NJPW Wrestle Dynasty Review (1/5/2025).
(I wrote this review as this show aired, as I did for Wrestle Kingdom 19 the night before.)
Coming just one day after a pretty solid Wrestle Kingdom 19 event, New Japan brings us another helping of Tokyo Dome action with Wrestle Dynasty, an interpromotional supercard hosted by NJPW, AEW, CMLL, STARDOM & ROH. Iāll be the first to tell you that my hype for this event is significantly smaller than it was for WK. For a show featuring five different promotions, this show seems kind of tame. Personally, I wish there was more representation across the card because this mostly feels like a Forbidden Door PPV held in Japan. And I do not mean that in a nice way.
Alas, the card will probably be solid regardless, so Iām probably bitching for nothing. This morning, the main event was confirmed to be an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship showdown between Zack Sabre, Jr. and Ricochet. The selling point for me, and many others, for this card is the singles showdown between Kenny Omega and Gabe Kidd. Being his first match since December of 2023 due to a bout with diverticulitis, Omega is looking to charge back into the wrestling scene with a great performance. Standing across from him is a young hotshot looking to make a name for himself at the expense of the Cleaner.
Elsewhere on the card, you have plenty of interpromotional singles matches between AEW and New Japan, as well as several championship bouts, and a huge singles meeting between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuyori Shibata that was set up following Tanaās WK match against EVIL last night. Itās listed as a āGrappling Rulesā match, so hereās hoping that Shibata doesnāt call an audible like he did at Wrestle Kingdom 16, and scare the hell out of management.
Should be a fun show, no matter how Iām feeling about representation. So, letās get into it!
(Preshow): International Womenās Cup Finals: Momo Watanabe vs. Persephone vs. Athena vs. Willow Nightingale.
It is ridiculous that this match is on the pre-show, just throwing that out there.
We get this awesome interpromotional showdown to start things out, as Momo represents STARDOM, Willow represents AEW, Persephone represents CMLL, and reiging ROH Womenās Champion Athena represents Athena.
Momo rushes Willow to start things out, ane Persephone rushes at Athena. Momo tosses Athena out of the ring, and Willow gets a nearfall off of her. Nice enziguri by Willow, and a clothesline in the corner. Big boot follows, and here comes Persephone with a back slide for a nearfall. She does the Bray Wyatt spider walk, then does the fall away slam to Willow. Athena is back in, and she drops Persephone on her arm. Neckbreaker, and a suplex follows.
Athena with a hand spring elbow in the corner, and then she kicks Persephone in the chest. Momo brings the baseball bat in, and the referee cuts her off. Thekla at ringside gets into it with Athena. Momo looks for the bastard driver on Persephone, but Athena clotheslines her, and Persephone turns it into a Code Red for a 2 count. Superkick by Athena to Willow. Willow lifts her up for a suplex, and boots Momo at the same time. Spear by Persephone.
Momo and Persephone look for a double suplex on Willow, who counters by suplexing both of them! Double splash gets a nearfall. Momo with the Meteora to Willow on the outside. Athena goes to the top, and hits a senton cannonball to Momo and Willow. Persephone is on the top rope, and she hits a nice corkscrew crossbody onto Momo and Athena. Willow hits a lariat to her next. Back in the ring, Willow hits a shotgun dropkick to Persephone. She misses the cannonball in the corner, and Persephone hits a Tope to the outside onto Willow. German Suplex in the ring, and Momo breaks up the pin. Momo hangs Persephone upside down, and sends Willow into her. She kicks Willowās back, and then she drills her with the Bastard Driver. Athena breaks up the pin.
Athena and Momo exchange hard forearms in the ring, and Athena does a victory roll to her. They shove each other, and here comes Persephone and Willow to intervene. Athena with a double Code Breaker to Willow and Persephone off the top rope. Alabama Slam to Persephone on top of Willow, and it gets a nearfall. Willow hits the Pounce, sending Athena to the floor. Willow knocks Momo off the apron, and hits the gut wrench powerbomb to Persephone, only to have it reversed into a roll up for 2.
Northern Lights suplex gets a 2 for Persephone. Athena with a choke slam to Persephone on the apron. Momo is in the ring, kicking Willow in the head. Willow lifts her up and sends her back first into the turnbuckle. Willow fires up, but here comes Athena comes out of nowhere with the O Face! She covers, but Thekla pulls the referee out of the ring. Momo cracks the baseball bat off of Athenaās head, and then hits the Peach Sunrise to take the win. Thatās the first time Athena has been pinned in two years. And it was on the pre-show.
Good start to the show. Lots of fast paced action between four talented women. Everyone got equal time to shine. Persephone was a real standout for me, as I am unfamiliar with her work. Momo winning was a bit of a surprise, as I wouldāve bet money on Athena taking this. My only grip is that this was on the pre-show. Momo pinning Athena is a big deal if youāve been following ROH the last few years, and something that important shouldāve been on the Tokyo Dome main card. Alas.
(Preshow): ROH World Tag Team Championship: Sammy Guevara & Dustin Rhodes Ā© vs. SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
House of Torture made the challenge for this match in a video package at Final Battle, and the Sons of Texas accepted it. This is Dustin Rhodesā first appearance in the Tokyo Dome since I believe 1993. Him being here again this late in his career is pretty cool.
Kanemaru spits at the Tag Titles, because House of Torture is awful and doesnāt care about anything.
