Posted on 1/04/126 by Bob Magee
Pre-Show
Katsuya Murashima & Masatora Yasuda defeated Shoma Kato &
Tatsuya Matsumoto
Murashima and Matsumoto began grappling to a standstill in
the Tokyo Dome. Yasuda gained control following two
suplexes. Kato quickly recovered with a suplex to Murashima.
Three consecutive bodyslams saw Kato maintain an edge over
Murashima. He bounced back with a Back-Body Drop. and a
Murashima Stampede. Through gritted teeth and applied
pressure, Murashima’s Boston Crab tapped Kato.
(Crisp match with a quick pace. While the Young Lions were
hungry, they stayed coloring in the lines, so as not to take
any unwanted risks. Just enough to have a serviceable
match.)
El Phantasmo (c) defeated Chris Brookes for the NJPW World
Television Championship
Phantasmo and Brookes wrestled to a standstill. Employing
sportsmanship with a handshake, Phantasmo earned a kick to
the midsection as recompense for his good deed. Attacking
Phantasmo’s ally, Jado, Brookes exploited the confusion and
the environment using his DDT cohorts to inflict whiplash
via a brightly colored rope.
Brookes from the top rope landed a senton that rattled the
champion. Phantasmo slingshot himself from the ropes to
deliver a Thunderkiss 86. His UFO attempt nearly finished
the match. Brooks regained control, sneaking his knees up to
disrupt another Thunderkiss 86. The challenger’s Brainbuster
resulted in a nearfall. Phantasmo’s CR2 preceded a final
Thunderkiss 86 that secured a title retention over Brookes.
(Phantasmo and Brookes had chemistry. The Dome sizzled with
this one, and I imagine Brookes will revisit this bout with
Phantasmo in the future to build something else. There’s
something here, but not enough to go nuts over. Solid
affair.)
Main Card
TMDK eliminated Oleg Boltin & Bishamon (Hirooki Goto &
YOSHI-HASHI) in the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team
Championship Rambo
House of Torture (SANADA, Ren Narita, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
promptly went to work on Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino, & Kaisei
Takechi. They bounced back, however, flinging Narita into
the corner as War Dogs (Yuto-Ice, OSKAR, & Clark Connors
sauntered to the ring, accompanied by AEW’s Thekla. Narita
unwisely took this time to sneak up on Umino, Uemura, and
Takechi and was stomped out. War Dogs barreled into the
standing babyfaces.
Thekla distracted House of Torture so Connors could batter
them with a tire. TMDK emerged next, featuring Zack Sabre
Jr, Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson. Oiwa and Yuto-Ice
clobbered each other with forearms. Connors punctured Sabre
with a Gore to allow Yuto-Ice more breathing room. Tiger
Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Togi Makabe joined the four teams
as Oiwa battled OSKAR and Yuto-Ice in the ring. Oiwa flung
OSKAR out, thereby eliminating War Dogs. They were replaced
by Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) & Oleg Boltin.
Team 100 (Taichi & Satoshi Kojima) & Tomohiro Ishii were the
new entries as Boltin eliminated Tiger Mask via pinfall.
Boltin and Ishii teetered in a vertical suplex standoff,
which the latter gained the upper hand in. The champions
Toru Yano, Master Wato, & YOH rounded out the participants;
YOH came out emulating “Toru YOH-no”. Taichi and Uemura
tumbled into the ropes, each spilling outside, therefore
eliminating their teams.
YOH singlehandedly stood his own against the challengers.
Wato and Yano saved YOH from elimination. However, House of
Torture pulled him off the ropes after nearly toppling
SANADA, who fell out as well. Bishamon and Boltin
coordinated well to disorient TMDK. Sabre outwrestled
Boltin’s Kamikaze attempt to secure a pinfall with a bridged
pin.
(This Rambo Match felt like a party. It won’t be for
everyone, but the chaos was a part of the charm. I genuinely
didn’t expect TMDK or Bishamon & Oleg Boltin to be the final
two.)
Syuri (c) defeated Saya Kamitani (c) for the IWGP Women’s
Championship & NJPW Strong Women’s Championship
Despite the swift agility of both champions, each woman
evaded the other’s lethal strikes to a stalemate. Syuri
trapped Kamitani’s arm, but a rope break was her salvation.
Kamitani used the referee as a shield to break up Syuri’s
momentum. H.A.T.E. pulled Syuri out of the ring, allowing
Kamitani to dive at her into the steel blue barricade.
