Ryogoku Sumo Hall, home to many previous G1 Climax finals, and now Sakura Genesis. On the last stop before Windy City Riot and Wrestling Dontaku, New Japan’s finest battled it out, with six championship matches among the contested bouts. Following Junior Genesis in Korakuen Hall the night before, the main card had to follow what was a stellar Junior Heavyweight Tag Title match between the defending Ichiban Sweet Boys and Bullet Club War Dogs, as well as a memorable hardcore match between Clark Connors and El Desperado for the Junior Heavyweight title. Starting off the night in Ryogoku, a special singles match between former members of Just 4 Guys, Yuya Uemura and SANADA.
Yuya Uemura vs SANADA:
Of course, we have to start with SANADA’s outfit. There are no words. The best way to describe it would be if Jeff Jarrett decided to do a crossover with Clockwork Orange. Regardless, the former leader of Just 4 (then 5) Guys made his way to the ring, guitar in tow. I never particularly felt like he fit in War Dogs, Bullet Club, or any of his last factions after a point. With there being four factions in two years, after the split from J4G there wasn’t much substance to him character wise, whenever there was a chance, he’d go to another faction and start from square one again. The only question after tonight is where does he go from here? Does he stay as he is–“cold blooded”?
From his entrance alone, it’s easy to glean that Yuya Uemura is a star– from getting the company President’s seal of approval, to the crowd’s response to his music alone, his innate and natural charisma, and so on. It’s easy to imagine the crowd of a packed out Tokyo Dome singing along to his theme song in the main event someday soon. This is a competitor that is fit to be leading Hontai into the future, the new Ace of a budding generation of future titans carving their legacies within the King of Sports.
With regards to the match itself, it’s by far SANADA’s best showing in recent memory. To see him channel some element of the version of him that became IWGP World Heavyweight champion a few years ago, locking in against his former team mate was a refreshing experience from the fan perspective. That being said, his performance wasn’t without its faults–namely, the barbaric use of Milano Collection AT as makeshift weapon against Uemura, devastating the announce area, leaving poor Walker Stewart forced to watch. It was the moment the two men entered the commentary area that SANADA gained the upper hand, using the outside environment to land a Magic Screw from the apron to the floor, before rolling Uemura back to the ring for another Magic Screw.
Uemura picked up the pace and gained momentum, utilising his signature arm drags and a big uranage to change the tide. As the two traded attempts of the Deadbolt Suplex and Deadfall DDT, respectively, it ultimately ended in a ref bump and low blow on Yuya. A flash finish spelt the end for SANADA, falling victim to a rana leading into a stiff looking armbar, leaving him with no choice but to tap out and give the Heat Storm the submission victory.
Yuya has a bright future ahead of him, his consistent smooth in-ring performance (regardless of his opponent) and natural connection to the audience makes him an asset to the future of the heavyweight division–a fitting presence towards the top end of any card.
El Phantasmo (c) vs Great O-Khan (NJPW World Television Championship):
Great O Khan (GOK) entered, flanked by United Empire stablemates Francesco Akira and Jacob Austin Young. El Phantasmo had defeated Jeff Cobb and TJP in past Television title matches, with GOK as the next UE representative to attempt to usurp the throne from the Headbanga, who has reigned since Wrestle Kingdom this past January. The defending champion would enter with wounds of previous battles, however, with his shoulder taped up after an ambush by GOK, who delivered two TTDs to Phantasmo, injuring his neck and shoulder.
As with any match for this title, the time limit sets the pace–more often than not, it’s a dash towards a decisive finish, impactful offence, and attempted pinfalls/submissions abound. This match was no different, with Phantasmo beginning the sprint of a start, landing a suicide dive and a Thunderkiss 86 splash into the crowd. The momentum soon shifted in favour of the challenger, who focused much of his offence onto Phantasmo’s spine and shoulder. An apron spinebuster, gutbusters, gutwrench suplexes–each move nearly secured him the win on multiple occasions.