The bell sounds, and Dustin offers his hand to SHO. He and Kanemaru double team Dustin, who fights back with a double clothesline. Guevara tags in, and chops SHO in the chest. Double suplex by the Texas boys, and a standing moonsault to SHO. Guevara goes to the top rope, and he hits a high crossbody. He sends Kanemaru to the outside, and then kicks SHO in the head. Springboard moonsault to the outside onto Kanemaru.
Guevara dives into the ring, and SHO catches him and sends him to the floor. Guevara gets thrown into the barricade, while SHO removes the turnbuckle pad. Back in the ring, SHO sends Sammy into the exposed turnbuckle. Double elbow by SHO and Kanemaru to Sammy, and they attack Dustin as well. He gets whipped into the turnbuckle next. Kanemaru hits a nice back body drop to Sammy. He follows up with a suplex for a 2 count.
SHO tags in, and gets several nearfalls off. Kanemaru is in, and he applies the Boston Crab next. SHO tags in, and he stomps his foot into the ROH Tag Title. Standing enziguri by Sammy, and both men are down now. Sammy sends SHO to the floor, and he makes the crawl towards Dustin. SHO tries to stop him, and he eats a Code Breaker. Enziguri to Kanemaru, and here comes Dustin, whoās a house of fire on House of Torture. Beautiful scoop slam to SHO. He tries to spear Dustin, who no sells it. SHO tries again, and it works. Kanemaru makes the tag, and he hits a dropkick to the leg. Dustin misses an elbow drop, and gets hit with a low dropkick by Kanemaru. He takes a shot of the whiskey and spits it in Dustinās face, and he gets a roll up for a 2 count.
Sammy with a Cutter to Kanemaru, and a thrust kick to SHO. Canadian Destroyer by Dustin to SHO! Dustin takes a drink of the whiskey, and spits it at Kanemaru. Final reckoning connects, and Sammy hits the Senton from the top to win and retain the championships. Decent match. Relatively inoffense work all around. Dustin and Sammy kicked House of Tortureās ass, and thatās really all I need this early into an event.
- Lucha Gauntlet Match.
We have eight mystery men in this match ā four from New Japan, and four from CMLL, entering at one minute intervals. Hechicero is out first, and thatās fucking awesome! Heās one of my favorites that Iāve discovered in CMLL. Out second is Kosei Fujjta, one half of the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. The bell sounds, and both men quickly look for control on the mat. Hechicero ties up the legs, and tries for a pin. Fujita escapes, and takes top position. Hechicero grabs the wrist, and Fujita escapes that as well.
Out next is Soberano, Jr., and heās wearing a gold encrusted crown of thorns. Good look! He goes to the top, and hits a crossbody to Fujita. Hurricanrana to Hechicero next, and a thrust kick to Fujita. Hechicero ties up the leg in the ropes, and locks in a surfboard variation to Fujita. Soberano dives off the top with a senton to Fujita, and hits a head scissors to Hechicero. Fossbury Flop to Hechicero. Master Wato is out next, and Soberano is waiting for him in the ring.
They exchange hard chops in the ring, and Soberano hits a nice dropkick to the face. Wato with a nice hurricanrana to Soberano, sending him to the outside. They end up fighting on the outside for a brief moment, but they return to the ring. Mascara Dorada is out next, and he gets a nice reception. He springboards off the ropes with an arm drag to Wato, and one to Soberano. Hurricanrana to Fujita, followed by one to Hechicero to send him to the floor. Tope to the outside to Soberano, as Dorada stands tall in the ring. Another Tope to Hechicero!
Taiji Ishimori enters next. He and Dorada go at it, with Ishimori popping off some hard punches to the head of the youngster. Hand spring Cutter by Ishimori, and it looked awesome! He hits Dorada with a nice shoulder breaker, and then hits La Mistica into the LeBell Lock, Danielson style! Here comes Titan out next. He springboards into the ring with a crossbody onto Ishimori, then hits a nice back kick to the face.
Titan takes the wrist of Dorada, then bounces off the ropes with a shotgun dropkick to Ishimori. Huge superkick by Titan to Dorada. Well, look at this ā the final entrant is El Desperado, the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion! The whole field of competitors are stunned by this appearance. Despy doesnāt look too thrilled that 7 guys are coming at him on the ramp, but here they come! Suplex in the ring by Dorada, Attitude Adjustment by Hechicero, Wasteland by Wato, some kind of move by Titan, Wasteland by Soberano, Wasteland by Ishimori, and a powerslam by Fujita. Poor Despy.
Hechicero chops him, then hits a running knee. He goes for the cover, and now all hell breaks loose. Everyone is kicking everybody down. Hechicero hammerlocks the arm of Desperado, then drops him on his knee. Fujita breaks up that pin. He hits a Tope to the outside on Hechicero. Corkscrew dive to the outside by Soberano. Wato sends Titan to the apron, and gets kicked in the face. Springboard moonsault to the outside by Titan. Wato fires up the crowd, and hits a senton to the outside. Dorada stands on the middle rope, and hits a shooting star press to everybody on the floor. In the ring, Fujita lifts Desperado up, who counters with a quick pin attempt for 2.
Victory roll by Despy, and into Numero Dos, which Fujita escapes, and he locks in a submission that nearly submits the champion. Ishimori breaks it up, then puts Desperado in the Gedo Clutch for the flash pin. That likely means weāre getting Desperado vs. Ishimori for the Jr. Title during the New Beginning tour. I for one am not excited for that one, as itās been over done quite a lot. Anyway, this was a really fun way to kick off the main card. It was my first exposure to Soberano, Jr. and Mascara Dorada, and they were a sight to behold. Itās always nice to see Titan and Hechicero compete. This was a nice sprint, with plenty of high spots, and plenty of chances for people to shine.
