NJPW was back this morning with Dominion 2023, and it was a show filled with a plethora of championship matches. The main event was the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, SANADA, defending against the newest member of LIJ, Yota Tsuji in his return to NJPW.
The match began with some chain wrestling between SANADA and Tsuji, but then SANADA attempted a leapfrog and Tsuji speared him in mid-air. The spear knocked SANADA onto the floor and Tsuji then leaped over the top rope with a twisting tope onto the champ. In order to slow down Tsuji’s attack SANADA locked him into Skull End, but SANADA released the hold in order to go for a top rope moonsault. Tsuji though was able to get his knee’s up, and then hit SANADA with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker.
He then locked SANADA into a Boston crab, before transition the hold into a pendulum swing. Tsuji maintained control by hitting a modified electric chair drop, but he then made the mistake of going for a moonsault and SANADA rolled out of the way. SANADA then hit two dropkicks sending Tsuji to the outside and he then connected with a plancha.
Back in the ring SANADA hit a springboard missile dropkick, but Tsuji no sold it and then hit SANADA with a super kick. Tsuji then hit a backbreaker that he quickly transitioned into a curb stomp before hitting a variation of a falcon arrow. He then brought SANADA to the top rope to hit an avalanche Spanish fly, but it only got him a two count.
Tsuji was looking for a spear, but SANADA met him halfway with a dropkick and then attempted to hit Dead Fall. However, Tsuji somehow managed to cartwheel out of the Dead Fall and hit SANADA with another super kick. He then hit a bicycle knee, a headbutt and then a leaping curb stomp on SANADA. Tsuji then looked to finish the match with the spear, but as he lunged forward SANADA caught him in mid-air with a dropkick to the head.
SANADA now hit a shining wizard and immediately followed that with Dead Fall to secure the win and retain his championship!
NJPW Dominion Results
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship No.1 Contender’s Tournament Final: Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer
In Archer’s usual crazy tactics, he attacked Ospreay before the bell and beat him outside the ring. Ospreay was able to reverse a chokeslam through a table and then hit Archer with a sky twister from the top rope. Ospreay hit a quick Oscutter back in the ring, but Archer kicked out at two and came right back with a big lariat.
Both men were trading strikes, but Archer’s size advantage began to show as he overpowered Ospreay. Archer was looking for the Blackout, however, Ospreay blocked and caught Archer into a standing Spanish fly. That move did not keep Archer down, as just moments later he connected the Blackout to Ospreay and then a chokeslam, but Ospreay continued to kick out at two.
Ospreay got back up and caught Archer with two superkicks followed by four consecutive Hidden Blades. With this victory, Ospreay now heads to Forbidden Door in Toronto to face Kenny Omega for his IWGP US Championship.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Just 5 Guys (Taka Michinoku, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japón (Titán, Bushi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)
Titán hit Michinoku with the double foot stomp and then locked him into Llave Immortal to get the victory for LIJ.
Winners: LIJ (Titán, Bushi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: The Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & Kushida) (C) vs. Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira & TJP)
The two youngsters were squaring off to start this match, while the two veterans battled. Knight had the first big moment of the match as he hit a springboard crossbody onto his opponents. Akira later returned the favor as he hit the champs with a tope over the top rope.
The veteran, Kushida was now trying to isolate the young Akira, but it was Akira getting the better of him. Catch 2/2 then hit Kushida with a flapjack facebuster, and Knight then hit them with a double Pelé kick. Later on in the match, Catch 2/2 hit Knight with the reverse neck breaker and foot stomp combination. Knight remained the focus of the challengers as they hit him with the 2/2 to regain their titles and become two-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions!
Winners: NEW IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira)
After the match, Catch 2/2 was celebrating their win with fellow United Empire member, Dan Moloney, and Clark Connors of Bullet Club made his way out. As Catch 2/2 was looking at Connors, Moloney turned on them attacking them from behind and officially joined Bullet Club with Connors. They finished the attack by having Moloney hit Akira with a Drill Killer and Connors hit TJP with No Chaser. Bullet Club is coming after the Jr. Heavyweight tag titles.
NJPW World TV Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr. (C) vs. Jeff Cobb
With the 15-minute time limit on this match, both Sabre and Cobb were working very quickly in order to avoid another draw between them. Both men were trading some stiff forearms and it was Cobb knocking Sabre off his feet using his power. Sabre started to utilize his submission holds to avoid dealing with the strength of Cobb, and he had Cobb in a variety of holds.
Cobb did not give up and he then caught Sabre in a spin cycle, he followed that with a big German suplex. He was then hoping to hit Tour of the Islands, but Sabre reversed it into a crucifix pin and stole this victory to retain his title!
Winner: Still NJPW World TV Champion, Zack Sabre Jr.
IWGP Tag Team & Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship Match: Bishamon (Yoshi-Hashi & Hirooki Goto) vs. United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan) vs. House of Torture (Yujiro Takahashi & Evil)
Aussie Open was the last team to hold these titles but was forced to relinquish them due to an injury to Mark Davis. Today new champions would be crowned, and unfortunately for everyone, it was the House of Torture in control early on. Dick Togo then got involved hitting all of HoT’s opponents with a steel chair. Goto was able to slow HoT down, and Bishamon then got the opportunity to double-team all of their opponents one by one.
United Empire had an impressive run as well, and they then got Takahashi locked into a double submission, but then of course HoT got involved. Dick Togo attacked the referee, while Sho came out from the back to help his stablemates. Evil and Togo worked together to hit Goto with a Magic Killer and Togo then began choking out Goto. Out from the back then came Yoh, and he was there to take out Sho as he wanted to see an even matchup like the rest of us.