ELP evened the score with a springboard rana from the top, only to then miss the Thunderkiss 86 splash, instead crashing onto the awaiting knees of GOK. Despite the injured shoulder and sore midsection, Phantasmo fought back with stiff forearms, winning the power game multiple times against his bigger opponent. However, disaster soon struck for the champion. Taking another TTD, the move that caused the shoulder injury, to a bridge of chairs on the outside, he was unable to answer the referee’s 20-count to re-enter the ring. The reign of the Dominator had begun.
GOK was far better in this match than his previous performances as of late, working into the faster pace of the TV title match, showing clear motivation and desperation for the victory on what would be a very successful night for United Empire. In terms of what comes next, questions will no doubt arise after the countout victory. The manner of the result gives ELP a stronger showing in defeat, as opposed to losing by pinfall or submission–a more decisive means of defeat that would hamper momentum. From here, I do wonder where ELP goes. Perhaps a possible rematch for the TV title awaits, or him moving on to developing his presence in the heavyweight division and challenge for the 6-man titles, or back to his heavyweight roots in the tag division. We shall see.
Hiroahi Tanahashi vs Shota Umino:
The next stop on Tanahashi’s Final Road, having already wrestled more singles matches in 2025 than he did in all of 2024, he enters his 101st match at Ryogoku Sumo Hall. That night, he would stand not against rivals of the past, as he has done in recent weeks, but against a younger competitor in the form of Shota Umino.
He entered Ryogoku as both President and Wrestler, with an entrance themed by the Fatal Fury sponsorship (that’s my President right there). As a side note, Walker Stewart has the perfect voice for video game sponsor reads. Walking down the steps beside the entranceway, the guitar solo riff of his theme song echoing throughout the building, he appeared like a god entering a temple of his worshippers.
Umino’s entrance, on the other hand, followed his usual form as of late–entering through the entrance stage, shrouded in his white hoodie, to the mixed reaction of the New Japan faithful. In terms of his appearance, there still feels to be somewhat of a disconnect; the evoked aesthetic of his gear, body language, and music all clashing and not aligning as part of a clear and evocative vision.
Loud Tanahashi chants started the match to the stoic reaction (or lack thereof) of Umino. He would arguably display more heelish tactics throughout this match, targeting Tana’s long-damaged knees. At this point, the only thing keeping them together is tape and a prayer. Despite his physical capabilities not being what they once were, Tanahashi powering through to still deliver an emotionally fulfilling performance in a match that over-delivers in terms of expectations for the undercard of a major event shows what fighting spirit truly is. It’s what he has embodied for the majority of his career. Regardless of the pain, regardless of the match, Tanahashi delivers.
Shota continued to display his new edge. The culmination of the frustration of not being handed Hontai as he wished, of not fulfilling the expectations he and the fans had set on him, unleashing this on all the President of the company and symbol of the Old Guard. Despite eating a flurry of offence, including three half-nelson suplexes, Tana remained defiant. He responded with a straitjacket german suplex, almost securing the fall against his younger opponent. Whether it was a sling blade, twist-and-shout, or High Fly Attack, Umino wouldn’t stay down.
Missing the High Fly Flow, Umino landed a pair of stiff, Bomaye-like knees to Tanahashi’s skull. Despite his best efforts, Tana fell to a lariat, the prelude to Umino’s newly adopted Finisher–a Northern Lights Bomb he dubs “The Second Chapter.” That spelt the end for the Ace that night in Ryogoku.
Taking the microphone after the match, Umino reaffirmed his wish to lead Hontai. It’s something that is not his choice to make, and not something that seems to be being handed to him any time soon. Give it up, Shooter. Many fans had hypothesised that this would be the night Shota turned heel, finally giving himself and his character a much-needed reset, but things didn’t pan out that way. With no heel turn at the end of the match, Shota is right where he was at the start of the match. This would have been the perfect chance to capitalise on that “my way is the only way” David Finlay mentioned after their NJ Cup Final match. That dream faction of a new Umino, the returning Youngblood, and perhaps a presence in the junior division (perhaps Master Wato, or a graduating Daiki Nagai) will have to wait.