- Special Exhibition Grappling Rules Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata.
Last night at Wrestle Kingdom 19, Shibata saved Tanahashi from a House of Torture beatdown, then challenged him to this match. Thereās a ton of history between these two ā they were in the same Dojo class, debuting in 1999. They are two thirds of the New Three Musketeers, alongside Shinsuke Nakamura. Shibata had his career ended in 2017 due to a headbutt, but was able to return to the ring starting with a Grappling Exhibition with Zack Sabre, Jr. during the G1 31 finals.
He famously went off script during his Wrestle Kingdom 16 exhibition against Ren Narita, turning it into an actual wrestling match, despite not being cleared by New Japanās doctors. Heās since competed full time and full contact in ROH and AEW. Heās been kind of blacklisted from competing in New Japan ever since, but heās back tonight to face Tanahashi, during the start of Tanaās final year as a wrestler. Hereās hoping that Shibata doesnāt decide to turn this one into a match as well. Iām sure that wouldnāt go over well a second time.
Bell sounds, and we get five more minutes of Tana vs. Shibata. They lock hands briefly, and break apart. They lock up, and neither man is able to get a proper lead. Tana seems to have the advantage, until Shibata forces him into the ropes. Clean break by Shibata, and they lock up again. Big chop by Shibata, and one from Tana. Nice chop exchange from the two. Shibata with hard chops, and Tana wants more!
Tana explodes with a barrage of chops to Shibata, and Shibata gives him one that sends him away. Shibata gets Tana into the ropes, and continues to chop him. Tana now gets Shibata into the ropes and chops him more. Tana with a headbutt! Shibata with machine gun chops in the corner, and Tana with some of his own. Tana tries for the Dragon Suplex, but Shibata escapes. They continue to chop each other as the time winds down.
The time expires, as the chop exchange continues on. Post match, they glance at one another, and shake hands in respect. Shibata says that maybe, they can do this one more time in the future. Not much here to digest, with it only being 5 minutes, but hey, itās five more minutes of Shibata vs. Tanahashi when we all once believed that Shibata would never return to a wrestling ring. Tana had a nice fire about him here, something that definitely wasnāt present during the EVIL match the night before. Good and simple.
- NJPW Strong Womenās Championship/RevPro Undisputed British Womenās Championship Title for Title: Mercedes Mone Ā© vs. Mina Shirakawa Ā©.
Following her match at Strong Style Evolved against Hazuki, Mercedes Mone was confronted by Mina Shirakawa, who challenged her for all the gold here in the Tokyo Dome. Mercedes accepted, and here we are.
Mercedes has a Sailor Moon inspired attire on tonight.
The bell sounds, and both women lock up quickly. Mercedes forces her into the turnbuckle, and gives her a clean break. Mina dropkicks her leg, and Mercedes grabs her by the hair. Nice springboard arm drag into the Statement Maker. Mina goes to the floor, and Mercedes hits a baseball slide dropkick. Mercedes hits a Tope to the outside onto Mina and the rest of eXv. Mercedes brings her back into the ring, and goes to the middle rope. Mina slaps her, then hits a Dragon Screw Legwhip.
Mina drags Mercedes to the ring post, and swings her leg into the steel. Mina applies the ring post Figure Four, Bret Hart style! Mercedes fires back by sending Mina head first into the turnbuckle, and then connecting with the Meteora for a 2 count. Mina lifts Mercedes up, and drops her knees first directly on the mat. Mina drops an elbow on the injured knee, then drops the knee across her own. Mina uses all her body weight to stand on Mercedesā leg.
Mercedes comes back with another Meteora to slow things down. Huge knee to the face by Mercedes and a back stabber. Rolling elbow in the corner, followed by a barrage of forearms to Mina. She places Mina across the middle ropes, and drops the double knees. Mercedes with a Meteora off the middle rope, but Mina catches the legs and slams the bad knee off the mat. Figure Four Leglock applied, and Mercedes quickly rolls to the ropes.
Springboard kick to the face by Mina, and she gets a nearfall off of it. Mercedes blocks a powerslam and hits the Bloody Cross, but it only adds to her damaged leg. They lock wrists, and exchange hard elbows to the head. Mina with two hard discus punches to the head, and Mercedes quickly looks for the Mone Maker. Her knee buckles, and Mina comes back with a DDT. Mercedes blocks a Figure Four attempt, and hits the Three Amigos, Guerrero Style.
Mercedes goes to the top rope, and Mina meets her there. She pounds on the spine, and hits a flying DDT to the mat. Another Dragon Screw Legwhip by Mina, and she lifts Mercedes up in the Electric Chair position. She dumps her face first to the mat, and applies the Figure Four again. Mercedes is able to roll to the ropes again to survive. Mina goes to the top rope, and hits a Zig Zag, followed by an Implant DDT for a 2 count.
Mina goes for the Glamorous Driver, and she hits it! Mina covers, and Mercedes is somehow able to kick out. Mina tries for it again, but Mercedes escapes. She hits the Code Breaker, and another. She covers, and Mina kicks out. Mercedes looks for the Mone Maker, but Mina counters into the Ushigoroshi! Mina locks in a variation of the Figure Four, and Mercedes turns it into a back slide for a 2 count. Small package also gets her a 2 count.