Kamitani weakened Syuri following a spiteful forearm
exchange. A Bridging Northern Lights Suplex lent the Strong
champion more momentum. Syuri swung a comeback as she
dragged Kamitani over the top rope and cranked back on her
opponent’s arm. The terrified and panicking Kamitani
squirmed to a rope break, even though both of her arms were
within Syuri’s grasp. A confident Blue Thunderbomb placed
Kamitani inches from victory, as did a Star Crusher. Syuri
grounded Kamitani with a Fujiwara Armbar, followed by a knee
to the face. Kamitani garnered some steam, but Syuri caught
her with a roundhouse kick. A Buzzsaw Kick dazed Kamitani.
Syuri became a double champion by use of her signature Syu-
Sekai.
(To the surprise of absolutely no one, this match was a
classic. A hard-hitting bout with close nearfalls, this
added poignancy to the seriousness of tonight. If this match
doesn’t land in the conversation of match of the year in
most, if not all, circles, then I’d be surprised.)
United Empire (Jake Lee, Andrade El Idolo, Callum Newman,
Great-O-Khan & HENARE) defeated War Dogs (David Finlay,
Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd) & Unaffiliated (Hiromu Takahashi
& Shingo Takagi)
Finlay quickly went to work on Lee. Meanwhile, Kidd
contended with Idolo, whose conditioning overwhelmed the
madman, resulting in a Flying Crossbody. Takagi and HENARE
collided, two bulls clashing in tackles, the former gaining
an upper hand with a DDT. HENARE withstood most of Takagi’s
offense, but couldn’t survive a lariat. Moloney outcircled
him, leading to a dropkick. Reunited with Takagi, HENARE
fell prey to an elbow from him and Moloney.
Takagi’s lariat and Moloney’s Gore continued to rock the
Maori wrestler. Finally, HENARE snagged a comeback with a
Berserker Bomb. Finlay and Newman’s hate boiled over in
their hot tags; a backbreaker crushed the latter. Lee joined
in, powerslamming Finlay. Takahashi and Finlay used each
other as a weapon, flinging the other into Lee in the
corner. By way of Finlay’s Dominator, Takahashi landed on
Lee in a 2-count pin attempt. Moloney endured Newman’s
onslaught to return fire with a Drilla Killa. Finlay tossed
Takahashi into the sea of War Dogs and United Empire
members. Irate, Takahashi flipped him over onto all their
partners and opponents.
The jubilant Takahashi, now isolated, looked at the lights
after Lee’s Facebreak Shot awarded him the pinfall victory.
Post-match: Jakob Austin Young joined the group in a white-
collared shirt and tie. A masked figure also joined the
United Empire’s celebration, revealed to be Francesco Akira.
(This match had some unhinged energy to it, with so much
going on. I loved the chaos. Social media may be divided on
Jake Lee, but the overall storytelling and action in this
match was truly something to behold.)
El Desperado defeated Taiji Ishimori, SHO, Kosei Fujita for
the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Contender
SHO found himself on the receiving end of everyone’s ire,
absorbing everyone’s kicks. He pointed into a random corner
and scurried away. Desperado and Ishimori formed a temporary
alliance toward Fujita. SHO returned to the fray and
promptly fell to a drop toe-hold from Fujita (with a
Desperado and Ishimori assist). Ishimori left Desperado
reeling with a La Mistica. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI
swarmed Ishimori with stomps and a lead pipe from the
latter. SHO almost struck Ishimori with a wrench when Robbie
Eagles, Robbie X, and Kuukai came to his rescue.
Fujita would have helped them, had it not been for SHO
striking him with a black sheet pan. He followed up with a
Shock Arrow. Desperado usurped him, nevertheless, with a
Pinche Loco.
(Thrilling Junior Heavyweight action here, don’t get me
wrong. But this match was so disorganized in the end. Though
I’m excited to see the Robbies and Kuukai involved, I could
have sworn the House of Torture interference had resulted in
a bell being rung, so I thought this had already ended in
disqualification with a wild post-match angle. Whatever. It
should’ve been Fujita with the win, though.)
Death Vegas Invitacional and further event dates
An April 16, 2026, show in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, was
revealed to be titled “Death Vegas Invitacional”. Further
shows revealed were the New Japan Cup, Sakura Genesis,
Wrestling Red Zone in Hiroshima, Wrestling Dontaku, and G1
Climax 36 (with U.S. dates).
Aaron Wolf defeated EVIL (c) for the NEVER Openweight
Championship
Wolf emerged with a shaved head and black trunks, eschewing
his judogi.
EVIL and Wolf wasted no time, sharing forearms. The fiery
Wolf used EVIL’s headlock against him, hurling him every
which way. An elbow drop left EVIL fleeing to the outside.