I’m still not convinced on Umino, and neither is the crowd. Tana, on the other hand, even with his body crumbling, still goes out and puts on a phenomenal match when the occasion deems fit. His story of having a year of his final singles matches against both his classic rivals and the new generation will cement his legacy into legend, one befitting the ‘Once in a Century Athlete.’
House of Torture (c) vs Bullet Club War Dogs (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship):
The next chapter in the Bullet Club Civil War, House of Torture (HoT) against the War Dogs. In terms of 6-man contests, the War Dogs are undefeated, with a record of 5-0 in New Japan, which boded well for them going into this title match, right? The match lasted just shy of ten minutes, the shortest of the night, so you wouldn’t be mistaken to assume it meant a dominant War Dog victory. Well… well, have a read.
The match itself started with little time to rest, a fast start marked by stereo moonsaults to the outside by Gabe Kidd and Taiji Ishimori. Inside the ring, Drilla Moloney had SHO set up for the Drilla Killa, only to switch tactics and turn the move into a crucifix powerbomb outside of the ring, sending SHO crashing into his teammates.
Action spilt into the crowd, chairs being taken out left, right, and centre, strewn across the floor as the teams broke out into pairs and caused mayhem everywhere they went. In the grand scheme of things, the match itself was uneventful. It followed the usual HoT tactics of low blows, ref bumps and… wait… what is SANADA wearing on his feet?
Rushing to the ring to even the odds between War Dogs and HoT, Clark Connors and SANADA arrived. The latter raised his guitar in the air, poised to strike SHO, only to pivot and deliver an acoustic equaliser to Drilla Moloney. Following the guitar shot, HoT secured the pinfall, retaining the titles and gaining a new member in SANADA (his fourth faction in two years). Needless to say, the man gets around, but what he gets up to in his spare time is his own business.
BOSJ 32 Lineup Announcement:
A minor intermission from the action in Ryogoku saw the announcement of this year’s lineup for the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, the beginning of Spring marking the start of tournament season once again for the Junior Heavyweight division.
This year’s lineup had the usual names – the likes of the defending IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion (El Desperado), and tournament regulars like Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA and YOH, but with a few added surprises. For starters, Hiromu Takahashi was listed as among the entries, one half of the defending IWGP Heavyweight tag champions. You’d think after winning the tournament so many times, as well as the top singles title for the division, you’d want to move on to new ventures in the heavyweight division where you’ve already started off with great success, right? Apparently not. Aside from the surprise of the Timebomb returning to the tournament, came a few surprising (and in some cases new) names.
Amongst the names was the latest AEW signing, former IWGP Junior tag champion Kevin Knight, appearing with the Lion Mark behind his render, as opposed to the AEW logo. It’s likely something that will be updated when the tournament is underway, but it was an odd thing to see nonetheless. In a similar vein, another tournament entry with an interesting aspect to their reveal, saw Ninja Mack announced. The former Pro Wrestling NOAH roster member appeared with a Lion Mark behind his name. Now, either this is a step towards the announcement of Mack signing with New Japan, or it’s a new standard for unsigned talent appearing in the tournament for their reveal renders. Time will tell.
In addition to Knight and Mack, came AEW’s Nick Wayne, a welcome surprise to many, a new and fresh face to New Japan. Entering the BOSJ tournament, he is bound to get the added reps that are so useful so early in a career like his in a promotion as steeped in history and in-ring quality as New Japan. Accompanying Wayne as a newer face, DDT’s MAO will be making his debut in the Super Junior tournament, having competed in New Japan sparingly in the last few years, with most of those matches being in the US. Arriving as a representative from DDT, he’s sure to add a unique flair to the lineup, especially if he’s pitted against the likes of YOH and Hiromu. Weird-meets-weirder?