Mercedes catches Mina with the Mone Maker, and thatās enough for the win. Mercedes can add the RevPro title to her AEW TBS Title, and the NJPW Strong Womenās Title. Theoretically, she is a Triple Crown Champion now. That was a pretty good match with a nice hot finish to boot. Mina looked fantastic here, focusing on the leg all match long. She displayed great psychology working on that limb. Mercedes was good, but her selling of the leg in the finish leaves a lot to be desired. She was struggling one minute, and then fine the next. The more wrestling I watch, the more nitpicky I get about selling in certain matches. Still, not a bad match. Mayu/AZM last night was way better, though. Hell, the Womenās Cup on the preshow was better.
- Special Singles Match: David Finlay vs. Brody King.
If I remember correctly, Brody King issued the challenge for this match. Finlay will be looking to rebound from his loss of the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship to Yota Tsuji last night, while Brody will be looking for a big win in his Tokyo Dome singles debut.
They lock up at the start, and Finlay surprisingly gets Brody into the turnbuckle first. Brody quickly fights back, using his strength to force Finlay away. Big boot connects, and then he tosses Finlay across the ring. He rushes Finlay, who ducks and has him charge into the turnbuckle head first. Brody hits a back body drop next, and a hard chop that drops the Rebel. Brody with another chop, and Finlay rolls to the apron.
Finlay guillotines Brody on the top rope, then chop blocks the leg. Finlay hits some nice forearms to Brodyās face. He then follows with the Cactus Clothesline, sending both men to the outside. Finlay sends Brody head first into the ring post, and then Brody throws Finlay hard into the barricade. He grabs a chair from under the ring, and places Finlay on it. Brody chops him, then barks into the camera. Brody rushes him, and splashes him into the barricade. The whole damn stage that the ring sits on moved off of that.
Back in the ring, Brody hits a senton to Finlay for a 2 count. Another chop connects by the big boy of House of Black. Finlay tries to escape, and just continues to get chopped. Brody with a hard irish whip to the turnbuckle, and then he sends Finlay shoulder first into the opposing one. Brody places Finlay across the ropes, and hits him across the chest again. Finlay and Brody are on the apron, as Finlay attempts to come back with forearms. Brody is able to hold him at bay with just one.
Brody with a sleeper hold, and Finlay rakes the eyes. Next, he rushes Brody with a shoulder tackle that crushes him into the barricade. Finlay goes to the top rope, uncharacteristically, and hits a splash to Brody, sending him into the barricade again. Back in the ring, Finlay hits a back elbow to the head, and then goes to the top rope. Brody trips him, and hits the Death Valley Driver for a 2 count. Brody with a nasty looking elbow to Finlayās jaw, and another.
Brody with a Stan Hansen like lariat, and he gets a nearfall. He goes into a piledriver next, and Finlay kicks out again. Brody with another lariat to Finlay, and the Rebel kicks out. Finlay escapes from a powerbomb attempt to hit a Spear for a nearfall. Low lariat to the back of the head, and Brody kicks out again. He goes to pick Brody up, but the big man lifts Finlay up and hits a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckle. He is barking again, which the fans repeat.
Brody with a cannonball in the corner, and he places Finlay on the top rope. He looks for a suplex, and Finlay escapes with a sunset flip into a powerbomb! Finlay hits the Overkill, and thatās enough for the win. This was a hard hitting match that at times felt repetitive. Itās like the whole match was done in one gear, and never reached the next gear. I will say that Brody looked like an absolute monster here, and if Tony Khan isnāt going to push Malakai Black as a singles star in AEW, then he needs to fucking push Brody King because he can go. David Finlay got his shit rocked for the majority of this match, but he was able to slip away with a win, and to get back on track. 5. Special Singles Match: Shota Umino vs. Claudio Castagnoli.
Fresh off of his loss to Zack Sabre, Jr. last night at Wrestle Kingdom, Shota looks to get back on track with a win over the Death Ridersā Claudio Castagnoli. Shota doesnāt understand what Jon Moxley, his mentor and friend, is doing in AEW, and he wanted Moxley for this show, but Moxley sent Claudio to do his work instead. I for one am excited to see Claudio wrestle in the Tokyo Dome.
Shota is making his entrance, and Claudio attacks him on the ramp. The bell sounds, and Shota is standing up to the bully Claudio. Shota hits a nice dropkick that sends Claudio to the floor. He dives onto Claudio, who catches him and sends him into the ring post and the barricade. They fight over towards the announcerās area, and Claudio throws Shota into the barricade again. Claudio flapjacks Shota on the barricade, and he damn near falls on Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton.
Back in the ring, Claudio lands a nice double stomp on Shota for a 2 count. Claudio with a gut wrench suplex for another nearfall, and he transitions into a Crossface. He switches to pull back on the jaw of Shooter. In the ropes, Claudio pulls on the jaw of Shota, and forearms him. Shota wonāt back down, and he eats a big boot for his troubles. Shota fires back with a DDT off the ropes, and then a DDT that spikes Claudio on the apron.
Shota brings Claudio in the ring, and hits a shotgun dropkick, Marufuji style. Inverted DDT gets a nearfall. Key in the Ignition connects, and he goes for the Death Rider, but Claudio counters it. He places Shota on the turnbuckle, and uppercuts him. He goes to the top rope, and lifts Shota up on his shoulders. He gorilla press slams Shota straight to the mat. Claudio comes off the ropes and hits a nice clothesline for a 2 count.
