NJPW: King of Puroresu

Uncrewed · August 15, 2023

NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 18 NIGHT ONE PREVIEW

SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH:

KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

These two men have had a long history together, starting back in 2012 when Shinsuke Nakamura recruited the recently returning from excursion Okada into CHAOS. Over the next few years, the two men pretty much ruled NJPW, with Okada holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Nakamura holding the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. That all changed when Nakamura left for America and Okada was left to run CHAOS. Since then, Okada's had his ups and downs, but he's cemented his spot at the top of NJPW. However, things were thrown into flux earlier in 2023 when Shinsuke Nakamura made his triumphant return to NJPW, rejoining CHAOS and becoming co-leader with Okada. Since Nakamura's return though, something hasn't sat right with Okada and that culminated when the two men teamed up to face The Samoan SWAT Team for the IWGP Tag Team Titles at Power Struggle. They lost that match and afterwards, Okada snapped at Nakamura, shoving him to the ground. Okada called Nakamura a shell of his former self and challenged him to a match at Wrestle Kingdom. After a bit more prodding, Nakamura accepted the challenge, telling Okada that if he came for the king, he better not miss! Which one of these two legends of the sport walk out of the Tokyo Dome with the win?

LOSING TEAM MUST DISBAND:

BULLET CLUB (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) VS UNITED EMPIRE (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)

Jay White has waged this war against Will Ospreay & the rest of United Empire since September. That was when White felt like he was slighted by Ospreay, reigniting a feud between the two that bubbled up last year. Since then, these two groups have gone to war, with United Empire mostly coming out on top. However, Jay White has proposed an "ultimate answer" to end this feud once and for all, a 4 v 4 match where the losing group must disband! White has chosen three of the most original members of BC, while Ospreay has picked one of the top tag teams in NJPW and the dangerous Great O-Khan to compete in this elimination showdown. Which group will walk out of the Tokyo Dome still together?

NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:

JEFF COBB (C) VS SHINGO TAKAGI

Jeff Cobb has torn through the NJPW roster since he won the NEVER Openweight Championship back in May. Anyone that's stood in his way has faced the "wrath of the gods" and fallen in relatively quick fashion. But now, Cobb faces his toughest test yet, the former king of Dragon Gate and the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi! Will Shingo dethrone the monstrous Cobb? Or will Cobb's warpath blaze through the Tokyo Dome?

IWGP TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:

THE SAMOAN SWAT TEAM (Jey & Jimmy Fatu) (C) vs SABRE-GUN (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)

Since they debuted at Forbidden Door back in July, The Samoan SWAT Team of Jimmy & Jey Fatu have become one of the most dominant tag teams in NJPW. After winning the IWGP Tag Team Championships on their first night, they took out Aussie Open, TMDK, and the legendary duo of Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura. But, they slipped a bit during the World Tag League, losing to Aussie Open and Ren Narita & Toru Yano and drawing with TMDK. That's left them wide open to a spirited challenge from the Sabre-gun duo of Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd. Kidd may have only just came back from excursion a few months ago, but ever since joining up with Sabre, he's been a house of fire. That led to the duo winning the World Tag League in exciting fashion against ACE Entertainment, earning them a title match for Wrestle Kingdom 18! Will the dominant reign of The Samoan SWAT Team come to an end at the hands of Sabre-gun?

WAR DOGS (David Finlay & KENTA) vs GUERRILLAS OF DESTINY (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)

Finlay, KENTA, & Tama Tonga formed a pretty formidable trio last year, becoming one of the fan's favorite groups and winning the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships at the same time. However, after losing the titles, Finlay & KENTA disappeared for a bit. When they re emerged at the World Tag League, they became a lot more aggressive, mercilessly beating the hell out of everyone who stood in their path. That shook Tama Tonga, who told KENTA & Finlay to come to their senses. In response, Finlay & KENTA beat the living hell out of Tama Tonga and told him to find a partner to take down the newly-christened War Dogs. Tama found a partner alright, his brother (and ex-Bullet Club member) Hikuleo! Can Tama Tonga get a measure of revenge on his former friends? Or will War Dogs reign supreme?

IWGP JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:

Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN)

Bullet Club won the Super Junior Tag League last month, which meant that they earned themselves an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match right? Wrong! Champions Eita & El Lindaman refused to give them a match, arguing that Ace & Bey lost to Eita & Lindaman during the tournament, so they don't deserve a match. One argument later and United Empire & The Scourge butting themselves in (rightly pointing out that they had beaten Eita & El Lindaman in the Super Junior Tag League), a four way match was made for Wrestle Kingdom for the titles! Which exciting tag team will walk out of the Tokyo Dome with the tag titles?

Prediction Key:

Special Singles Match:

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Comments:

Losing Team Must Disband:

Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)

Comments:

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shingo Takagi

Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)

Comments:

War Dogs (David Finlay & KENTA) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN)

Comments:

MidKnightDreary · August 15, 2023

Special Singles Match:

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Comments:

Okada is the ace now, and Nakamura must know that, deep down.

Losing Team Must Disband:

Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)

Comments:

BC can never die for good. With ABC and the War Dogs, it's got all new life. Maybe the Death of UE will inspire Ospreay to take it up a notch.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shingo Takagi

Comments:

Cobb is ready for a bigger title, and Shingo may just be the last guy that can take the belt off of him.

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)

Comments:

I don't see Sabre-gun taking those belts. You know who I do see taking them?

War Dogs (David Finlay & KENTA) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)

Comments:

It's all about family. Time for GOD2 to take the tag belts too.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN)

Comments:

Much as I think the Scourge would deserve these, it's narratively far more interesting to have newly factionless Junior studs as champs.

DyllanK17 · August 16, 2023

Special Singles Match:

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Comments:

Losing Team Must Disband:

Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)

Comments:

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shingo Takagi

Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)

Comments:

War Dogs (David Finlay & KENTA) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN)

Old School Fan · August 16, 2023

Special Singles Match:

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Comments:

Losing Team Must Disband:

Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)

Comments:

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shingo Takagi

Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)

Comments:

War Dogs (David Finlay & KENTA) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN)

Comments:

Vandal · August 16, 2023

Special Singles Match:

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Comments: I love Nakamura, but Okada is the current ace.

Losing Team Must Disband:

Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)

Comments: I'm torn because I feel like there's more potential in United Empire as a unit going forward... but ABC are on a roll and War Dogs just formed... Going with BC on this

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shingo Takagi

Comments: Honestly not sure who else makes sense to beat Cobb for this belt and this frees Cobb up to gun for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship as the year goes on.

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)

Comments: I just don't see Sabre and Kidd being the team to dethrone the Samoan SWAT Team.

War Dogs (David Finlay & KENTA) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN)

Comments:

Uncrewed · August 16, 2023

Thanks everyone for the predictions/comments so far! Night One of Wrestle Kingdom will be out tomorrow, so don't forget to get your predictions in if you haven't already!

ColdBloodedSausageMaker · August 17, 2023

Special Singles Match:

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Comments: Shinsuke's older and considerably more beat up. Okada has more upside at this point.

Losing Team Must Disband:

Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)

Comments: This outcome would be more fun and I am picking it for that reason.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:

Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shingo Takagi

Comments: I think a younger guy will beat the resident monster.

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:

The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)

Comments: Feel like the champions are more over.

War Dogs (David Finlay & KENTA) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)

Comments: Think Hikuleo will get his long-awaited push here.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:

Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN)

Comments: Going with The Scourge because they have the most interesting storyline.

Uncrewed · August 18, 2023

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18- January 4th, 2024
Attendance: 40,000 at Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

Night one of Wrestle Kingdom 18 kicked off with a video package hyping up tonight's contests. We've got a wide variety of matches taking place in the legendary Tokyo Dome tonight from the fast-paced 4-way IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match to the war between Bullet Club and United Empire that will see one group disband for good and finally, the main event over a decade in the making, Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura! After the video finished airing, pyro went off around the Tokyo Dome as our commentary team welcomed us to the show. Without wasting any more time, it was time to get into our opening contest!