Finally, the mysterious representative from CMLL, as of yet unannounced. Titan is notably missing from the lineup, leading many to question who from the world’s oldest promotion will step up and claim the spot. My guess would be Mascara Dorada, but I would also place bets on Templario or Volador Jr., people with previous appearances for New Japan, claiming the spot as their own. Once again, time will tell, but needless to say, exciting times await for BOSJ 32!
Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs Ryohei Oiwa (NEVER Openweight Championship):
The Alpha vs. The Grip. Two behemoths of their generation, locking horns over the NEVER Openweight Championship in front of a packed Ryogoku Sumo Hall – an image and atmosphere reminiscent of classics between the likes of Kobashi, Misawa, Chono, and Hashimoto. This match can only be described as a masterpiece, in my opinion. A true display of current-day Strong Style and Puroresu, with equal parts homage to days gone by with the modern polishes.
Oiwa, flanked by stablemates Robbie Eagles, Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson, entered in trunks–a sight fans have not seen since his Young Lion days. New gear and a new attitude, Oiwa was prepared for what would be one of the biggest matches in his career thus far. Takeshita entered with his DDT music (the superior song, in my opinion), and thankfully, without Don Callis. There’s just something about New Japan’s production style that makes him look even more like a star. Aside from the production, whether he’s in AEW, DDT, CMLL or New Japan, there is an undefinable star quality about Takeshita that makes him look like a titan, worth every penny of the three contracts he’s signed under.
As the match began, there was a phenomenal chemistry between the competitors from the chain wrestling alone, an unspoken exchange and contest of human chess ending in a clean break from Takeshita, leaving Oiwa against the ropes early. Oiwa showed an intelligence beyond his years, reminiscent of his and Zack Sabre Jr’s trainer Yoshinari Ogawa, taking to the outside after a grappling exchange before Takeshita could scramble out to collect himself. His speed and smarts allowed him to catch Takeshita by surprise in a tight headlock before sending him crashing into the guardrail at ringside.
Oiwa worked on Takeshita’s left arm for much of the match, securing multiple Ark Clutch attempts, establishing his target early in the hopes to disable the lariats and strikes Takeshita has developed a reputation for unleashing in a split second. Even going so far as to target the arm while on the top rope, risking a disqualification, Oiwa consistently proved himself as a heavyweight technical juggernaut, poised to pick you apart limb from limb anywhere and any time during a match. This risk did not end in a reward, however, as he soon found himself on the receiving end of an earth-shattering superplex for his troubles.
Trading suplexes (germans, exploders, etc.), the pace picked up, culminating in a huge Blue Thunder Bomb by Takeshita for a near-fall. Forearm after forearm landed as the two stumbled towards the ropes, allowing Takeshita to gain the upper hand once again with a leaping knee, paying homage to DDT veteran and legend in his own right, Jun Akiyama. At this point, both men were being dragged by their opponent into the deep waters. The weight of each strike, each slam, and the revived legacy of the title rested on their shoulders.
Following a Doctor Bomb, Oiwa locked in the Ark Clutch, targeting the arm he had spent the earlier portion of the match damaging, but to no avail. A rope break provided Takeshita the space and breathing room to land a lariat and sheer-drop brainbuster for a one count, sending the Sumo Hall crowd wild as the gasps resounded throughout the venue, the fighting spirit and determination of The Grip burning with the fire of a thousand suns. A supernova was not far behind, though, as two almighty shots from Takeshita had Oiwa on an unstable base- “straight murder”, in the words of Walker Stewart – allowing the defending champion to land Raging Fire for the pinfall and the victory.