Claudio signals that heās going for the Swing, Cesaro style! He gets him around 20 times. He covers, and Shota is able to kick out. Claudio applies the Sharpshooter next, a nod to his former tag team partner Tyson Kidd. Shota crawls to the ropes, and Claudio drags him away. Shota sells the pain of the submission well, before getting to the bottom rope. Claudio signals for the Neutralizer, and Shota is able to fight it off.
Uppercuts in the corner connect flush by the Swiss Cyborg. Claudio tries for something on the top rope, but Shota is able to escape and unleash a barrage of elbows to the jaw of Claudio. Shota connects with a top rope DDT. Uppercut to the back of the head, and Claudio kicks out. Nasty uppercut by Claudio, and he hits the Ricola Bomb. Shota is able to kick out, but Claudio is quick to go for the Neutralizer. Nice series of counters by both men, until Shota can hit the Death Rider. Hilariously, the crowd starts to boo, as the referee counts the 3 for Shota to take the win.
Like the last match, this was good, but it never felt like it left first gear. There was good intensity here, and a good story told as Shota tried to beat one of his mentorās teammates. Good match, and the finishing stretch was nice with all the counters. It just couldāve been better.
- NEVER Openweight Championship/AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita Ā© vs. Tomohiro Ishii.
Last night, Konosuke Takeshita added the NEVER Openweight Championship to his collection of titles by beating Shingo Takagi in my favorite match of Wrestle Kingdom 19. An additional reward for him being a double champion is that now he gets to defend both belts against the Stone Pitbull, Tomohiro Ishii. Can you say barnburner? Bryce Rensburg, AEW referee, is here for this one. The bell sounds, and the crowd comes alive. They lock up, and Ishii hits a chop right away. They exchange shoulder tackles, and Takeshita wins that exchange. Takeshita talks shit, and Ishii grabs him by the throat. Ishii with some chops, and Takeshita drops him with a forearm. He continues his attack with forearms in the corner. Ishii explodes out of the corner with a hard chop to the chest.
Takeshita with a running knee to the head. He lightly taps at Ishiiās head with his boot. Ishii responds with a chop to the throat, and he decides to give him some more! Ishii with a shoulder tackle out of the corner, and a nice back suplex. Takeshita comes back with a boot to the head, and Ishii fires back with a nasty elbow to the head. Takeshita goes for a middle rope senton, and Ishii avoids it. Takeshita hits a nice German Suplex, and a sliding elbow to the head for a 2 count.
Takeshita looks for the Blue Thunder Bomb, and canāt do it the first time, but the second attempt is successful, and Ishii is able to kick out. Ishii with a lariat to the arm, and another throat chop. He places Takeshita on the top rope. Takeshita counters Ishiiās offense with a top rope Falcon Arrow for a close nearfall. Ishii blocks a running knee with more elbows to the head. Takeshita lifts him up, and hits the Bastard Driver, into the German Suplex.
Ishii is right back up, and gets a lariat for his trouble. Takeshita covers, and Ishii kicks out. Ishii with a German Suplex, but the champion is on his feet. Ishii with a lariat, and Takeshita kicks out at 1! Walker Stewart on commentary says āNew Japan, god damn!ā Great line. They bump heads, and they grab each otherās trunks. Elbow exchange from both, and Ishii wins it out! Takeshita responds with a very hard forearm of his own.
He places Ishii on the top rope. He looks for something, but Ishii busts out a damn Frankensteiner! He headbutts the turnbuckle, and hits a lariat to Takeshita, who responds with forearms. Ishii with another lariat! Another turns him inside out, and Takeshita is able to kick out. Takeshita with a brainbuster out of nowhere. Ishii explodes with an elbow to the jaw. Sliding lariat connects, and now he sets up for the brainbuster. Takeshita counters it with the Poisonrana.
Takeshita hits a knee to the face, and Ishii connects with a step up enziguri. Takeshita drills him with another elbow, and then hits the Falcon Arrow for the three and the win to retain both titles. Another great banger of a match for Takeshita in the Dome. Ishii can have a great match with anyone, and in the ring with a generational talent like Takeshita, youāre guaranteed for some fun. I personally preferred the Shingo match over this, but this was still great. Iām a sucker for two guys beating the shit out of each other.
- IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 3 Way Match: Great O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Young Bucks vs. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi.
O-Khan and HENARE were the Tag Team Champions, and were set for a defense against the Young Bucks here, but HENARE suffered an injury, and the titles were vacated. O-Khan promised a new partner for this match tonight, and then last night, it was announced that Naito and Hiromu would be joining this match, making it a 3 Way. Makes sense, since they won World Tag League.
The bell sounds, and United Empire go at it with LIJ, while the Bucks watch from the apron. O-Khan stomps on Naito on the floor, while Hiromu chops at Cobb. They stop briefly to knock the Bucks off the apron, then continue their fight. Hiromu gets flattened by Cobb with a shoulder tackle. The Bucks drag Hiromu to the floor, and hit an apron powerbomb. They double team Cobb in the ring with a dropkick. The Bucks hit dueling Topes to the outside onto United Empire and LIJ. Nice neckbreaker/senton combo to Hiromu, and here comes Cobb to dropkick them to the outside. He mimics the Bucks pose, and eats a double Superkick. Nicholas Jackson dives to the floor, wbile Matthew gets double teamed in the ring by Naito and Hiromu. O-Khan takes Naito down, then slams Hiromu to the mat.