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match:
Eita & El Lindaman (C) vs The Scourge (AKUMA & AKUJIN) vs Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey)
Bullet Club won the Super Junior Tag League last month, which meant that they earned themselves an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match right? Wrong! Champions Eita & El Lindaman refused to give them a match, arguing that Ace & Bey lost to Eita & Lindaman during the tournament, so they don't deserve a match. One argument later and United Empire & The Scourge butting themselves in (rightly pointing out that they had beaten Eita & El Lindaman in the Super Junior Tag League), a four way match was made for tonight for the titles! This match was a great match and the crowd was solidly behind United Empire. AKUJIN started this match for The Scourge, Bey started for Bullet Club, Bailey for United Empire, and Lindaman started for the champs. The four men immediately began tearing into each other, with Lindaman ultimately emerging from the pack on top after taking out all three men with a leaping lariat. Lindaman then picked up Bailey and hit him with a powerslam, but any ensuing offense was stopped when Bey hit Lindaman with an enzuigiri. Bey and AKUJIN then formed a bit of a bizarre team as they hit Lindaman with a suplex lift/roundhouse kick combo. AKUJIN didn't even have any time to react after that because Bey hit him with a superkick! Bey yelled at the crowd "THAT'S WHY I'M THE ULTIMATE FINESSER!," but when he turned around, he walked right into a running high knee from Bailey! Bailey then tagged out to Akira and the two men hit Bey with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors/front dropkick combo. Akira scooped up Bey and hit him with the Akirsault. The ensuing cover was broken up by Eita, who tagged himself in and started beating the hell out of Akira with a bevy of stomps. Eita then threw Akira off the ropes and hit him with a spinebuster, but Eita couldn't go for the cover as Ace Austin (who evidently tagged himself in) ran at him and hit him with The Fold! The match came to an end when Ace made the cover, but that was broken up by AKUMA, who came flying in with a frog splash. AKUMA then scooped up Ace and hit him with the Gates of Hell! AKUMA then made the cover and got the three! The Scourge have won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships!
WINNERS: The Scourge

War Dogs (David Finlay & KENTA) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Hikuleo)
Finlay, KENTA, & Tama Tonga formed a pretty formidable trio last year, becoming one of the fan's favorite groups and winning the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships at the same time. However, after losing the titles, Finlay & KENTA disappeared for a bit. When they re emerged at the World Tag League, they became a lot more aggressive, mercilessly beating the hell out of everyone who stood in their path. That shook Tama Tonga, who told KENTA & Finlay to come to their senses. In response, Finlay & KENTA beat the living hell out of Tama Tonga and told him to find a partner to take down the newly-christened War Dogs. Tama found a partner alright, his brother (and ex-Bullet Club member) Hikuleo! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Tama & Hikuleo. The War Dogs didn't even wait for the bell to ring as they ambushed Tama Tonga & Hikuleo as they were making their entrance! KENTA & Finlay beat the living daylights out of G.O.D, sending them crashing into the barricades before they grabbed some chairs from the ringside area. Finlay and KENTA started swinging the chairs, but G.O.D managed to duck them and hit the War Dogs with simultaneous big boots. Tama Tonga & Hikuleo then threw Finlay & KENTA in the ring to officially start the match. Tama Tonga and KENTA started things off with a quick exchange of strikes, which culminated with a spinning forearm smash from Tama. Tama then scooped up KENTA and hit him with a big headbutt that sent him crashing into the corner. Finlay then tagged himself in and launched himself at Tama Tonga with a running crossbody. Finlay then began unloading a flurry of strikes, nearly busting open Tama in the process. Finlay then tried ending things with Into Oblivion, but Tama Tonga reversed it and sent Finlay flying across the ring with a release German suplex. Tama then tagged in to Hikuleo, who blasted Finlay with a running big boot that sent the third-generation wrestler flying out of the ring. Finlay then signalled something to KENTA, who began to distract referee Marty Asami. That allowed Finlay to grab a chair and throw it headfirst at Hikuleo! The match came to an end as Finlay got back in the ring, scooped up Hikuleo, and hit him with Into Oblivion! Tama Tonga tried making the save, but KENTA was able to sneak around to his corner and hold his legs down as Finlay got the three! What a brutal debut win for War Dogs!
WINNERS: War Dogs

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match:
The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd)
Since they debuted at Forbidden Door back in July, The Samoan SWAT Team of Jimmy & Jey Fatu have become one of the most dominant tag teams in NJPW. After winning the IWGP Tag Team Championships on their first night, they took out Aussie Open, TMDK, and the legendary duo of Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura. But, they slipped a bit during the World Tag League, losing to Aussie Open and Ren Narita & Toru Yano and drawing with TMDK. That's left them wide open to a spirited challenge from the Sabre-gun duo of Zack Sabre Jr. & Gabriel Kidd. Kidd may have only just came back from excursion a few months ago, but ever since joining up with Sabre, he's been a house of fire. That led to the duo winning the World Tag League in exciting fashion against ACE Entertainment, earning them a title match for tonight. This match was a great match and the crowd was solidly behind Sabre-gun. Zack Sabre Jr. and Jey Fatu started things off with a collar and elbow tie-up, in which Sabre was able to wrestle Jey to the ground and lock in an early ankle lock! Jey clawed for the ropes, but Sabre managed to fall flat on his back and really cinch in the ankle lock. Sensing danger, Jimmy went in the ring and broke up the submission, which led to Gabriel Kidd running in and hitting Jimmy with the Slick Kick! What an early flurry of offense from Sabre-gun! As Sabre tried locking the ankle lock back in, Jey kicked him away and hit him with a superkick. Jey then threw Sabre off the ropes and hit him with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Jey looked to make the tag to Jimmy, but he was still incapacitated from the Slick Kick, so Jey went to attempt another superkick. That failed as Sabre ducked it and hit Jey with a high knee. Sabre then tagged out to Kidd and the two hit Jey with a douple suplex. Kidd then hit Jey with an exploder suplex before setting himself up in the corner for the Slick Kick. Kidd charged at Jey with the Slick Kick, but Jey rolled out of the way at the last second, ran off the ropes, and hit Kidd with a spear! Jey then tagged out to Jimmy and the two brothers blasted Kidd with a double superkick. Jimmy then landed a serious blow on Kidd's left leg, running off the ropes and stomping on the back of it! As Kidd writhed in pain, Jimmy called for Jey to hit the 1D. Before they could do that, Sabre ran in and attacked Jey, sending both men over the top rope and leading to a big brawl on the outside! The match came to an end when Jimmy tried hitting Kidd with a superkick, but Kidd caught it and locked Jimmy in an ankle lock, quickly transitioning it into a calf slicer! Jimmy desperately clawed for the ropes, but Kidd kept the hold locked in tight! Jimmy was struggling for options at this point, but he was able to dig deep and wrap his arm around Kidd's neck. Jimmy then quickly transitioned into a small package and got the three! The Samoan SWAT Team have pulled a rabbit out of a hat and retained the IWGP Tag Team Championships!
WINNERS: The Samoan SWAT Team

NEVER Openweight Championship Match:
Jeff Cobb (C) vs Shingo Takagi
Jeff Cobb has torn through the NJPW roster since he won the NEVER Openweight Championship back in May. Anyone that's stood in his way has faced the "wrath of the gods" and fallen in relatively quick fashion. But now, Cobb faces his toughest test yet, the former king of Dragon Gate and the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Shingo. Shingo didn't waste any time after the bell rang, immediately running off of the ropes and blasting Cobb with the Pumping Bomber! Cobb got to his feet pretty quickly, but Shingo knocked him back down with another Pumping Bomber! Cobb still somehow managed to get back to his feet, but Shingo was right there with a third Pumping Bomber!!! Shingo made the cover, but Cobb managed to kick out at two! A frustrated Shingo pounded the mat, but he decided to carry on and lift Cobb up for the Last of the Dragon. Cobb was able to wiggle out of it though and launched Shingo across the ring with a German suplex. Cobb then grabbed Shingo by the hair, lifted him up, and slammed him to the mat with a big powerslam. Cobb then threw Shingo into the corner and unloaded a barrage of knife edge chops onto Shingo's chest. As Shingo writhed in pain on the mat, Cobb decided to go to the top rope and land an early killing blow on the LIJ member. Cobb flew off the top rope for a diving splash, but Shingo managed to roll out of the way at the last second, narrowly avoiding being squashed like an insect. As Cobb clutched his ribs, Shingo picked him up and hit him with a snap DDT. Shingo then threw Cobb off the ropes and caught him to lock the big man in a bearhug. Shingo started squeezing the living hell out of the NEVER Openweight Champion as Cobb clawed desperately for the ropes. Eventually though, Cobb was able to escape after elbowing Shingo in the head. Cobb then threw Shingo off the ropes and tried finishing Shingo off with the Tour of the Islands, but Shingo managed to wiggle out of it and managed to hit Cobb with a German suplex. Shingo then scooped up Cobb and hit him with a big BRAINBUSTAH!!!! Shingo made the cover, but Cobb managed to kick out just before the three. The match came to an end when Shingo scooped up Cobb and tried hitting him with the Last of the Dragon. That failed though, as Cobb managed to wiggle out of it and hit Shingo with a stiff headbutt. Shingo recoiled off the ropes, but he walked right into the Tour of the Islands from Cobb! Not content, Cobb threw Shingo off the ropes again and hit him with another Tour of the Islands! A still enraged Cobb threw Shingo off the ropes a third time and hit him with a third Tour of the Islands!!! Cobb then made the cover and got the three. What another brutal win for Jeff Cobb as his reign as NEVER Openweight Champion has reached eight months!
WINNER: Jeff Cobb

After that physical match, we cut to a video hyping up our penultimate match of the evening, the 4-on-4 Bullet Club/United Empire match where the losers must disband! Jay White has waged this war against Will Ospreay & the rest of United Empire since September. That was when White felt like he was slighted by Ospreay, reigniting a feud between the two that bubbled up last year. Since then, these two groups have gone to war, with United Empire mostly coming out on top. However, Jay White has proposed an "ultimate answer" to end this feud once and for all, a 4 v 4 match where the losing group must disband! White has chosen three of the most original members of BC, while Ospreay has picked one of the top tag teams in NJPW and the dangerous Great O-Khan to compete in this elimination showdown. Which group will walk out of the Tokyo Dome still together?

