Road to Tokyo Dome: Yano becomes KPOW champ, White crashes another party

Wrestle Kingdom is all about ‘Switchblade’ Jay White, at least according to Jay White.

After crashing their interview time at the Wrestle Kingdom press conference earlier today White came down to the ring after Sho and Kota Ibushi defeated Bushi and Tetsuya Naito at the final night of Road to Tokyo Dome.

“Neither of you matter. This isn’t about either one of you. This is about the man who matters most and that’s me,” said White as Naito and Ibushi stood in the ring nose to nose.

“It doesn’t matter which one of you it is. You will breath with the Switchblade,” said White claiming a new era was on the horizon for NJPW after he wins the IWGP Heavyweight and the IWGP Intercontinental Championships from either Naito or Ibushi.

Naito and Ibushi will meet for the titles on night one of Wrestle Kingdom with the winner to face White on night two.

Earlier, Toru Yano became the KPOW 2020 Champion after outsmarting Bad Luck Fale in the final KPOW match of 2020. The King of Pro-Wrestling Championship was established by New Japan this year. The championship has no title belt but a trophy instead. Matches for the championship are held with special stipulations usually voted on by the fans. The holder of the trophy (interim champion) at the end of a year is declared the official King of Pro-Wrestling Champion for that year. At Wrestle Kingdom 15, a new interim King of Pro-Wrestling Champion will be crowned.

Fale and Yano’s showdown was a Bodyslam, Last Corner Pad Match. The first one to body slam the other or to remove the final turnbuckle pad would be declared the winner and King of Pro-Wrestling Champion for 2020.

Dressed in street clothes, Chase Owens comes to the ring with Fale. Yano shows off the trophy to Fale. Fale punches him in the stomach, grabs the trophy and smacks Yano in the stomach with it. Fale stomps on the trophy and kicks it out of the ring. Poor Yano.

Fale tries to slam Yano but Yano holds on for all he is worth. Fale tears off Yano’s robe to find he is wearing a huge, heavy knapsack making him harder to slam. Sneaky Yano.

Fale opens the sack to find a bag of sand inside. Fale throws it at Yano but Yano rolls out of the way and out of the ring. As the official is distracted by the discovery Chase Owens mauls Yano on the floor. Yano reverses an Irish Whip though hurling Owens into the ring barricade.

Yano sprays his sanitizer into Fale’s face. With Fale incapacitated, Yano races to undo all of the turnbuckles. He gets one undone as Fale roars back with clubbing blows. Yano charges at Fale as they both get back into the ring. Fale sends Yano crashing down with a shoulder tackle. Fale goes for another slam. Yano uses the buckle he tore off to block Fale. An angry Fale smashes the turnbuckle pad over Yano’s back while the official attempts to disarm him. Yano tears off another buckle as Fale and the official struggle and argue. Fale charges into an exposed buckle. Yano hits him with a pad in the head.

Yano avoids being slammed by Fale, rushes to the other side of the ring to tear down another turnbuckle pad. Only one more to go.

Yano holds onto the top rope so he cannot be slammed. Fale punches Yano into the mat, leaves Yano lying there so he can go for the final turnbuckle pad. Yano dodges and Fale charges into an exposed pad yet again. Yano starts undoing the final pad. Chase Owens cuts him off with some haymakers to the head. Owens ties the buckle back on, inserting some knots into the equation.

Fale Stinger Splashes Yano into a corner. Yano grabs onto the official so he cannot be slammed. Yano throws the bag of sand which bowls the official over. Fale slams Yano but…the official is stuck on the mat with a bag of sand on his chest. He cannot see a thing. When Fale checks on the official, Yano punches him in the “lower abdomen”. Owens enters the ring attacking Yano. He bounces off the ropes so Yano throws the bag of sand at him. Yano kicks Fale in the “lower abdomen” again and slams him to become the King of Pro Wrestling for 2020.

Wrestle Kingdom 15 airs on New Japan World on January 4th and 5th.

The final Wrestle Kingdom 15 card is:

Night One

• Opening Match: KOPW 2021: New Japan Ranbo (Battle Royal). 22 entrants and the final four will advance to a special four-way match to kick off night two with the winner being the first holder of the KOPW 2021 trophy.
• Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo – Match to determine the #1 contender for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
• Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.) (c) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) – IWGP Tag Team Championship Match
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Great-O-Khan
• Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
• Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi – IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match

Night Two

• Stardom exhibition match.
• Four way match for the provisional KOPW 2021 Trophy
• Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (c) vs. Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato) – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match
• Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Jeff Cobb – NEVER Openweight Championship Match
• Evil vs. Sanada
• Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi or El Phantasmo – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
• Tetsuya Naito or Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Jay White – IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match

Road to Tokyo Dome Night Three Event Results

 

Master Wato, Tiger Mask and Ryusuke Taguchi versus Gabriel Kidd, Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji

Master Wato pins Uemura with his RPP (Corkscrew senton bomb) finisher.

Winners: Master Wato, Tiger Mask and Ryusuke Taguchi

Los Ingobernables de Japón (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Sanada) versus Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Dick Togo and Evil

Takagi gets the one, two, three on Togo with the Pumping Bomber. Evil hits Hiromu and Takagi with a steel chair. Sanada brings one of his own into the ring. Evil and Sanada have a chair-swinging duel. When that doesn’t get them anywhere the former friends dispense with the chairs and just pummel each other all the way to the back.

Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japón (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Sanada)

Toru Yano versus Bad Luck Fale – Final KOPW 2020 / Bodyslam or Last Corner Pad Match

Winner: … and King of Pro-Wrestling for 2020, Toru Yano.

Satoshi Kojima and Toa Henare versus Bullet Club (Jay White and Kenta)

White and Kenta joke about why Kojima is subbing for Juice Robinson. White reverses Henare’s Rock Bottom into a Dragon Suplex. White pins Henare with Bladerunner.

Winners: Bullet Club (Jay White and Kenta)

Tomoaki Honma, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada versus Empire (Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb)

Following a head butt battle with Honma, Cobb pins him with a Tour of the Islands. Empire looks to inflict more damage to The Ace’s knee. Okada fights them all off until the numbers become too much. Ospreay knocks Okada out with rolling elbow smash. While Empire stands over Okada and yacks on Tanahashi returns with a steel chair nailing all of them. He grants Khan the most attention though smashing a chair over his back seven times before the Young Lions are able to stop him.

Winners: Empire (Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb)

Sho and Kota Ibushi versus Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi and Tetsuya Naito)

Sho gets the victory for his team with a Shock Arrow on Bushi.

Winners: Sho and Kota Ibushi