Mongolian chops to Naito, and then an uppercut to the throat. Cobb squashes Naito and does his Combinacion Cabron move. He does the same to Nicholas, who responds with a facebuster, and a middle rope moonsault to the floor. Moonsault/senton combo to Cobb, and the Bucks get a nearfall off of it. They call for a superkick party for Cobb, who responds with one of his own. Hereās Naito with a dropkick to the back of the head of Cobb.
Matthew with locomotive Northern Lights suplexes to Hiromu. The Bucks do a senton combo to Hiromu, and he kicks out. They go for More Bang for Your Buck, and Hiromu is able to fight out of it, and do a combo DDT with Naito. Time Bomb connects, and O-Khan breaks up the pin. He pops off multiple belly to belly suplexes to everybody. Cobb explodes with a multitude of German Suplexes. The Bucks try the EVP Trigger, and Cobb just lifts them both off the mat.
Cobb ends up German Suplexing both men at once! United Empire double team the Bucks, and Hiromu breaks up the pin. Matthew has Cobb on the top rope, and he fights him off. He gives Naito a headbutt, and here comes Hiromu with a chop. Matthew comes in, and they double team Cobb with a double superplex to the mat. The Bucks take Hiromu out, and continue their double team effort on Cobb, which Naito breaks up.
Nicholas accidentally hits Matthew with a kick, but the Bucks come back with an attempt at the Meltzer Driver. Hiromu with a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor on Nicholas, and Naito hits Destino on Matthew. O-Khan breaks up the pin. Itās chaos, as everyone is fighting in the ring. Cobb is bleeding. EVP Trigger to Naito, and O-Khan breaks up the pin. Superkick Party to O-Khan twice. Matthew with a moonsault to the floor, and then the Meltzer Driver to O-Khan, and the Bucks take the win and are two time IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champions.
This was okay, but was probably my least favorite match of the night. It was a lot of action, with no flow. Just a lot of moves and crazy spots. I donāt necessarily agree with the decision to put the belts on the Bucks, as I feel there was more to tell with Naito and Hiromu as champions. But hey, Forbidden Door is in August!
- IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Yota Tsuji Ā© vs. Jack Perry.
Last night, Tsuji won the championship by beating David Finlay, and now he looks to clock his first defense against CM Punkās favorite wrestler Jack Perry.
Tsuji enters, and between his red hat, red coat, and the way he looks carrying the championship, he looks like a fucking stud. Commentary talks about how Perry is here because Kazuchika Okada refuses to face Tsuji.
The bell sounds, and they stare each other down. Tsuji takes the side headlock, and then connects with a shoulder tackle. Nice arm drag by Tsuji, and a double stomp to the head. Perry dropkicks Tsuji off the top rope to the floor below. Perry then connects with a tope to the outside, sending Tsuji into the barricade. Perry then irish whips him into the opposing barricade. He lifts Tsuji up and hits a back suplex onto the apron. Clothesline in the corner, followed by a low drop kick for a 2 count. He repeatedly chops on the chest of the champion, and then rakes the eyes. Perry applies a sleeper hold, as he looks to slow down the explosive offense of Tsuji. The champion is back up and hits a Tilt a Whirl Backbreaker. Nice series of back elbows to the head, and a boot to the face. Tsuji drops Perry rib first across his knees for a nearfall.
Tsuji hits the Stinger Splash, and then gets crotched on the top rope. Perry hangs him upside down, and then hits the double knees to the back. German Suplex into a bridge for a 2 count. Perry places Tsuji on the middle rope, and hits an elbow drop. Tsuji kicks out. Perry with multiple clotheslines, and Tsuji explodes by dropping Perry on his knee, and then a Curb Stomp. Tsuji places him on the top rope, and Perry attacks back with shots to his spine.
Tsuji fires back with the Spanish Fly off the top rope, and Perry kicks out. Tsuji goes for Gene Blast, and Perry counters with a knee to the face. Both men struggle to get to their feet, and they start throwing elbows to the head. Perry with a chop to the chest. Perry with a spike DDT, and Tsuji is able to get the shoulder up. Nice superkick by Tsuji, and Perry comes back with an elbow. The referee gets knocked down briefly, and Perry connects with a low blow. Tsuji is able to kick out.
German Suplex to Tsuji, and the champion explodes off of the ropes with a Gene Blast out of nowhere, and thatās enough for the 3 and the win. That was a pretty good match, as both guys showed better chemistry than I was expecting. Perry played a great foil in the role of the heel, and Tsuji was tremendous as always as the babyface. Heās a house of fire when he gets going, and itās impossible not to see the star potential that he has. Solid outing.
- Special Singles Match: Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd.
Omega has been on the shelf dealing with diverticulitis since December of 2023, and this is his very first match back since. Given all the issues heās had with the Elite in AEW, and the fact that the Young Bucks fired him, Omega decided that he would have his first match back in New Japan. At Power Struggle this past November, he made that announcement, and backstage, he was confronted by Gabe Kidd backstage, and a tussle happened.
Ever since then, both men have engaged in a war of words, with Omega talking about how much New Japan means to him, and Gabe talking about how he doesnāt give a shit about Omega or what heās done. Gabe sees this as a chance to take the next step in his career by beating one of the most important figures this company has ever had.
Gabe has MMA inspired gear, with the Lion Mark on the side. Omega is debuting a new entrance theme, inspired by Final Fantasy.
The bell sounds, and this crowd is alive now more than theyāve been all night. Gabe gives him a slap right away. They go MMA stance, and Omega pops off a punch right on Gabeās jaw. Gabe gets Omega in the ropes, and Omega responds with elbows to the back of the head. Big shoulder tackle by Gabe, and a big boot by Omega. One from Gabe, and they go face to face. Chop exchange follows, and then Omega gets Gabe in the turnbuckle. Diving back elbow to Gabe, followed by the firemanās carry/moonsault combo. Omega gets a nearfall off of that.