Losing Team Must Disband
Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan, & Aussie Open)
This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind United Empire. This one was supposed to start off between Jay White & Will Ospreay, but White quickly tagged out to Devitt, who launched himself at Ospreay and hit him with a shotgun dropkick. Devitt then quickly tagged back out to White, who began unloading a barrage of stomps onto Ospreay's chest and choking him out with his boot. White then threw Ospreay into the corner and hit hime with a knife edge chop, which echoed around the Tokyo Dome. White then tried to finish off Ospreay with the Blade Runner, but Ospreay wiggled out of it and hit White with a spinning back suplex. White tried escaping, but Ospreay caught him with a superkick and quickly followed that up with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. White rebounded to his corner, where Doc Gallows tagged himself in. Gallows blasted Ospreay with a big boot before scooping him up and hitting him with a powerslam. Gallows made the cover, but Ospreay kicked out at two. Gallows tried hitting Ospreay with a chokebomb, but Ospreay wiggled out of it and hit Gallows with an enzuigiri, which sent the Bullet Club big man to one knee. Ospreay then ran off the ropes and hit him with the Hidden Blade! Ospreay made the cover and got the three, eliminating Gallows! (UE- 4, BC- 3) Anderson was next to join the fray for Bullet Club, hitting Ospreay with a lariat that sent the United Empire leader crashing into his corner. That was where Great O-Khan tagged himself in. Khan hit Anderson with a big boot before lifting up the veteran Bullet Club member for a military press slam. Khan then tried hitting Anderson with the Eliminator, but Anderson escaped it and hit Khan with the Gun Stun! Anderson made the cover, but Khan managed to kick out at two. A frustrated Anderson picked Khan back up and attempted another Gun Stun, but Khan caught him and hit him with the Eliminator! Khan made the cover and got the three, giving United Empire a 4 on 2 advantage! (UE- 4, BC- 2) Khan couldn't celebrate for long though as Devitt got in the ring and hit Khan with a slingblade. Khan got back up to his feet, but was immediately met with a shotgun dropkick from Devitt, sending the big man crashing into the corner. Devitt then went to the top rope and attempted a diving double foot stomp, but Khan rolled out of the way at the last second and blasted Devitt with a big boot. Khan then tried hitting Devitt with the Eliminator, but Devitt wiggled out of it and hit Khan with the Bloody Sunday! Devitt made the cover and got the three, giving United Empire their first elimination! (UE- 3, BC- 2) The match came to an end when Devitt and Ospreay started to square off in the ring. The two men engaged in a lengthy back-and-forth, which culminated with Ospreay hitting Devitt with a dragon suplex. Ospreay then tried pulling out something deep from his bag of tricks, a Tiger Driver, but Devitt managed to reverse it into a big back body drop that left both men on the canvass. Devitt tagged out to White, who flashed a big smile and weirdly just stood in his corner. Ospreay then tried making the tag to Kyle Fletcher, but...

Fletcher & Davis dropped from the apron!

A stunned Ospreay started screaming "WHAT THE F*CK LADS?!?" before Fletcher cracked him in the mouth with a right hand! Ospreay recoiled out of the corner and right into the Blade Runner from White! Aussie Open went up to the timekeeper, told them that they're done here (BC- 2, UE- 1), and shockingly started standing in Bullet Club's corner! White then picked up Ospreay again and hit him with another Blade Runner! White then made the cover...

1!

2!

3!

Jay White has killed United Empire! Bullet Club have survived and United Empire are gone, only thanks to those turncoats Aussie Open! Afterwards, White, Devitt, Fletcher, & Davis shared a "too sweet" over Ospreay's corpse, with White looking like the happiest man alive.
WINNERS: Bullet Club

After that shocking turn of events, we cut to a video hyping up our main event of the evening, the huge battle between Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura. The video, set to Daylight by David Kushner, shows the long and storied history between these two men. Starting at the beginning, back in 2012 when Shinsuke Nakamura recruited the recently returning from excursion Okada into CHAOS. Over the next few years, the two men pretty much ruled NJPW, with Okada holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Nakamura holding the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. That all changed when Nakamura left for America and Okada was left to run CHAOS. Since then, Okada's had his ups and downs, but he's cemented his spot at the top of NJPW. However, things were thrown into flux earlier in 2023 when Shinsuke Nakamura made his triumphant return to NJPW, rejoining CHAOS and becoming co-leader with Okada. Since Nakamura's return though, something hasn't sat right with Okada and that culminated when the two men teamed up to face The Samoan SWAT Team for the IWGP Tag Team Titles at Power Struggle. They lost that match and afterwards, Okada snapped at Nakamura, shoving him to the ground. Okada called Nakamura a shell of his former self and challenged him to a match at Wrestle Kingdom. After a bit more prodding, Nakamura accepted the challenge, telling Okada that if he came for the king, he better not miss! Which one of these two legends of the sport walk out of the Tokyo Dome with the win?

After that exciting video, our main event competitors made their entrances, starting with Kazuchika Okada. An orchestral version of Okada's theme song began to play as the Tokyo Dome became bathed in a gold light. After about a minute, Okada's actual theme started to play as Okada descended from high atop the Tokyo Dome on a giant pillar! Okada eventually got off the pillar and hit his pose as pyro exploded and money with Okada's face on it began pouring down from the rafters. Okada slowly made his way down to the ring, soaking in the surprisingly mixed reaction from the Tokyo Dome crowd before Nakamura made his entrance.

Before Nakamura could make his entrance, a man with a guitar came out on the ramp and started riffing a sick guitar solo. Eventually, he started playing Nakamura's theme as the 'King of Strong Style' officially started to make his entrance. Fire started bursting out of the stage as Nakamura strutted his way down to the ring to a chorus of cheers from the Tokyo Dome. Eventually, he made his way to the ring and exchanged a tense staredown with his fellow leader of CHAOS. After the official ring introductions, referee Red Shoes called for the bell and we were underway in the main event of the evening!

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura
This match was an amazing match and the crowd was split between Okada and Nakamura, at least at the beginning. Nakamura wanted to start things off with a handshake, but Okada declined the offer, much to Nakamura's surprise. Instead, the two men got in a collar and elbow tie-up, in which Nakamura won control after hitting Okada with a forearm smash. Nakamura responded to his tactical win by doing a celebratory strut, much to the delight of the Tokyo Dome crowd and the chagrin of Okada. Okada tried hitting Nakamura with a lariat, but the 'King of Strong Style' ducked it and hit Okada with an enzuigiri. As Okada got to his knees, Nakamura got in his face and told him to "COME ON!!!" Okada started getting a bit more frustrated at this point, locking up with Nakamura once more. Nakamura got the better of Okada again, leading to another celebratory strut. This time though, Okada responded by blasting Nakamura with a big boot! The crowd gasped in shock as Okada began unloading a barrage of strikes onto Nakamura. Okada continued to rain down haymakers, only stopping when referee Red Shoes threatened to disqualify him. As Red Shoes checked on Nakamura, Okada decided to take a breather in the opposite corner, but that was when the jeers started raining down on him from the sold-out Tokyo Dome crowd. Okada looked a little taken aback by the crowd, but he couldn't think about that for too long as Nakamura sprung up from the opposite corner (with blood covering a decent chunk of his face) and pounced on Okada with a Thesz press! Nakamura unloaded a barrage of strikes onto Okada, eventually finishing things off with a belly to belly suplex that sent Okada flying across the ring. Nakamura then tried ending things early with the Bomaye, but Okada managed to avoid it and hit Nakamura with a stiff German suplex. Okada then grabbed Nakamura's right arm and started stomping the living hell out of it, obviously trying to set him up for the Money Clip. That Money Clip attempt came shortly thereafter, but Nakamura managed to wiggle out of it, grab Okada's left leg and lock him in a calf slicer! Okada clawed desperately for the ropes, only escaping when he managed to grab Nakamura's face and rake his eyes. Nakamura stumbled to his feet, but walked directly into a beautiful-looking dropkick from Okada. Okada then scooped up Nakamura and hit him with the RAINMAKAH!!!! Okada made the cover...