These shorter, hard hitting classics are playing to Takeshita’s strengths, allowing both himself and his opponents to come across as monsters, hitting their most effective offence, surviving said offence, leading into a strong and impactful finish. Considering this is their first time in a ring against one another (no previous tag matches), the chemistry on display confidently shows that the future of the New Japan Heavyweight and Openweight Divisions are in safe hands.
With this finish he makes history as the most successful NEVER Openweight Champion in company history, with five defences in a single reign (within a three month time span, mind you, a short time compared to previous defences of previous champions). He has successfully redefined the NEVER division as not just the “strong style” title but the title for the younger generation, what the title was meant to be when it was first introduced in 2012.
Oiwa’s stocks continue to rise, cementing his place as a top contender and star in New Japan, alongside his TMDK contemporary in Kosei Fujita and other names on the roster like Boltin Oleg, Yota Tsuji and the like. As for what’s next for Oiwa, I would wager a continuous build up of momentum leading to perhaps a future NEVER Openweight title victory, or a Global Title challenge, and a strong showing in this year’s G1 Climax. As for Takeshita, Tanahashi awaits him this Friday in Chicago – the next stop on the Ace’s Final Road and his final singles match in the US.
Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman (IWGP Tag Team Championship):
I went into this match with little to no expectations, partly due to my own frustrations with Naito’s work in the last couple of years. The injuries, surgeries, and lacklustre performances compared to his remarkable work in the mid-2010s are par for the course as someone gets into the latter stages of their career. It’s a frustration with the inevitability of working a hard-hitting style in epic-length matches for years on end.
Lately, the frustration stems from him not taking time away to address the injuries, but rather pushing through them, leading to a further degradation of match quality. The tag league and tag title run were good choices for him at the time. It allowed Naito to have a fresh chapter in his career, and allowed Hiromu to pick up where Naito could not perform, also giving Hiromu a fresh crop of talent to compete against outside of multiman preview tag matches.
In terms of United Empire, the group has felt stagnant for a while, never really finding its feet following Ospreay’s departure, arguably until later that night. With all the rumours circulating about contract statuses for Cobb and TJP, there was a lot of uncertainty going into this match. Cobb entered as a made man, having held gold many times in the past for New Japan, including a tag title run alongside GOK. For Newman, however, this was perhaps the most important match of his career; standing alongside a friend and mentor and across the ring from a man he has never been able to beat–Tetsuya Naito.
The match itself was well structured. Cobb and Hiromu worked seamlessly together and allowed time between Newman’s interactions with Naito. Newman displayed signs of increased experience gained the more time he spends in Japan and in matches with higher stakes–no longer the United Empire Young Lion, but a star coming into his own. Callum, putting on size befitting a New Japan heavyweight has managed to maintain the more junior-like speed and agility, putting that to good use in the early stages of the match in his exchanges with Hiromu, running circles around the Timebomb and cartwheeling out of a rana attempt from one half of the defending champions.
Tagging into Cobb eventually, the Imperial Unit toyed with Takahashi, taunting Naito before landing a standing moonsault to his opponent’s back and countering much of his attempts at offence. Naito and Cobb eventually squared off, a game of cat and mouse with Naito playing counter offence and capitalising when the big man found himself dazed.
An excellent counter of Naito’s Destino from Cobb into a Sidewinder suplex set the momentum back to square one, allowing both men to catch their breath and tag in their tag partners. Challengers and champions traded momentum back and forth, with things coming to a halt for Hiromu after receiving a Tour of the Islands courtesy of Cobb airlines, only for him to be taken out of a match by Naito landing a Destino on the bigger man. With half of the field taken out of play, Newman saw his shot and struck, landing an Oscutter 2.0, following it with a Firebolt for a mere two-count.
The damage was done though, as Newman planted Naito head first into the canvas with a Bloody Sunday for the win–securing both his first championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and vindication a year in the making. From halls in Havering, to Ryogoku Sumo Hall, Newman had made it. One half of the new IWGP Heavyweight tag team champions, and the youngest IWGP champion in history. A successful night for the United Empire, now draped in singles and tag gold.