Omega with a hard kick to the spine. He chops Gabe, who asks for more. Gabe explodes with a shot to the throat, and then he hits a suplex to Omega that sends both men crashing to the outside. Gabe sends Omega back first into the apron, and then whips him to the barricade. Gabe drives Omega back first to the barricade, and then he grabs one of the commentary tables. Omega fires back with a crossbody to the floor, but he immediately realizes that his midsection is in pain from that. Omega slams Gabeās head off of the apron repeatedly. He brings him to the apron, and Gabe explodes with a punch. Omega with a forearm to the jaw, and one from Gabe.
They start trading headbutts briefly. Gabe goes for a piledriver, and Omega back body drops him off of the ropes and to the floor. Nice Snap Dragon Suplex to Gabe on the floor. Omega lifts Gabe up for a powerbomb, and sends him flying over the barricade through the table! Gabe is busted open pretty bad from that. As Gabe is checked on by the referee and the War Dogs, Omega springboards out of the ring and over the barricade onto everyone with a senton! He kind of overshot it, as my girlfriend pointed out.
Thereās a great shot of Omega and Gabe sitting next to each other, both selling their injuries. Omega calls for one of the Young Lions to help him up, and Gabe shoves him away. Omega continues his assault, until Gabe explodes with a hard shot to the midsection. He grabs a chair and smashes it across his back. He sends Omega into the ring post, and now he grabs a table from under the ring. He brings Omega over to it, and gives him a suplex through it, while the table is halfway set up. Gabe sits up, Shibata style.
Gabe grabs a piece of the table, and hits Omega right on top of the head with it. Gabe and the War Dogs start tossing chairs into the ring, as Omega is a bloody fucking mess now. Omega sends Gabe back first into the pile of chairs. Omega goes to the top rope, and Gabe cuts him off. He grabs Omega, and gives him a suplex onto the pile of chairs, and the landing looked rough. Gabe has one of the chairs, and he drives it into Omegaās midsection repeatedly.
Omega tries to fight back with a headbutt, and then he connects with a Snap Dragon Suplex. Both men exchange hard chair shots right to the head, and theyāre both down. They exchange forearms on their feet, with Gabe slapping the shit out of Omega. V Trigger to Gabe, and another, but Gabe rebounds off the ropes with a discus lariat! Gabe is back to his feet, and he hits dueling lariats to the front and back of Omega. Chop to the chest, and Omega rebounds with a hurricanrana that sends him to the floor.
Omega hits his Terminator Senton to the outside, crushing Gabe. Back in the ring, Omega hits a nasty missile dropkick to the back. V Trigger to the back of Gabe in the corner. He places Gabe on the top rope, and tries for the Dragon Suplex. He hits it, and Gabe goes inside out on the way down. Omega makes the cover, and Gabe is able to kick out. Jay Driller plants Gabe in the middle, and he kicks out again.
V Trigger connects in the ropes, and now Omega tries for One Winged Angel, and he immediately collapses due to the damage to his midsection. He tries for it again, and Gabe counters into the abdominal stretch! Gabe has a passionate look on his face, as he stretches back as hard as he can. Gabe transitions to a German Suplex, and Omega tries to rebound with a lariat. Gabe takes it, and drives his knee into Omegaās face.
Gabe with a spike piledriver, and Omega still kicks out! Omega blocks a powerbomb, but Gabe turns it into the Ganso Bomb, Kawada Style! Another piledriver, and Omega gets his foot on the ropes, but barely. Gabe looks for a suplex, and Omega fights it off. Standing kick to the back of the head by Gabe, and Omega counters with the V Trigger. Another one in the ropes, and Omega grabs Gabe for a powerbomb, right into a V Trigger. He covers, and Gabe kicks out at 1! Gabe gives Omega the double bird, as Omega grabs his wrists and hits the Kamigoye, Ibushi style! Omega hits the One Winged Angel finally, and thatās enough for the victory. What an absolute war between two stubborn bastards. It had all the intensity and hatred that the build showcased, and it was a wild brawl that you donāt often see to this level in New Japan. Omega was in great shape, and he performed extremely well here, battling back against rumors of ring rust.
Oh, and Gabe Kidd? What a performance. He was a true mad man in every sense, taking it to Omega in a way that very few do. He brought violence and chaos, and he very nearly put Omega away in his comeback match. The fact that Gabe busted out the infamous Ganso Bomb for this is insane. If you donāt know, the Ganso Bomb was a move that Toshiaki Kawada did to Mitsuharu Misawa in 1999 where, no joke and no bullshit, he spiked him on top of his head. Going to that level here to try and beat Omega makes all of Will Ospreayās attempts of the Tiger Driver 91 in AEW seem tame in comparison.
This match was full of little details between both men that added incredible layers to the story being told. Gabe using the Abdominal Stretch and using his elbow to dig into Omegaās ribs ā just like Antonio Inoki was amazing. Both men were yelling at each other in Japanese at certain points in the match, just to prove to the other that they represented what Japanese wrestling is all about. But nothing that these two men did here tops the reaction that Hiroshi Tanahashi had on commentary at ringside. The Ace was literally moved to tears by the effort and the desire to represent Strong Style in this match. That speaks volumes, more than I could ever articulate.
