZSJ, and Umino comes right back to spike Sabre Jr with the slingshot DDT on the apron. Umino whips ZSJ into the railings, and we hear the first tremor of boos for the challenger. Umino drapes ZSJ over the railings, and hits another spike DDT, this time straight to the floor. Back to the ring, Umino climbs the buckles, diving dropkick and the sideslam gets 2. He tries for Ignition, ZSJ avoids, hits the neck crank and a dropkick to the back of the head. Kicks to the spine, and Umino calls for more. ZSJ delivers, and Umino sits back up, agai asking for another shot. Zack takes it and makes a pin attempt, just gets 2.
ZSJ toys with Umino now, rubbing his boot in the face of the challenger. Umino gets in his face, elbows him, and Zack responds with an uppercut. Sabre Jr rolls into an armbreaker, can’t break the grip of Umino though. He finally breaks it, then rolls Umino into an armbar, reaching behind himself for added leverage, sitting on the head and neck too. Triangle submission now, Umino to his feet though, and he lifts him up! Slams him down, ZSJ breaks the hold and comes right back with a running European uppercut. ZSJ ducks the Blaze Blade, delivers a German and a lariat. Reverse Twist & Shout connects for Shota and both men are down, catching their breath.
Back to their feet, Sabre Jr delivers more uppercuts, and Umino comes back with some of his own. Stiff uppercuts from both guys! Umino is the one to knock Sabre Jr down with those blows and hits an exploder for a 1 count. Dropkick, ZSJ comes right back with a penalty kick. Tornado DDT by Umino, underhooks the arms but ZSJ counters with a Zack Driver! 1, 2, no. Gotch Piledriver attempt is countered, Umino with the Death Rider and gets a 2. Ignition connects, double-arm underhook DDT! 1, 2, NO. Umino looks for one more finisher, but Zack counters with a crank to the lower leg, NICE, and he locks in a kneebar, scissoring the leg. Ankle lock added to the proceedings! And ZSJ drags him back into the center of the ring. Umino grabs Red Shoe’s shirt as Red Shoes says he can tap, but Umino holds on. Sabre Jr figure-fours the leg now, still center of the ring. Umino fights through the pain and inches closer and closer to the rope….and makes it there to break the hold. Stomp to the ankle, and Umino tries to stand but falls back to the canvas, his legs totally shot.
Umino has nothing left and tries to strike Zack, but there’s nothing behind those shots. ZSJ sweeps the legs, but Umino gets himself together and starts fighting back. One more tornado DDT from Shooter connects. Umino pulls himself up in the corner, manages to hit a running knee in the corner. He sits ZSJ on the buckles, tries to climb the ropes but his leg gives out. ZSJ capitalizes with a front guillotine, and Umino is a dead weight, hanging there! ZSJ lifts Umino to the top, thinking Zack Driver maybe? Headbutt from Umino, and he stumbles back. Rising uppercut from the challenger, back up top…DOUBLE UNDERHOOK SUPLEX OFF THE TOP!
Umino stomps away at Zack on the apron, shrugs off his dad as Red Shoes tries to break it up! Umino even keeps stomping while the ref tries to drag him back, drawing the ire of the Tokyo Dome fans in attendance. Forearm shivers from Umino, one more uppercut and Zack is down. Umino traps the arms and stomps away at the head and neck, Danielson-style. ZSJ back to his feet, slaps the taste out of Umino’s mouth. Zack grounds Umino, stomps the back as we pass the 40 minute mark. Kick to the chest, another slap with wrist control, and Umino fires back with slaps of his own. They have a slap war, BIG slap almost knocks Umino out! Pumphandle into an Emerald Flowsion from Umino gets 2. BLAZE BLADE, 1, 2, NO. ZSJ goes back to the leg and cranks on the ankle lock, victory roll by Umino though, 1, 2, no. Lariat from Umino turns Sabre Jr inside-out. Umino’s legs give out, allowing ZSJ to hit the Zack Driver, 1, 2, NOOO!
Gotch-style piledriver, Suzuki would be proud of that one. Sabre Driver, 1, 2, 3!
Winner and STILL IWGP World Heavyweight Champion: Zack Sabre Jr
Time: 43:44
Rating: ****1/4 – There’s your epic main event, with tremendous limbwork and both guys spotlighting some great technical wrestling on the biggest scale. It did feel a tad long, especially as they hit an early peak in the middle and then the pacing dropped, but this was a proper war of attrition. Umino may not be the next Ace (according to crowd response, at least) but there’s no denying that he performed fantastically, selling the leg exceptionally well for the most part. Huge win for Zack here, being one of the very few non-Japanese talents to win in the main event spot of Wrestle Kingdom. Rightly deserved.
That’s all for Wrestle Kingdom, folks – thanks for joining me. I’ll be back tonight for live coverage of AEW Collision – see you then!