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Shinsuke Nakamura kicked out of the Rainmaker! The crowd went wild as Okada slammed his hands on the mat in frustration. Okada picked up Nakamura and tried hitting him with another Rainmaker, but Nakamura caught him and locked him in a triangle choke! Okada clawed desperately for the ropes, but Nakamura kept cinching the hold in. Just as it seemed as if Okada would pass out, he somehow found enough energy to muster up enough strength and slam Nakamura to the math with a powerbomb! However, NAKAMURA KEPT THE HOLD IN!!! Okada tried another method this time, stacking Nakamura's shoulders to get a pin, but Nakamura somehow kept his shoulders off the mat. Okada was starting to fade by this point and he had no other choice but to go for a last ditch attempt to get out of the triangle choke. Okada had to muster up enough strength once more to lift up Nakamura for a powerbomb, but instead of going for a powerbomb, he started slamming the 'King of Strong Style' head first into the turnbuckle pad! That finally managed to break the hold, but the damage might have been done. The match came to an end when Nakamura set himself up in the corner and tried hitting Okada with the Bomaye. However, when Nakamura charged at Okada, Okada ducked low and took out Nakamura's knee with a chop block! Nakamura fell to the ground in pain as Okada smiled in delight. Okada then grabbed a flailing Nakamura and hit him with the RAINMAKAH!!! Instead of going for the cover, Okada picked Nakamura back up and hit him with another RAINMAKAH!!! A sadistic expression enveloped Okada's face as he picked up Nakamura and hit him with a third RAINMAKAH!!! With some members of the crowd pleading with Okada to stop, Okada scooped up Nakamura again and hit him with a fourth RAINMAKAH!!! The crowd was now shouting at Okada to let up on Nakamura and hell, even Nakamura wasn't really fighting back at this point, only landing some shots that grazed the chest of Okada. Okada didn't care though and hit Nakamura with a fifth RAINMAKAH!!! Mercifully, Okada made the cover...

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Kazuchika Okada has defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom, but at what cost?!? The crowd started booing the living hell out of Okada as the young lions and the NJPW medical staff rushed the ring to check on Nakamura. Okada didn't care though, he won, he proved Nakamura wrong, he came at the king and he didn't miss!
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada

Afterwards, as the medics and young lions tended to Nakamura, Okada decided he didn't have enough and went back to beating the living hell out of Nakamura! The enraged Tokyo Dome crowd began throwing trash in the ring as Okada picked up Nakamura and hit him with a sixth RAINMAKAH!!!! Nakamura's lifeless corpse flopped to the mat as Okada began to sport a maniacal grin. Okada then began attacking the medics and young lions, who were desperately trying everything they could to stop Okada from inflicting any more damage on Nakamura. Eventually though, Okada got through, but when he set up Nakamura for a seventh Rainmaker...

Ren Narita ran down to the ring!

Shinsuke Nakamura's protege rushed the ring and threw himself on top of Nakamura, trying to protect his mentor from any more harm. Okada surprisingly stopped his attack, simply getting in Narita's face and telling him "YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Okada then spit in Narita's face like a massive dick. Okada finished his showing by mockingly wiping his boots on the ring and onto Nakamura. The first night of Wrestle Kingdom 18 came to a close as medics continued to tend to Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada triumphantly strolled up the ramp, only stopping to grab a microphone and telling the Tokyo Dome one final thing...

Kazuchika Okada: "The King is DEAD! Long live THE RAINMAKER!"

FINAL GRADE:

Popularity: Increased in 28 Regions.

MidKnightDreary · August 18, 2023

DAMN I didn't expect that! I actually wondered if AO would turn though...

Uncrewed · August 20, 2023

NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 18 NIGHT TWO PREVIEW

IWGP WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:

HIROSHI TANAHASHI (C) VS HIROMU TAKAHASHI

Hiroshi Tanahashi made his triumphant return to NJPW after a five month hiatus last year at Wrestle Kingdom, winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada. That's good right? Wrong, as Tanahashi had to reach a new low for himself and cheat to win. Now being backed by the mega corp ACE Entertainment, Tanahashi has ruled over NJPW with an iron fist for the last year, beating everyone that's stood in his path (mostly by cheating)...

Enter Hiromu Takahashi. The Los Ingobernables de Japon member had an amazing 2023 after ascending to the heavyweight division in 2022. He won the G1 Climax, besting fellow LIJ member Shingo Takagi in the finals. Now, he's made it his mission to set off the "ticking time bomb" to destroy ACE Entertainment once and for all, vowing to do so by taking the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi! Will the veteran Tanahashi walk out of the Tokyo Dome once again on top? Or will the upstart Hiromu Takahashi slay his legendary foe and restore the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to its rightful glory?

KONOSUKE TAKESHITA VS SHOTA UMINO

Takeshita made his NJPW debut last year in the G1 Climax following years of stardom in DDT. Takeshita was eliminated in block competition, but he quickly formed a friendship with fellow young gun Shota Umino. The two men hit it off quickly, with videos showing the two training together and partying at the hottest night clubs. That changed after the G1 Climax though, as Takeshita pretty much ghosted Shota. It all culminated at Destruction in Taipei, where Shota challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Tanahashi won that match by cheating and continued his beatdown on Shota afterwards. However, Konosuke Takeshita made his triumphant return and chased Tanahashi out of the ring. Suddenly, Takeshita began beating the hell out of Shota! Takeshita then signalled his allegiance to Hiroshi Tanahashi and ACE Entertainment, killing his friendship with Shota. Since then, the two men have cost the other some important matches (Takeshita costing Shota the NEVER Openweight Championship and Shota costing Takeshita the World Tag League), but now they'll finally square off one on one inside the Tokyo Dome! Which former friend will emerge on top in Tokyo?

TETSUYA NAITO VS SANADA

Tetsuya Naito recruited SANADA to join Los Ingobernables de Japon. In fact, in SANADA's first night in NJPW, he helped Naito win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship! SANADA's time in LIJ lasted for nearly seven year, with SANADA slowly becoming more and more dissatisfied near the end of his run. That culminated during the G1 Climax last year, where SANADA officially turned on LIJ, branching out solo and taking out both Naito and Hiromu Takahashi. Now, SANADA looks to prove that Naito and the rest of LIJ held him back for so long and he'll get to do it on the biggest stage of professional wrestling! Will Tetsuya Naito put down his former friend? Or will SANADA prove once and for all that he never needed Tetsuya Naito and LIJ to become a star?

IWGP JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:

WATO (C) VS SHO VS YOH

Both SHO & YOH have been tormented by the masked demons known as The Scourge for months now and it came as a big shock when the leader of The Scourge was revealed to be Master Wato, now going by WATO. Since then, The Scourge have continued to torment SHO & YOH, with WATO winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship along the way. Will WATO cement his spot at the top of the junior heavyweight division? Or will SHO or YOH regain their spot at the top?

IWGP UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:

'FILTHY' TOM LAWLOR (C) VS JOSH BARNETT

Lawlor has had a dominant reign as IWGP United States Champion, defending it against several strong opponents in NJPW and over in America in GCW's Bloodsport events. He's faced pretty much everyone there except for the originator of Bloodsport, Josh Barnett! Barnett made his way to Japan at the World Tag League Final and challenged Lawlor to a championship match, but under Bloodsport Rules! Will 'Filthy' Tom cement his reign as US Champ? Or will Josh Barnett complete the ultimate career comeback and become the next IWGP US Champion?

IWGP WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:

MERCEDES MONE (C) VS IO SHIRAI

Io made her triumphant return to the Japanese wrestling scene last month at NJPW STRONG Ignition, confronting the IWGP Women's Champion Mercedes Mone after she had just defended her title against Willow Nightingale. Io simply told Mercedes that she wanted a shot at the title and Mercedes was more than happy to oblige! Will Mercedes continue her dominant reign as champ? Or will the 'Genius of the Sky' return to her throne on top of the Japanese women's scene?

PREDICTION KEY:

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match:

Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Hiromu Takahashi

Comments:

Special Singles Match:

Konosuke Takeshita vs Shota Umino

Comments:

Special Singles Match:

Tetsuya Naito vs SANADA
Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 3-Way Match:

WATO (C) vs SHO vs YOH

Comments:

IWGP United States Championship Bloodsport Rules Match:

'Filthy' Tom Lawlor (C) vs Josh Barnett

Comments:

IWGP Women's Championship Match:

Mercedes Mone (C) vs Io Shirai

Comments:

MidKnightDreary · August 21, 2023

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match:

Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Hiromu Takahashi

Comments:

Hiromu is awesome, but it's gonna be a little longer before the ACE is dethroned.

Special Singles Match:

Konosuke Takeshita vs Shota Umino

Comments:

Special Singles Match:

Tetsuya Naito vs SANADA
Comments:

I see SANADA picking up new friends to win.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 3-Way Match:

WATO (C) vs SHO vs YOH

Comments:

Good guys need a win here, and the Scourge will be fine.