This is the best match of the evening, hands down. It had a great story coming in, they told a great story throughout, it had intensity, it had violence, and it had a ferocity of strong style that was present nowhere else on this show. Hats off to both of you, mad lads.
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre, Jr. Ā© vs. Ricochet.
Following his title defense at Power Struggle, Zack Sabre, Jr. was confronted by Ricochet, who shot his shot and called him out for a match here at Wrestle Dynasty. With ZSJās successful defense last night against Shota Umino, this match is now for the IWGP World Championship.
Ricochet boots Zack to the floor right away, then dives onto him. He brings him back inside, and hits a missile dropkick. Ricochet hits the Sasuke Special to Zack, then brings him back inside and gets a quick nearfall. Ricochet with a chop, and he goes to dive off the ropes, but Zack cuts him off with a kick and an uppercut, sending the challenger to the floor. Zack with multiple uppercuts to Ricochet on the floor. Ricochet with a back elbow to the jaw, followed by a moonsault off the barricade. Zack catches him and places him on the apron. He then twists his neck with his ankles.
Back in the ring, Zack applies the Indian Death Lock next. He goes into a kimura lock as well, and Ricochet gets to the ropes to break it. The champion kicks the chest of the challenger next. Another neck twist by the Front Man, followed by a hard European uppercut. Ricochet comes back with a handspring back elbow, Tajiri style. He avoids a corner attack, and kicks the back of Zackās head. Springboard clothesline, standing 450, and a springboard moonsault gets a nearfall for Ricochet.
Ricochet with a chop, and he goes for a powerbomb, but Zack counters into a rear naked choke. Ricochet slams his back into the turnbuckle a few times, then sends him head first into the opposing one, which breaks the hold. They exchange forearms and uppercuts next. Ricochet with a kick and a knee to the face, and then a clothesline. Another clothesline gets a nearfall. Ricochet looks for an axe kick, PRIDE style, and Zack blocks it. He canāt block a knee to the face. Ricochet with a running Death Valley Driver, and Zack kicks out.
Zack blocks an attack and hits a running uppercut, followed by a PK. Zack blocks a handspring attack with a German Suplex and then a Dragon Suplex for a 2 count. Hard kick to the chest by the champion. Ricochet blocks the Zack Driver, and they throw shots at each other again. Ricochet with a knee to the face. Northern Lights suplex, into a brainbuster. They roll to the apron, and he hits a suplex on the apron, and he maintains the hold and hits another one on the floor. Ricochet rolls back into the ring, and Zack makes his way back in as well. Ricochet eggs Zack on to stand up, and both men engage in a slap battle on their knees. It switches to uppercuts, which is Zackās bread and butter. Ricochet explodes out of the corner with a knee to the face. Ricochet places Zack on the top rope, and Zack quickly hammerlocks one arm and hyperextends the other. Ricochet responds with a kick to the face.
Zack with a top rope Zack Driver, and Ricochet kicks out. Zack immediately transitions to the Cross Arm Breaker. Ricochet quickly gets his foot on the bottom rope. Zack stomps on the arm, and then the other. The champion follows through with a few stiff kicks to the chest, until Ricochet catches one. Zack kicks his arm, and Ricochet kicks him in the head. Inverted Powerbomb, and Zack kicks out. Ricochet goes to the top rope, and he connects with a Shooting Star Press. Zack is able to get his shoulder up.
Nasty looking axe kick to the top of the head, and another inverted powerbomb by Ricochet, but Zack refuses to stay down. Ricochet is back on the top rope, and he misses the 630. Zack rushes him with a nasty PK, and he goes immediately into the Zack Driver, and Ricochet still kicks out. Zack tries for the Sabre Driver, and Ricochet counters into a roll up for 2. Closed fist punches by Ricochet, and the crowd doesnāt appreciate that.
Ricochet tries for a sliding clothesline, and Zack counters it into a double arm bar submission. He twists the wrists, and Ricochet submits. Zack retains the World Championship. Heās the first foreigner to win back to back Tokyo Dome main events ever.
This was a decent match, though it suffered greatly from having to follow the Omega/Kidd match. My personal bias gets in the way of this one, as Iām just not a fan of Ricochet anymore. All the criticism that gets thrown at Will Ospreay, I feel it should be thrown at Ricochet instead. Heās all moves, and very little storytelling. So, right away, I wasnāt super invested in this match. Zack was excellent, though, and I think New Japan has made the right call in making him their guy for now.
And that was Wrestle Dynasty! All in all, this was a good show throughout, but I enjoyed it a lot less than Wrestle Kingdom 19. I think I was just salty from the beginning about the lack of talent featured from three of the promotions advertised for this event. That said, I enjoyed the Womenās Cup and the Lucha Gauntlet a lot. It was nice to see Dustin Rhodes in the Dome again. The Tanahashi/Shibata Exhibitionwas nostalgic. Takeshita and Ishii killed it in their NEVER fight. And Kenny Omega and Gabe Kidd stole the show with an early MOTY contender that demonstrated fighting spirit better than any match on either of these Dome shows this weekend.
Outside of those, the rest of the show was just kind of there for me. Not all bad, per say. Mostly good, solid matches. But when I think of the Tokyo Dome, I guess I think of higher quality than what we got. The only match I outright didnāt care for was the Tag Title match. It just didnāt do it for me at all. Everything else was fine, so I guess it has that going for it. Just next time, get more talent for a show promoting five different companies! It canāt be that hard!
EDIT: Iām adding this on January 6th. Suspending Chris Charlton is a little bit of an overreaction.