Propping a chair on Wolf’s neck, EVIL swung like he was
famed baseball player Ken Griffey Jr in 1997. The arrogant
EVIL taunted Wolf after an Irish Whip into the corner
wrecked the former judoka.
Another whip into the corner devastated Wolf. EVIL tried
several pinfalls to no avail. Using his judo experience,
Wolf overcame the flood of House of Torture members with
relative ease. EVIL swung powder in his face and sank in a
deep Texas Cloverleaf. Tokyo erupted as he crawled to the
bottom rope. EVIL regained dominance as he bullied Wolf with
strikes. Wolf found his spirit with an Olympic Slam. He
rocked EVIL with a Splash. House of Torture stole the
referee before he could get a pin. Preventing further aid,
the team wiped out YOH, Master Wato, and Toru Yano, who
stormed in on Wolf’s behalf.
Don Fale erected a wooden table and splashed Wolf through
its unforgiving structure. Miraculously, Wolf kicked out of
EVIL’s lariat. Wrapping his legs around EVIL’s neck, Wolf
stretched EVIL’s arms until he was left unconscious. Wolf
became the new NEVER Openweight Champion.
(Tokyo was not ready for, yet hotly anticipated, Aaron Wolf.
The long build to his debut and the overall execution made
for a special moment and atmosphere. EVIL was actually in
good form here, and the House of Torture antics added to the
drama to give a superhuman performance. Wolf is a made man,
and I hope the booking has the vision to ensure he is a
successful prospect.)
Yota Tsuji defeated Konosuke Takeshita for the IWGP World
Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Global Heavyweight
Championship
Exchanging headlocks, both men remained remarkably calm.
Reaching a standstill, Tsuji paintbrushed Takeshita in the
face. He sent Takeshita reeling courtesy of a hurricanrana.
Slowing the match to a crawl, Takeshita took a stroll to
regain composure. The audience audibly grimaced, hearing the
thud of Tsuji’s chest from Takeshita’s chops.
Tsuji rocked Takeshita with the double-knee Gut Buster. The
World Heavyweight Champ retaliated with a vertical suplex.
Takeshita dropped Tsuji with a DDT onto the apron, to head-
crunching effect. He sent Tsuji outside with a
Frankensteiner. Tsuji countered a Power Drive with a
backbreaker and a stomp to grasp a comeback. Tokyo clamored
for Tsuji following a well-executed Fosbury Flop.
Takeshita’s Power Drive hit its mark on Tsuji, and he hit
his own version of the Gene Blaster. Escaping Takeshita’s
forearms, Tsuji was devastated with an elbow low blow.
Takeshita lay dizzied on the mat after suffering a
Destroyer. Though he suplexed Tsuji, Takeshita still ended
up on the receiving end of a Gene Blaster. Readying for
another Blaster, Tsuji withstood Takeshita’s knee, a Blue
Thunderbomb, and a Raging Fire with a rope break. Takeshita
found some wiggle room with a Poisonrana. Tokyo became
unglued after a top rope Blue Thunder Bomb and Power Drive
failed to put Tsuji away. Aiming for one last Power Drive,
Takeshita instead fell victim to a Gene Blaster. Tsuji sank
in a Boston Crab and lowered it further to keep Takeshita
grounded. Ultimately, Takeshita acquiesced, tapping out to
Tsuji’s pressure.
Post-match: Tsuji celebrated, enjoying sportsmanship from
Takeshita and expressing his pride as the new World
Heavyweight Champion, as well as retaining his Global
Heavyweight Champion. Jake Lee attacked him from behind and
tossed his title carelessly into his lap.
(Yes. I agree with this. The absolute correct call, and I am
a Takeshita fan. But man, this match’s intensity became so
stressful, so compelling that any meandering spots were
meaningless to the overall spots that elevated it to another
level. Takeshita and Tsuji have such gripping chemistry that
reliably results in instant classics.)
Main Event
Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
Tanahashi soon wrestled control of the match in his favor.
Okada wrenched it to his with a relentless headlock,
taunting him by saying, “Go, Ace!” Tanahashi retorted with
an elbow drop and a senton. Slamming his opponent to the
mat, he teased a High-Fly Flow when Okada dropkicked him to
the ringside. The Rainmaker faced Tokyo with a cheesy grin
as he tormented Tanahashi with a knee to the barricade and a
DDT off of it.