IWGP United States Championship Bloodsport Rules Match:

'Filthy' Tom Lawlor (C) vs Josh Barnett

Comments:

One more run for the legend.

IWGP Women's Championship Match:

Mercedes Mone (C) vs Io Shirai

Comments:

The Genius comes back to Japan!

Uncrewed · August 21, 2023

Night Two of Wrestle Kingdom will be up tomorrow, so this is a 24 Hour Prediction Warning!

Vandal · August 22, 2023

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match:

Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Hiromu Takahashi

Comments:

Special Singles Match:

Konosuke Takeshita vs Shota Umino

Comments:

Special Singles Match:

Tetsuya Naito vs SANADA
Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 3-Way Match:

WATO (C) vs SHO vs YOH

Comments:

IWGP United States Championship Bloodsport Rules Match:

'Filthy' Tom Lawlor (C) vs Josh Barnett

Comments:

IWGP Women's Championship Match:

Mercedes Mone (C) vs Io Shirai

Comments:

Uncrewed · August 24, 2023

Quote

PRE-SHOW: In the 20-man New Japan Rambo, Bullet Club's El Phantasmo won after last eliminating Karl Fredericks. It's been a good Wrestle Kingdom for Bullet Club and that culminated with the cocky ELP winning the New Japan Rambo. Phantasmo mostly bided his time during the match, waiting until the very end to sneak up from behind Fredericks and eliminate him to get the win. With the win, Phantasmo now has a guaranteed shot at Jeff Cobb & the NEVER Openweight Championship waiting for him. (75/B-)

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 Night Two- January 5th, 2024
Attendance: 45,000 at Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

Night two of Wrestle Kingdom 18 kicked off with a video running down tonight's card. From the Japanese return of Io Shirai to challenge for the IWGP Women's Championship, to the personal war between Shota Umino & Konosuke Takeshita, and finally, the main event, the huge IWGP World Heavyweight Championship main event between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hiromu Takahashi. Will Hiroshi Tanahashi cement his status as the greatest wrestler to ever step foot in an NJPW ring? Or will Hiromu Takahashi unleash the ticking time bomb and destroy ACE Entertainment? We'll find out tonight! After the video ended, pyro exploded all around the Tokyo Dome as our commentary team introduced us to tonight's proceedings. We then quickly got into our first bout of the evening...

IWGP Women's Championship Match:
Mercedes Mone (C) vs Io Shirai
Io made her triumphant return to the Japanese wrestling scene last month at NJPW STRONG Ignition, confronting the IWGP Women's Champion Mercedes Mone after she had just defended her title against Willow Nightingale. Io simply told Mercedes that she wanted a shot at the title and Mercedes was more than happy to oblige! This match was a good match and the crowd was split between both women. Io & Mercedes Started things off with a collar and elbow tie-up, in which Io won control after knocking Mercedes to the mat with a back elbow smash. The 'Genius of the Sky' followed that up with a running penalty kick to Mercedes's chest, but the followup pinfall attempt failed to get past the one count. Io then locked Mercedes in an armbar, but Mercedes quickly escaped it and hit Io with an enzuigiri. Mercedes then threw Io into the corner and hit her with a running high knee. Mercedes went to the top rope following that, did an Eddie Guerrero taunt, and hit Io with a big frog splash. Mercedes made the cover, but Io managed to kick out at two. Mercedes then tried locking Io in the Statement Maker, but Io quickly wiggled out of it and hit Mercedes with a roundhouse kick. As Mercedes crumpled to her knees, Io ran off the ropes and hit her with a shotgun dropkick. Io then ran off the ropes and hit Mercedes with a running shooting star press, but only got a two count on the ensuing pinfall attempt. Io then went to the top rope and attempted to finish off Mercedes with her patented Moonsault, but Mercedes rolled out of the way at the last second. As Io started favoring her ribs, Mercedes scooped her up and hit her with a belly-to-belly suplex, which she called a "shoutout to an old friend." Mercedes then hit Io with a backstabber, but failed to lock in the Statement Maker thanks to Io biting her fingers! The match eventually came to an end after Io managed to knock Mercedes silly by hitting her with a rolling savate kick, sending the champ crashing into the corner. From there, Io scooped up Mercedes, set her up on the top rope, and hit her with a big Spanish Fly! Not content with that, Io went back up to the top rope and hit Mercedes with the Moonsault! Io then made the cover and got the three! Io Shirai is your new IWGP Women's Champion, ending the dominant reign of Mercedes Mone!
WINNER: Io Shirai

IWGP United States Championship/Bloodsport Rules Match:
'Filthy' Tom Lawlor (C) vs Josh Barnett
Lawlor has had a dominant reign as IWGP United States Champion, defending it against several strong opponents in NJPW and over in America in GCW's Bloodsport events. He's faced pretty much everyone there except for the originator of Bloodsport, Josh Barnett! Barnett made his way to Japan at the World Tag League Final and challenged Lawlor to a championship match, but under Bloodsport Rules! Lawlor accepted and now we have a real fight on our hands tonight. The rules of Bloodsport are pretty simple, the only way to win is by knockout or submission and there are no ropes surrounding the ring. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Barnett. Barnett started things off hot by taking down Lawlor with a double leg takedown and unloading a barrage of punches onto the IWGP United States Champion! Lawlor kept trying to defend himself, but Barnett immediately transitioned the punches into a triangle choke! Lawlor clawed desperately to get out of the hold and was only able to after mustering up the strength and slamming Barnett to the mat with a powerbomb. Lawlor then caught his breath and charged at Barnett, hitting him with a running shoulder tackle. Lawlor then began the ground-and-pound action, unloading some heavy haymakers onto the veteran. However, Lawlor got a bit greedy with his punches as Barnett caught his fist on one of them and transitioned into an armbar! Lawlor was able to escape this one easier than the triangle choke though as Lawlor was able to punch his way out of this submission attempt. Both men got up, but Barnett was quickly knocked back down to the mat after a stiff roundhouse kick from Lawlor! Referee Marty Asami checked on Barnett, but Barnett quickly indicated he was still able to go. Lawlor didn't waste any time after Barnett signalled the OK, as he charged at Barnett with a running shotgun dropkick. Barnett was able to roll out of the way though and quickly caught the grounded Lawlor with a bevy of stiff strikes. Lawlor was able to quickly get his dukes up though and fight out of the ground-and-pound. Barnett then tried launching Lawlor across the ring with a gutwrench suplex, but Lawlor managed to reverse it into a release belly to belly suplex that nearly sent Barnett flying out of the ring! The match came to an end when Lawlor snuck up from behind Barnett and locked him in the Rear Naked Choke! Barnett clawed desperately for the ropes, but when Lawlor was able to lock in the body scissors, that was all she wrote for Josh Barnett. Barnett eventually just passed out from the pain, giving Lawlor the win to retain the IWGP United States Championship!
WINNER: 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 3-Way Match:
WATO (C) vs SHO vs YOH
Both SHO & YOH have been tormented by the masked demons known as The Scourge for months now and it came as a big shock when the leader of The Scourge was revealed to be Master Wato, now going by WATO. Since then, The Scourge have continued to torment SHO & YOH, with WATO winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship along the way. Will WATO cement his spot at the top of the junior heavyweight division? Or will SHO or YOH regain their spot at the top? This match was an amazing match and the crowd was surprisingly solidly behind SHO. SHO got things off hot, as he didn't even wait for WATO (who was accompanied by the masked Oni) to finish his entrance. Instead, SHO ran off the ropes and took out WATO with a massive suicide dive! SHO then threw WATO into the ring to start the match. SHO started stomping a mudhole in WATO, but was eventually stopped by YOH, who wanted a piece of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for himself. The two former Roppongi 3K members then began arguing, which allowed WATO to recover and take out both men with a leaping lariat. WATO then began to isolate YOH, targeting his back with a bevy of quick kicks. WATO scooped up YOH and hit him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before going to the top rope and hitting him with a diving elbow drop. The ensuing pinfall attempt was broken up by SHO, who hit WATO with a German suplex that sent the champ flying across the ring. SHO then ran at WATO and hit him with a lariat before he set him up for the Shock Arrow. SHO never got to hit the Shock Arrow though, as YOH jumped off the top rope and took out both men with a springboard crossbody! As WATO sneakily rolled to the outside, SHO & YOH began fighting each other, reminiscent of last year's Wrestle Kingdom IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match. This time finished similarly to last time, as YOH was able to take control following a stiff enzuigiri that sent SHO crashing out of the ring. Before YOH could go after SHO, WATO snuck up from behind him and tried getting a sneaky small package win. That failed though as YOH kicked out at two. Before WATO could capitalize on the small package, YOH was able to catch him with a superkick that brought the champ down to one knee. Sensing opportunity, YOH ran off the ropes and hit WATO with a shotgun dropkick. YOH made the cover, but it was broken up by SHO, who flew off the top rope and broke up the cover with a big frog splash! SHO then scooped up YOH and hit him with a dragon suplex before picking up his former partner and locking him in the Snake Bite (Modified Omoplata)! YOH desperately clawed for the ropes, but SHO kept the hold locked in! Eventually, YOH had to make a last ditch effort as he kicked his feet off the ropes and was able to get SHO in a roll-up! That almost got the two, but WATO managed to break it up with a big dropkick! The match came to an end when all three men shared a staredown and, shortly thereafter, began beating the hell out of each other! It was YOH who emerged from that pileup on top, hitting SHO with a tiger suplex that sent the former champ flying out of the ring. As YOH set up WATO for the Direct Drive, he was tripped up by the masked oni on the outside! YOH went to grab the oni, but he was instead sprayed in the face with black mist!!! YOH writhed on the ground in pain as WATO quickly scooped him up and hit him with Eternal Damnation!!! WATO made the cover...