Yota Tsuji (c) vs EVIL (IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship):
The semi-main event of the night. Gene Blast vs. The King of Darkness. Tsuji entered, his jacket looking a little loose around the shoulders, the smile seeming a little different. That’s right–it was the return of Tsuji Magic, and Shota Tsuji–the twin brother of the defending champion made another appearance on behalf of his sibling (and taking another beating).
The match itself contained all the usual HoT interference, shenanigans, and hijinks we’re used to, with Dick Togo at ringside causing trouble beyond the referee’s line of sight. EVIL targeted Tsuji’s knee for most of the match, aiming to weaken the champion and render the Gene Blaster ineffective, slowing down the pace of the match considerably for the earlier stages. That wouldn’t stop Tsuji from landing a rana and suicide dive, though.
Missing the Marlowe Crash, EVIL targeted the knee again, landing a chop block to stunt Tsuji’s momentum once more, following up with elevated slams of the Tsuji’s knee to the mat and a Scorpion Death Lock not much long after, leaving the champion writing and screaming in agony crawling toward the ropes, his only solace. Tsuji gained the upper hand with his patented stomp combination, aiming to follow it up with the Marlowe Crash, only to see his brother in the crowd, held captive by Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The distraction was enough for Togo to take out the referee, leading to HoT beating down the Tsuji brothers in the ring, allowing for the most brutal move in their arsenal, “Dick to Dick contact!”, blared Walker Stewart on commentary.
LIJ stablemate Shingo Takagi came to the rescue, quelling the threat HoT posed for a moment, before momentum settled back on an even scale for champion and challenger alike. A lariat and Darkness Falls almost saw the end of Tsuji’s reign as Global champion, but with a strong kick out before the three, he survived to land a Gene Blaster for a near fall of his own. A mistimed throw of salt and spray of whiskey to the eyes spelt disaster for EVIL at the hands of his stablemates, allowing Tsuji to land the Marlowe Crash and Gene Blaster for the pinfall.
Celebrating with Takagi, the next challenger entered the ring, none other than Tsuji’s dojo contemporary, Yuya Uemura, looking to be a light of hope for New Japan and Hontai. A battle of New Japan’s brightest stars awaits, the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance.
Hirooki Goto (c) vs David Finlay (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship):
Main event time. War Dogs vs. Hontai. New Japan Cup Winner vs. Defending Champion. Dream Killer vs. Dream Chaser.
The Goto Revolution has been running rampant, with no signs of stopping. That was until David Finlay made his return to singles action in the New Japan Cup, avenging his removal from the tournament last year for medical reasons, only to be replaced by Goto. Their fates in the last year have been linked, coming into conflict that night. The best in New Japan fighting for the company’s richest prize.
Finlay entered with focus in his eyes, trophy in hand, ready to face the Fierce Warrior in combat as his children looked on, hoping their father would defeat the man who made them sob six months earlier as they watched their father, left beaten in the ring. Goto’s entrance is something I cannot find the words to describe and do justice. From the prelude VTR customised to fit his rivalry with each challenger, to the opening guitar riffs signalling the chorus of adoring fans to sing his name as he strides, confident, towards the ring. It’s an overwhelming and spiritual experience. It strikes you in the pit of your soul, a Paladin of Puro fuelled by a righteous fire, by 7,000 in attendance, by his children, and by his father watching down on him, ready for war.
The match began on even footing, both men engaging in the feeling out process before the back body drops and shoulder tackles came around–the initial displays of dominance and momentum. Back and forth they went, as the commentary team mentioned the presence of Zack Sabre Jr in terms of title contention, and what the match against Finlay at Windy City Riot could look like depending on the result of this main event. Would it be for the World Heavyweight title in the case of a Finlay victory or a number one contendership match in the case of a Goto retention?