Bullying his old rival in the corner, Okada planted him with
a DDT. Fighting back with punches, Tanahashi dazed Okada
with a slam and a senton. Okada flung Tanahashi over the top
rope, but he ricocheted back, replying with a Dragonscrew
Leg Whip. Recuperating on the outside, Okada returned to the
floor upon a top rope High-Fly Flow. Giving the camera the
middle finger, Okada hinted at a Rainmaker Lariat, only for
Tanahashi to flop him around with three successive Twist ‘n’
Shouts. A Tombstone from Okada was The Ace’s reward. The
crowd pleaded with Okada not to drop Tanahashi with a
Tombstone on the ramp, but he did it anyway. With the weight
of the world and the match crushing his body, Tanahashi
narrowly slipped back in the ring at a close 19-count.
Okada greeted him with a series of Rainmakers, with a third
one eliciting a fire from The Ace. Wrist control firmly
locked, Okada resumed his unloading of Rainmakers. With a
second wind, Tanahashi reversed one with a Rainmaker of his
own. Okada employed one more Rainmaker with some extra
emphasis added to it. Changing strategies, Okada targeted
Tanahashi’s knees with a Boston Crab. As though holding his
last breath to savor life itself, Tanahashi refused to give
in, grasping for that rope break. Distancing himself from
another of Okada’s Rainmakers, Tanahashi pulled out a
Slingblade.
Sitting Okada down with a sleeper hold, Tanahashi evoked
Katsuyori Shibata with a Penalty Kick. He then paid homage
to Shinsuke Nakamura with a Bomaye. While he did land a
High-Fly Flow, Okada denied him a successful pinfall. Once
more, Tanahashi reversed a Rainmaker with a Slingblade. At
the last second, Okada lifted his knees to rupture
Tanahashi’s midsection to disrupt a High-Fly Flow. Tanahashi
absorbed a series of uppercuts, doling out forearms in
return. Battling for leverage, Okada stole Tetsuya Naito’s
Destino, followed by a Cobra Flowsion. Visibly exhausted, he
struck with a stiff Rainmaker. Using a classic Rainmaker
pose, Okada followed suit with his patented lariat and
retired Hiroshi Tanahashi in the middle of the ring.
Post-match: Okada bowed to Tanahashi, and on the microphone,
he said, “Thank you.” Officials gifted Tanahashi his
flowers. Former NJPW talents Jay White, Will Ospreay, Kenny
Omega, and a tearful and agonized Kota Ibushi gave The Ace
more flowers, embracing him with a hug as the locker room
joined at ringside.
Katsuyori Shibata, playing heel, wearing an Opps t-shirt,
handed Tanahashi his own bouquet, and they locked up one
last time before hugging. Keiji Muto also gave his flowers,
as did Tatsumi Fujinami. Just when it seemed everyone had
their moment, BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito surprised Tokyo with
his presence as he gave his own flowers, taking his time as
he did so, as is his wont. He took the microphone and said
that even if he didn’t ever wrestle in an NJPW ring again,
he’d hope to meet Tanahashi again someday. Tanahashi
concluded the evening’s proceedings, giving a heartfelt
thank you and a couple of air guitar solos. As was the case
throughout the last dates of his run, Tanahashi greeted
every fan he could feasibly reach.
(Okada was exceptional here; trying to be a heel, delighting
in mischief, only to give in to his emotion for a memorable
last encounter. A bittersweet finale for a wrestler who
changed the game. Tanahashi, even in his final year,
contributed so much. Elevating younger talent, earning
accolades (such as his 100th G1 Climax victory), all while
embodying the spirit of The Ace. I watched this match, as I
had all his other matches in 2025, holding in each moment in
my mind so as to remember the feeling of a Tanahashi match.
Inevitably, we all have to let go. In the end, it was an
honor covering Tanahashi’s final bout on this platform.
Thank you, Ace.)
Final Thoughts
While I think poorly of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight
Championship contender match and was unmoved by Jake Lee’s
return, I found social media’s reactions to the show to be
exaggerated. Plenty of matches were either satisfying or
good. Great, even. Saya Kamitani and Syuri had an incredible
workrate display. Aaron Wolf and EVIL moved the entirety of
the Tokyo Dome in a feel-good debut. Yota Tsuji and Konosuke
Takeshita thrilled in a dramatic match that could easily be
taken as a message of Japan placing its homegrown talent
first. But everyone likely was here for Tanahashi and Okada
running it back one last time.
And to that effort, they did exactly what they were supposed
to do. All emotions on the line. Okada, breaking away from
his Don Callis Family persona over time, ended the match on
that cathartic note.
NJPW sold the Tokyo Dome out on this night, January 4. I
hope the company learned the right lessons from the show.
Japan may still be struggling economically, but if it pivots
correctly, the lion crest may find its bearings and become a
driving force in 2026. This is the year to be forward-
thinking. The Ace won’t be here this time to turn things
around as he did against Inoki-ism.