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WATO has retained the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship! SHO was almost able to get in the ring to break up the pin, but he too was misted by the masked oni! The biggest win of WATO's career was punctuated with AKUMA & AKUJIN making their way to the ring with their newly-won IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. The three members of The Scourge held their titles high in the air before WATO grabbed his masked oni companion and told them to reveal themselves to the world. The masked oni complied, revealing the person under the mask to be...

KANA?!?!?

KANA'S BEEN BEHIND THE MASK THE WHOLE TIME?!? WATO flashed a big grin as the four members of The Scourge stood tall in the ring. The NJPW junior heavyweight division is now entirely ruled by The Scourge, may god have mercy on us all.
WINNER: WATO

After that crazy turn of events, we cut to a video hyping up the upcoming Tetsuya Naito/SANADA match. The video shows the history of the two men, starting with Naito recruiting SANADA to join Los Ingobernables de Japon. In fact, in SANADA's first night in NJPW, he helped Naito win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship! The video then showed SANADA's time in LIJ, with SANADA slowly becoming more and more dissatisfied with his career. That culminated during the G1 Climax last year, where SANADA officially turned on LIJ, branching out solo and taking out both Naito and Hiromu Takahashi. Now, SANADA looks to prove that Naito and the rest of LIJ held him back for so long and he'll get to do it on the biggest stage of professional wrestling!

Tetsuya Naito vs SANADA
This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Naito. Naito started things off by offering one last sign of respect to his ex-LIJ teammate, offering him a fist bump. SANADA declined, responding to the fist bump by slapping Naito across the face! Naito responded by bashing SANADA in the face with a huge forearm smash, sending SANADA crashing to the outside. SANADA regrouped with TAKA on the outside as Naito hit the LIJ pose in the ring, much to the delight of the Tokyo Dome crowd. SANADA got back in the ring and locked up with Naito in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, but the LIJ leader was once again able to outsmart SANADA and caught him with a snap suplex. SANADA recoiled into the corner, where Naito ran up to him and hit him with an enzuigiri. Naito then threw SANADA off the ropes and hit him with a big back body drop. Naito then tried to finish off SANADA early with the Destino, but SANADA managed to wiggle out of it and hit Naito with a tiger suplex. SANADA then threw Naito into the corner and hit him with a barrage of knife edge chops that turned Naito's chest beat red. SANADA started to play some mind games with his former friend, slapping him across the face a few times and yelling in his face, "YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME!" Naito fired back, hitting SANADA with a forearm smash before knocking him out of the ring with a lariat that sent SANADA flying over the top rope. SANADA tried regrouping on the outside, but Naito managed to catch him with a baseball slide that sent SANADA crashing into the ring barricade. Naito and SANADA then began brawling on the outside, with SANADA eventually taking control after sneaky eye poke. SANADA then threw Naito headfirst into the ring post, busting the LIJ leader wide open. As blood started flowing from Naito's head, SANADA threw him back in the ring and hit him with a brainbuster. SANADA then made the cover, but Naito kicked out at two. A frustrated SANADA then tried finishing off Naito with Deadfall, but Naito wiggled out of it and hit SANADA with a release German suplex. Naito scooped up SANADA following that and hit him with a running powerslam, but the followup cover failed to get the win. The match came to an end when Naito picked up SANADA and hit him with the Destino!!! Naito made the cover...

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SANADA somehow managed to kick out of the Destino! A shocked Naito decided to pull one last trick out of his bag as he went to the top rope to attempt the Stardust Press. That failed though as SANADA was able to get his knees up at the last second! SANADA then quickly locked Naito in the Skull End! Just as it seemed like Naito was about to escape it, SANADA quickly transitioned it into Deadfall! SANADA then made the cover...

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SANADA has vanquished Tetsuya Naito! SANADA has finally proven that he can succeed on his own, he never needed Naito all along!
WINNER: SANADA

After that match ended, we cut to a video hyping up our semi-main event of the evening, the big grudge match between Shota Umino & Konosuke Takeshita. The video showed how Takeshita made his NJPW debut last year in the G1 Climax following years of stardom in DDT. Takeshita was eliminated in block competition, but he quickly formed a friendship with fellow young gun Shota Umino. The two men hit it off quickly, with videos showing the two training together and partying at the hottest night clubs. That changed after the G1 Climax though, as Takeshita pretty much ghosted Shota. It all culminated at Destruction in Taipei, where Shota challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Tanahashi won that match by cheating and continued his beatdown on Shota afterwards. However, Konosuke Takeshita made his triumphant return and chased Tanahashi out of the ring. Suddenly, Takeshita began beating the hell out of Shota! Takeshita then signalled his allegiance to Hiroshi Tanahashi and ACE Entertainment, killing his friendship with Shota. Since then, the two men have cost the other some important matches (Takeshita costing Shota the NEVER Openweight Championship and Shota costing Takeshita the World Tag League), but now they'll finally square off one on one inside the Tokyo Dome! Which former friend will emerge on top tonight in Tokyo?

Shota Umino vs Konosuke Takeshita
This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Shota. Shota and Takeshita immediately began beating the living hell out of each other, with both men exchanging a quick barrage of strikes onto the other. Shota then took control after hitting Takeshita with a spinning elbow smash, which sent the ACE Entertainment star crumbling to the mat. Shota then scooped up Konosuke and hit him with an exploder suplex, sending Takeshita flying across the ring. As Takeshita stumbled to his feet, Shota ran at him and knocked him out of the ring with a big boot. Takeshita didn't have much time to recover on the outside as Shota ran off the ropes and hit Takeshita with a tope suicida! Shota then tried throwing Takeshita back in the ring, but Takeshita reversed it and threw Shota into ring steps. As Takeshita started to relish in the jeers, he threw Shota head first into the commentary table before going back in the ring to break the count. Takeshita then grabbed one of the camera wires from the commentary table and started choking the living hell out of Shota with it! Shota was eventually able to escape the choke by throwing his head back into Takeshita's head, sending Takeshita flying backwards as Shota unwrapped the wire from around his neck. Shota then grabbed Takeshita and threw him back in the ring, ending this forray onto the outside. Shota then hit Takeshita with a huge lariat, which sent Takeshita flying inside out. Shota made the cover, but Takeshita kicked out at two. Shota then tried ending things early with the DEATH RIDER DDT, but Takeshita wiggled out of it and hit Shota with a tiger suplex. Shota got knocked a little loopy by that one, as he stumbled out of the ring to recover on the outside. Takeshita quickly followed behind him, but when he went to grab him, Shota caught him with a big Pele kick! Shota was bluffing the entire time! Shota then threw Takeshita back in the ring as he went to the top rope. Shota then flied off the top rope and hit Takeshita with a big diving knee drop. Shota then tried hitting Takeshita with another DEATH RIDER DDT, but Takeshita wiggled out of it and hit Shota with a jumping high knee. The match came to an end when Takeshita tried hitting Shota with Absolute Thunder, but Shota was able to wiggle out of it and lock Takeshita in the DEATH LOCK! Takeshita desperately clawed for the ropes, but Shota kept locking his mentor KUSHIDA's hold in tight! Takeshita was eventually able to somehow escape it though and immediately transitioned it into a huge Absolute Thunder!!! Takeshita made the cover...

1!

2!

NO!

Shota Umino has kicked out of Absolute Thunder! A frustrated Takeshita ran to the opposite corner and tried hitting Shota with a running knee strike, but Shota rolled out of the way at the last second! Shota then bounced off/into the ropes and hit Takeshita with a big pendulum lariat, a la his other mentor Jon Moxley! Shota then scooped up Takeshita and hit him with not one, not two, but three consecutive DEATH RIDER DDT's! Shota then made the cover...

1!

2!

3!