Finlay took things outside the ring with a Cactus Clothesline, allowing him to make use of the time Goto was down to set up a pair of tables at ringside, right in front of Goto’s children. Goto would have other plans for Finlay, however, countering a powerbomb on the outside into a rana, sending the Boss Dog skull first into the corner post. Back inside the ring, the momentum picked up once again, the two men going blow for blow before Finlay gained the upper hand with a thunderous lariat, sending Goto inside-out for a near-fall.
Pound-for-pound one of the strongest in New Japan, Finlay sent Goto flying across the ring with a release suplex toss before taunting Goto’s children. A backbreaker and dominator gained Finlay another near-fall, the pain etched across Goto’s face as the challenger positioned him on the apron, the tables below. Goto had the wherewithal to counter the powerbomb, landing a Ushigoroshi that sent Finlay through one of the tables, the sound of the table giving way under the challenger like a gunshot. A GTW back inside the ring resulted in a two-count for Goto, only for Finlay to respond with a bucklebomb and powerbomb to follow–the power game on display once again from the leader of the War Dogs.
Despite Finlay managing to land Into Oblivion, Goto put the brakes on him, hitting Overkill, grabbing Finlay’s knee, driving his skull into Finlay’s with a devastating headbutt. A Shouten-Kai almost ended things for the challenger, but it was a trio of GTR’s- “one for his son, one for his daughter, and one for the world” that turned out the lights for the leader of Bullet Club. Well said, Walker Stewart.
Finlay and Goto have been on an absolute tear lately, this last year has been the best in their careers for a long while. The match was fitting of the main event slot, as both men put on a performance that balanced out quality in-ring work and emotional stakes to produce a match with a satisfying emotional catharsis. Everything hit its mark. The Rebel Saviour falls, the Fierce Warrior prevails, and the Revolution continues.
Concluding Thoughts/Where Does New Japan Go From Here?
As the cherry blossoms fall, as spring arrives, what awaits New Japan next? For New Japan itself, Windy City Riot in Chicago is up next Tanahashi’s final US singles match, Gabe Kidd vs Ishii in an iron man match for the strong openweight championship, Finlay and ZSJ lock horns again in a New Japan cup semi final rematch, and more. Then there’s the BOSJ tournament. With one of the strongest playing fields in recent years, it is bound to generate some match of the year contenders. My picks for standouts and potential winners are among the following: Master Wato, Kosei Fujita, and MAO.
As for Bullet Club, a challenge during backstage comments was issued by Finlay, challenging EVIL and the rest of HoT to a dog pound cage match- the same match we saw last year between United Empire and the War Dogs that sent Will Ospreay packing to AEW, Henare nearly bleed out, and Alex Coughlin retire from professional wrestling altogether. It’s anyone’s guess what comes of this next one, but what we do know is that it will be violent and polarising.
For Goto, his next challenger awaits him in Chicago at Windy City Riot, Shota Umino. Wait, what? Seriously? For someone that was given the Wrestle Kingdom main event, a special singles match at Wrestle Dynasty, a write-off angle, a New Japan Cup Final, and now another world championship match, he has made little improvement in terms of his in-ring work and response from the crowd. I feel it would have only made sense if the Shota heel turn had occurred earlier in the night, giving Goto the justification and outrage to challenge him for his actions, etc. Instead, New Japan seems to be going with an attrition-based method to get a good reaction from Shota–if they try more and more, we’ll eventually give in. Shota himself has said in backstage comments that he has no interest in being a heel, so what is there for him to do in Hontai. For my money, the answer is “to play second fiddle to the likes of Uemura, Tsuji, Fujita, Oiwa, Oleg, Takeshita, etc.” It seems the crowd in Ryogoku felt the same way, booing Shota as he approached the apron to confront Goto.
Though many are not sold on the idea of another Shota Umino title match, we will just have to wait and see what happens at Windy City Riot, Friday, April 11th, in the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
