Tag titles changed hands and Will Ospreay made a return and a promise to The United Empire at New Year’s Dash.
Following the match pitting Yota Tsuji, David Finlay, Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney versus United Empire (Jake Lee, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan and HENARE), The Aerial Assassin made an appearance.
Finlay threw a chair into the ring. Newman catches it and sits on it. Finlay rips a part of the ring apron off.
Newman scoffs at Finlay and his “little pups”. If he is such a “Savage King” then face him in a match.
“This is a new Empire!” Newman declares.
Will Ospreay’s music hits and he comes out. Ospreay stares at Finlay as he walks by.
Ospreay shakes hands with Henare and Great-O-Khan. Newman sits in his chair and hands the microphone to Ospreay.
“I have come to apologize. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that me leaving was going to crumble everything. I didn’t realize how much I held the team together. I want to put this right. I cannot come back right now. I still need to recover (pointing to his neck). It is going to take a long time. I am getting closer and closer. I am getting better and better. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I am good to go, I am going to handle some business in AEW and I am going to come back to NJPW,” said Ospreay as the crowd cheered.
Ospreay stated he was coming back to support Newman.
“You are my little brother. I have known you since you were 15-years-old. I have looked after you and I am proud to see what you’ve become. You are a grown ass man now so let me help. We will get The Empire back together and take over NJPW,” he continued saying he would do things Newman’s way.
Newman stood up and hugged Ospreay. As Ospreay led them in a United Empire salute, Newman refrained. He picked up the steel chair he was sitting on as Ospreay stared out into the crowd. The other members stopped him from hitting Ospreay. Khan reprimanded Newman. Newman slapped his hand away leaving the ring.
In the main event, it was the Knockout Brothers (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice) defending the IWGP Tag Team Championships against TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr.), the winners of World Tag League 2025.
The champions retained with Oskar catching Oiwa off the ropes, almost dropping him and then Tombstone Piledriving him as Ice kicked him in the head for the pin.
New Year’s Dash Results
Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura and Katsuya Murashima versus Team 150 (Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi and Satoshi Kojima)
Ishii puts Murashima in a Boston Crab forcing him to submit. After the match, Uemura and Umino get in the faces of Ishii and Taichi. Ishii, who is bleeding from the nose, spits in Umino’s face. Umino starts wailing on Ishii with forearm smashes. Ishii knocks him down with one head butt.
Winners: Team 150 (Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi and Satoshi Kojima)
El Phantasmo and Shoma Kato versus Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero
Romero leaps onto ELP on the floor taking him out. Kato rolls up Takeshita for a two count. He then drop kicks Takeshita and rolls him up for another two. Takeshita muscles Kato out of the roll-up for a brainbuster. Kato submits to Takeshita’s Boston Crab. Back in the ring, ELP picks up Kato and throws him out of it. ELP gets in Takeshita’s face a bit before helping Kato to the back.
Winners: Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero
Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) and Boltin Oleg versus House of Torture (SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Sanada comes out with a guitar that has an LED board scrolling a message. It reads: “Goodbye NJPW. See you next f—–g time.”
All three members of the House beat down Oleg. As Kanemaru distracts the official, Yujiro grabs his cane. Goto stops him by taking the cane away. The official sees Goto with the cane and starts reprimanding him. Goto throws it to the floor. Oleg lifts Yujiro up in the air and Bishamon helps suplex him down hard. Bishamon holds Yujiro prone in the air while Oleg splashes him off the ropes.
Winners: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) and Boltin Oleg
Gabe Kidd, Hiromu Takahashi and Clark Connors versus United Empire (Andrade El Idolo, Francesco Akira and Jakob Austin Young)
The Empire attacks before the others can finish their entrance. The fight goes immediately to the floor with bodies flying into barricades. Andrade slams Kidd on the ring apron. Hiromu and Akira carry on actually wrestling in the ring. Connors punches Andrade in the face and tells him to do something physically impossible to himself. Connors bounces off the ropes and Andrade responds with a big boot to the face. Andrade pins Connors with his Sombra Driver.
Andrade mouths off to Kidd after the match.
“If you have something to say we can fight about it,” says Kidd.
Andrade invites Kidd back into the ring. They begin throwing hands as Young Lions try to separate them.
Kidd challenges Andrade to a match in Osaka on February 11th and the winner faces Yuta Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.
Winners: United Empire (Andrade El Idolo, Francesco Akira and Jakob Austin Young)
Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, YOH and Master Wato vs House of Torturę (Ren Narita, EVIL, Don Fale and Dick Togo)
House of Torture attacks so they can all give Wolf a beatdown. Wolf does fight back whipping Togo around the ring with his judo throws. Dick Togo gives Yoh his chop to the crotch from the top rope. Yano saves Yoh from being pinned. Togo tries to stomp on Yoh’s “lower abdomen” but the official stops him. Togo shoves the official. The official pushes him back. Yoh rolls up Togo for a two count. A slingblade from Yoh gets a big pop. Yoh makes Togo submit to the Butterfly Lock.
As the faces as celebrating, The House attacks from behind. Narita retrieves his steel push-up bar. When Wolf gets back to his feet Narita hits him in the head with it.
Winners: Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, YOH and Master Wato
Yota Tsuji, David Finlay, Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney versus United Empire (Jake Lee, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan and HENARE)
Before the match can begin, Tsuji has something to say to Lee after his attack on him at Wrestle Kingdom.
“I am sorry. You cannot take a whole year off and think that you can immediately challenge the champion! You cannot step to me after all that time away! You are not on that level!” Tsuji tells him as the crowd cheers him on.
Tsuji asks Lee to convince him that he deserves a shot and holds out the mike to him. Lee just kicks him in the stomach.
Henare and Drilla end up squaring off against one another. While bouncing off the ropes, Drilla takes a knee to the gut. A clothesline to the back of the head. Khan assists Henare with his powerbomb. Henare pins Drilla. Khan then TTDs Shingo. Lee goofs around with the championship belt before handing it back to Tsuji.
Winners: United Empire (Jake Lee, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan and HENARE)
HOUSE OF TORTURE (DOUKI and SHO) vs El Desperado and KUUKAI versus TMDK (Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita) vs War Dogs (Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X) – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
As Robbie X is about to pin Robbie Eagles, Kanumaru pulls the official out of the ring. Douki unloads on everyone with his steel pipe except Ishimori who kicks it out of his hands. Ishimori is pushed to the ropes. Fujita stops Sho from hitting Ishimori in the head with the black mirror. Fujita hits him instead. Ishimori whips Douki into the ropes. Fujita hits Douki in the head with the black mirror too. Kanemaru takes a swig of whiskey. Fujita blocks the mist with the black mirror clobbering him with it too. Fujita and Eagles catch Robbie X as he bounces off the ropes. The slam him to the mat for the win.
As the champs celebrate, Akira comes out attacking Robbie X and Ishimori. Akira throws him back into the ring, stomps on him and slams him down to the mat. Hiromu races down to the ring to chase him off.
Winners: …and new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, TMDK (Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita).
Knockout Brothers (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice) versus TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr.) – IWGP Tag Team Championship Match
Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura challenged the champs to a rematch for the titles. Ishii and Taichi were the next to come out and lay down a challenge. Ice suggests they fight each other and the winner challenges them.
Winners: …and still IWGP Tag Team Champions, The Knockout Brothers (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice).