Shota Umino has beaten his former friend in the Tokyo Dome! It took nearly everything from his arsenal (and a little bit from Jon Moxley & KUSHIDA's arsenals), but he's done it, he's gotten revenge on Konosuke Takeshita once and for all!
WINNER: Shota Umino

After that hellacious match, we cut to a video hyping up our main event of the evening, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hiromu Takahashi. The video showed how Hiroshi Tanahashi made his triumphant return to NJPW after a five month hiatus last year at Wrestle Kingdom, winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada. That's good right? Wrong, as Tanahashi had to reach a new low for himself and cheat to win. Now being backed by the mega corp ACE Entertainment, Tanahashi has ruled over NJPW with an iron fist for the last year, beating everyone that's stood in his path (mostly by cheating)...

Enter Hiromu Takahashi. The Los Ingobernables de Japon member had an amazing 2023 after ascending to the heavyweight division in 2022. He won the G1 Climax, besting fellow LIJ member Shingo Takagi in the finals. Now, he's made it his mission to set off the "ticking time bomb" to destroy ACE Entertainment once and for all, vowing to do so by taking the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi! Will the veteran Tanahashi walk out of the Tokyo Dome once again on top? Or will the upstart Hiromu Takahashi slay his legendary foe and restore the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to its rightful glory? We're about to find out!

We then cut to the entrance ramp, where a bevy of children emerged from the back with Daryl and Naoru plushies. The kids then lined up in formation as a countdown clock began to tick down on the big screen. As the clock struck zero, a bunch of pyro exploded around the arena as Hiromu Takahashi jumped up from a hidden hole on the entrance ramp! The crowd popped as Hiromu made his way down to the ring with sparklers going off all around him. The challenger made his way to the ring where, after the announcer's introduction, a bevy of streamers came flying in from the crowd. Hiromu then did some snow angels (or in this case, streamer angels) in the ring, much to the delight of the crowd.

As Hiromu got ready in the ring, a bunch of ACE Entertainment officials made their way onto the entrance ramp and whisked out the kids. They officials then rolled out a red carpet and draped ACE Entertainment banners around the ringside area. They then brought out their own special ring announcer, who began a long spiel that essentially amounted to a sort of state news agency report on the greatness of Hiroshi Tanahashi. As the announcer finished (and Hiromu rolled his eyes in the ring), fireworks went off around the Tokyo Dome as a massive "GO ACE!" banner was unfolded from the rafters. Hiroshi Tanahashi's music then hit and he made his way down the ramp to a massive chorus of jeers. Tanahashi, surprisingly without CSRO and Takeshita, walked very smugly, not even looking at Hiromu. After the actual ring announcer introduced Tanahashi, he expected streamers to come in from the crowd, but none came! An enraged Tanahashi then motioned to one of the ACE Entertainment officials, who then instructed some other officials to throw some streamers themselves! Tanahashi then basked in the glory of the artificial streamers before this match got going.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Hiromu Takahashi
This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Hiromu. Tanahashi started things off by simply walking past Hiromu, bumping him out of the way, and getting on the top rope to taunt the Tokyo Dome crowd. Hiromu responded by grabbing Tanahashi's legs and slamming him to the mat with a big powerbomb! Hiromu made the quick cover, but Tanahashi unsurprisingly kicked out at one. Tanahashi got back up, but immediately walked into a stiff enuzigiri from Hiromu that sent the champ crashing to the outside. Tanahashi quickly got back up to the apron, but Hiromu ran off the ropes and took him out with a huge suicide spear! Hiromu threw Tanahashi back in the ring and went to the top rope. Hiromu then attempted a Phoenix Splash, but Tanahashi managed to get his knees up at the last second. Tanahashi then scooped up Hiromu and hit him with with a big uranage. Tanahashi then hit Hiromu with a snap dragon suplex, quickly following that up with a running knee drop. Tanahashi then waited in the corner as Hiromu got back up, then charging at him and hitting him with the slingblade! Tanahashi then tried locking Hiromu in the Texas Cloverleaf, but Hiromu managed to kick him away and hit him with a superkick. Hiromu then hit Tanahashi with a release German suplex that sent the champ flying across the ring. Hiromu scooped up Tanahashi after that for a Death Valley Driver, but instead of hitting it, Hiromu ran with Tanahashi and sent him crashing into the corner! Hiromu tried making the cover, but Tanahashi managed to roll out of the ring before Hiromu made the cover. As Tanahashi tried to recover on the outside, Hiromu made his way to the top rope and tried to hit Tanahashi with a moonsault to the outside, but Tanahashi rolled out of the way at the last second. Tanahashi then grabbed Hiromu by the hair and threw him headfirst into the ringside barricade. Tanahashi then taunted the crowd before grabbing Hiromu and sent him crashing headfirst into the ringpost. Both men re-entered the ring following that, with Tanahashi grabbing Hiromu's leg and hitting him with a dragon screw leg whip. Tanahashi followed that up with another dragon screw leg whip, and then another one! Finally, Tanahashi decided now was the time to lock in the Texas Cloverleaf. Hiromu clawed desperately for the ropes, but as soon as he got in reach of them, Tanahashi dragged him back to the middle of the ring! After nearly a minute and a half in the Texas Cloverleaf, Hiromu was able to reach the bottom rope! Tanahashi was forced to relinquish the hold after being threatened with a disqualification from Red Shoes, but after he turned around following his argument with Red Shoes, Tanahashi was hit with a running back elbow strike from Hiromu! The match came to an end when Hiromu decided to borrow some pages from his LIJ buddies. First, Hiromu scooped up Tanahashi, ran off the ropes, and hit him with Shingo Takagi's Pumping Bomber! Second, Hiromu picked up Tanahashi and hit him with Mercedes Mone's signature backstabber! Finally, Hiromu went to the top rope, threw up the LIJ sign, and hit Tanahashi with Tetsuya Naito's Stardust Press! Hiromu then made the cover...

1!

2!

NO!

Hiroshi Tanahashi kicked out at two! Hiromu didn't wait to complain as he made his way to the turnbuckle, got on the second rope, and tried hitting Tanahashi with a super Canadian Destroyer. However, Tanahashi caught him and hit him with a kneeling back to belly piledriver! Tanahashi then quickly made his way to the top rope and hit Hiromu with the High Fly Flow!!! Tanahashi made the cover...

1!

2!

NO!!!

HIROMU TAKAHASHI KICKED OUT OF THE HIGH FLY FLOW!!! A frustrated Tanahashi pounded the mat before quickly going back up to the top rope to attempt another High Fly Flow. This time though, Hiromu was able to get his knees up at the last second! Hiromu then picked up Tanahashi and hit him with the Time Bomb!!! Hiromu made the cover...

1!

2!

3!

HIROMU TAKAHASHI HAS WON THE IWGP WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!

Hiromu Takahashi has done what he promised to do, he's vanquished Hiroshi Tanahashi and won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship! Confetti began falling from the ceiling of the Tokyo Dome as Hiromu began clutching the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in his hands. Hiromu then made his way to the top rope and held the title high in the air as pyro started going off all around the arena. All of this was happening as a dejected Hiroshi Tanahashi remained sitting on the outside with his head in his hands. Wrestle Kingdom 18 came to a close as Hiromu Takahashi held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship up high as pyro went off, confetti rained down from the ceiling, and the crowd went wild.
WINNER: Hiromu Takahashi

FINAL GRADE:

Popularity: Increased in 37 Regions

Edited August 24, 2023 by Uncrewed

MidKnightDreary · August 24, 2023

Incredible match. And I never saw that Scourge swerve coming

Blodyxe · August 24, 2023

Barnett vs. Lawlor in a Bloodsport match is sooo good. Very nice matches overall, but that one takes the cake from me

kanegan · August 25, 2023

Shocked that you actually pulled the trigger on Takahashi. Didn't see that coming. Fantastic wrestle kingdom.

Uncrewed · August 28, 2023

Sorry for the lack of updates as of late folks, between celebrating my birthday and starting some new hours at my job, it's been kind of hectic irl lol. Should have New Year's Dash!!!! up tomorrow with the New Years Golden Series starting by the end of the week!

Vandal · August 28, 2023

7 minutes ago, Uncrewed said:

Sorry for the lack of updates as of late folks, between celebrating my birthday and starting some new hours at my job, it's been kind of hectic irl lol. Should have New Year's Dash!!!! up tomorrow with the New Years Golden Series starting by the end of the week!

Happy Birthday!!

Blodyxe · August 29, 2023

9 hours ago, Uncrewed said:

Sorry for the lack of updates as of late folks, between celebrating my birthday and starting some new hours at my job, it's been kind of hectic irl lol. Should have New Year's Dash!!!! up tomorrow with the New Years Golden Series starting by the end of the week!

Happy Birthday, mate! If there was a good time to take a little pause, it would probably be after the season finale show

Uncrewed · August 31, 2023

NJPW New Year's Dash!!! 2024- January 6th, 2024
Attendance: 2,005 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.

-Guerrillas of Destiny defeated young lions Hoshiko Hasegawa & Shoza Mori in a decent match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. After losing to War Dogs at Wrestle Kingdom, Hikuleo & Tama Tonga are not the happiest campers. They took their anger out tonight on the poor young lions, with the two men brutalizing them for just under eight minutes. In the end, Tama finished off Hasegawa with the Gun Stun to get the win. Afterwards, Tama laid down the challenge, they wanted War Dogs one more time! (60/C)

-War Dogs defeated CHAOS's Hirooki Goto & Ren Narita in a good match. Narita was still a bit shaken going into tonight's match. Who could blame him honestly? Most people would be too if they had to watch their mentor being beaten half to death by Kazuchika Okada! Anyway, Narita's shakiness allowed Finlay & KENTA to use their "War Dog Style" heavily in this affair against Goto. Eventually, Finlay finished off Goto with Into Oblivion to secure the win for War Dogs. (82/B)

-The Scourge defeated SHO, Francesco Akira, & Mike Bailey in a good match. After cementing their spot at the top of the NJPW junior heavyweight division, The Scourge secured another key win tonight against the makeshift trio of SHO, Francesco Akira, & Mike Bailey. Akira & Bailey, who are still teaming up despite United Empire being forced to disband, performed pretty well against AKUMA & AKUJIN, but it was WATO who ultimately played the deciding factor tonight. That came when WATO was able to finish off SHO with Eternal Damnation after just under 16 minutes of action.

Afterwards, as The Scourge stood tall in the ring, YOH made a beeline for the ring and started beating the living hell out of WATO! That attack was very short-lived, as AKUMA, AKUJIN, & KANA were quickly able to pry YOH off of their leader and started beating him up. The Scourge started a 4-on-1 beatdown on YOH, with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and KANA propping YOH up for something from WATO. Before WATO could do anything else, SHO, Akira, & Bailey were able to recover and run The Scourge off! The three men helped YOH to his feet, but YOH decided to repay the favor by shoving SHO to the ground! Akira & Bailey were able to separate SHO & YOH before things could get any worse, but things still remained very tense. Meanwhile, on the entrance ramp, The Scourge stood tall, with WATO & KANA laughing maniacally. (81/B)

-Bullet Club's Jay White & Aussie Open defeated Sabre-gun's Zack Sabre Jr., Gabriel Kidd, & JONAH in a good match. After betraying Will Ospreay and destroying United Empire, Aussie Open teamed up with their new leader Jay White in a winning effort against Sabre-gun tonight in Tokyo. Fletcher & Davis seemed to relish in the new jeers from the crowd, with Jay White more than happy to egg the crowd on. In the end, Fletcher & Davis even got in on the classic Bullet Club cheating, with Fletcher poking Kidd in the eye. That allowed him & Davis to hit Kidd with the Coriolis to get the win. (82/B)

-The Samoan SWAT Team made their entrance to a chorus of jeers from the Tokyo crowd. Jimmy & Jey Fatu cut a promo bragging about beating Kidd & Sabre to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom, with Jey calling both men "bums." Jimmy & Jey then issued a non-title open challenge for tonight, because everyone else in NJPW was at the bottom and THEY ARE ON TOP! After a pregnant pause, DEATH RIDERS's music began to play and out from the crowd emerged...

Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks!

The former IWGP Tag Team Champions are reunited tonight in Tokyo! The crowd went wild as Shota & Karl made their way to the ring. Shota & Karl got to the ring, but were quickly ambushed by Jimmy & Jey Fatu! Referee Marty Asami was able to quickly bring things under control and this match was underway!

-DEATH RIDERS's Shota Umino & Karl Fredericks defeated The Samoan SWAT Team in a great match. Despite the pre-match beatdown, Shota & Fredericks were able to show why they were one of the most dominant tag teams in recent NJPW history tonight in Tokyo. That's not to say that Jey & Jimmy didn't have their moments, because the champs nearly got the win on more than a few occasions with some well-timed double team moves. However, things came to an end when they went to hit the 1D on Fredericks. Their attempt failed when Shota was able to rush into the ring and break up the 1D! That allowed Fredericks to scoop up Jimmy and hit him with Manifest Destiny to pick up the win! Afterwards, Fredericks & Shota signaled they wanted a title match, with Fredericks telling the commentary team that it'll be "one last ride" for DEATH RIDERS. (84/B+)

MAIN EVENT:

VS
-Los Ingobernables de Japon's Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi defeated ACE Entertainment's Hiroshi Tanahashi & Konosuke Takeshita in an amazing match to close the show. One night after winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Tanahashi, Hiromu was at it again tonight, taking care of business against ACE Entertainment once again. Tanahashi looked a bit more off tonight, which ultimately proved to be the downfall for ACE. In the end, Tanahashi tried finishing off Shingo with the High Fly Flow, but Shingo was able to get his knees up at the last second! Shingo then scooped up Tanahashi and hit him with the Last of the Dragon! Shingo then made the cover and got the three.

-Afterwards, as Hiromu & Shingo celebrated their win, Konosuke Takeshita & Hiroshi Tanahashi were left to sulk in the ring. As ACE Entertainment officials made their way to ringsider, Konosuke helpd Tanahashi to his feet. Takeshita grabbed a microphone and said that despite what happened at Wrestle Kingdom, he was proud of Tanahashi and he was proud of ACE Entertainment! The crowd began to boo the two men as Takeshita continued by saying that it was an honor to learn from the best wrestler of all time, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Takeshita then told Tanahashi to take a bow for the Tokyo crowd, which Tanahashi obliged. As Tanahashi did his signature air guitar celebration, Takeshita took a glance at the ACE Entertainment officials, who gave him a thumbs up. Then suddenly...

TAKESHITA BLASTED TANAHASHI WITH A RUNNING KNEE STRIKE!!!

The crowd gasped in shock as Takeshita began beating the living hell out of Tanahashi! The ACE Entertainment officials all smiled as Takeshita continued his one-sided attack. Takeshita eventually finished things off after hitting Tanahashi with a huge Absolute Thunder! As Tanahashi laid on the mat in pain, Takeshita did a mock air guitar taunt before throwing up his fist and yelling "GO ACE!" much to the delight of the ACE Entertainment officials at ringside. New Year's Dash!!!! came to a close as Takeshita stood tall, the new face of ACE Entertainment.

That was the ending if you were at the show, but if you were watching live exclusively on NJPW World, we saw Hiromu Takahashi and Shingo Takagi make their way backstage for their post-match interview. As Hiromu began to thank the fans for their support, he was interrupted by...

SANADA!

Hiromu's former LIJ brother walked into the press area flanked by TAKA Michinoku. SANADA began clapping, telling Hiromu that he was proud of him for winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. SANADA said that not many people can escape the grasp of Tetsuya Naito but he & Hiromu were definitely the true success stories of LIJ (subtly making a jab at Shingo in the process). Hiromu then asked SANADA what his point was, to which SANADA finally responded. SANADA said that since he beat Hiromu back in the G1 Climax and since he was always ahead of him while they were in LIJ, it's only natural that he gets the first crack at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship! Hiromu quickly accepted the offer, saying that he was looking forward to shutting SANADA up once and for all. The two men then shared a staredown as New Year's Dash!!!! came to a close for real this time.

FINAL GRADE:

Uncrewed · December 10, 2023

THE END

So, uh, long time no see I guess lol. There's been no updates here since August for a few reasons. Started new hours at work, general life stuff, yadda yadda. Main reason though? I just got burnt out writing this. I was kind of pushing it near Wrestle Kingdom and when I tried to write the first tour of 2024, I just couldn't do it. So, this is the end of this dynasty. I had fun writing it until the aforementioned burn out, but all good things must come to an end.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN:

So, what was going to happen if I continued writing? Well, I didn't have a ton of fleshed out ideas, but let me just tell you what I wrote down:

-Kazuchika Okada was going to go on a big heel run, culminating with him taking the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Hiromu Takahashi at either Wrestling Dontaku in May or Destruction in September.

-Who was going to stop that run? None other than Shota Umino! Shota was going to win the G1 Climax in 2024 and beat Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 2025.

-Shota's title reign would have lasted a few months, probably dropping it to either Hiromu or a gaijin like Jay White or Zack Sabre Jr. (wanted to give him the belt at some point).

-Either way, this whole dynasty would have culminated at Wrestle Kingdom 2026, where Shota Umino was going to vanquish a now-heel Hiromu Takahashi and cement his status as the new ace of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

That's really all I had planned out outside of some vague one line ideas. I will spoil this though, I did have Brock Lesnar signed. Just didn't know when/how to debut him I guess *shrug*.

THANK YOU

So yeah, thank you to everyone for reading this dynasty and supporting it along the way! Will I be back? Yeah, I'm sure eventually. But for now, I'll let the current crop of talented writers take control. Thank you and good night.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Uncrewed

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