HoT continued to cheat, but they no longer had the numbers advantage and United Empire was now back in the match. It came down to Bishamon, Takahashi and Henare; Hashi super-kicked Henare to the outside and Bishamon then hit Takahashi with the Shoto to get the victory.
Winners: NEW IWGP Tag Team & Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions, Bishamon (Yoshi-Hashi & Hirooki Goto)
As Bishamon was celebrating their championship win, some music started playing and the big screen read Bullet Club War Dogs. Out came Alex Coughlin and Gabriel Kidd in Bullet Club shirts, signifying themselves as two more new members of Bullet Club. They then rushed the ring and beat down Bishamon, Kidd hit Hashi with a Tombstone and Coughlin hit Goto with a Jackhammer. Bullet Club has four new members and two new tag teams running wild on NJPW.
G1 Climax 33 Entrants Announced
It's official!
Here is your HUGE 32 man #G1CLIMAX33 lineup!
Kazuchika Okada!
Tetsuya Naito!
SANADA!
Will Ospreay!
Hiroshi Tanahashi!
David Finlay!
Shota Umino! 🆕
Shingo Takagi!
Tomohiro Ishii!
Tama Tonga!
Tanga Loa!
Hikuleo! 🆕
Hirooki Goto!
YOSHI-HASHI!
Toru… pic.twitter.com/KwkQfvndtA
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) June 4, 2023
Never Openweight Championship Match: David Finlay (C) vs. El Phantasmo
This match has been months in the making, and ELP finally has the chance to get his hands on Finlay since he kicked him out of Bullet Club. These men started brawling as soon as they saw each other and ELP then hit Finlay with an insane dive where he springboarded from the ring into the crowd. ELP was all over Finlay, but then Bullet Club distracted ELP and allowed Finlay to get the advantage.
Finlay then threw ELP face-first into the turnbuckle, and he was now maintaining control by just toying with ELP. However, ELP then got some momentum back with an atomic drop and then a diving elbow drop from the second rope. ELP then hung Finlay in a tree of woe to stomp on Finlay’s groin before hitting a springboard tornado DDT.
Finlay got back into it by throwing ELP into the corner, hitting a blue thunder bomb and then a backbreaker. ELP then nearly stole the title by hitting Finlay with a Sudden Death, but Finlay got the shoulder up at two. He was then forced to take out the rest of Bullet Club, hitting Coughlin and Kidd with a moonsault, Moloney and Connors with a tope and then Gedo with a super kick.
He then went to the top rope, but Finlay pushed him off sending him crashing into the barricade. He then followed ELP to the outside and power bombed him through a table at ringside. Back in the ring, Finlay hit another powerbomb and then finished ELP off with an Into Oblivion.
Winner: Still Never Openweight Champion, David Finlay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi (C) vs. Master Wato
Master Wato was the winner of Best of the Super Jr. 30 and tonight he was getting the championship opportunity he earned. The match began with some chain wrestling and they then made their way to the outside, Takahashi then threw Wato into the barricade multiple times. Takahashi then brought Wato up the ramp and suplexed him on the stage, Wato made it back to the ring just before the 20-count.
Wato came back with a mission hitting Takahashi with a kick sending him to the outside and then hitting him with a tope. Back in the ring, Wato hit him with a jumping neck breaker, but Takahashi then came right back with a falcon arrow. Takahashi then hit a running fireman’s carry into the corner, but Wato then bounced back by locking Takahashi into Vendaval.
Takahashi ended up back on the outside and this time Wato leaped to the outside hitting a corkscrew crossbody. He then attempted a springboard European uppercut, but Takahashi ducked out of the way and then hit a Dynamite Plunger. Wato was then able to reverse Time Bomb 2 and hit Takahashi with a TTD which he followed with Recientemente.
Wato then put Takahashi back into the Vendaval, but once again Takahashi was able to make it to the ropes. He then called for the Tsutenkaku German, but Takahashi reversed and hit a big superkick. Takahashi then bounced off the ropes, only to be hit with a spinning kick and Wato then hit a Tsutenkaku German, but he kicked out at two. Takahashi then hit a flurry of superkicks, a Time Bomb and then finally Time Bomb 2 to get the victory.
Winner: Still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi
Never Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match: Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada (C) vs. Shota Umino, Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley
AEW stars, Moxley and Castagnoli have arrived in NJPW to team with Umino for this title opportunity. It was actually Castagnoli getting the match started against Tanahashi, but before we knew it the match turned into a brawl. When Umino was tagged in he demanded Okada be tagged in too and they began to brawl on the outside, Umino hit Okada between the eyes with a table.
The BCC members then began their attack on Okada and their teamwork was overpowering The Rainmaker. Castagnoli and Ishii then matched up in quite the dream moment, two of the strongest men in the wrestling business throwing shots. Moxley was then tagged in and he hit Ishii with a spike piledriver, he then drove over 20 elbows into the face of Ishii.
Moxley then hit Ishii with a DDT and then a Curb Stomp, but Ishii then hit him with a headbutt and Tanahashi followed that with a sling blade to Moxley. Okada and Umino were then both tagged in and this rivalry was coming to its climax. Okada locked Umino into the Money Clip, but Umino got to the ropes and then hit Okada with a dropkick to the face.
Castagnoli then got into the ring to get Okada into the Big Swing, spinning more than 20 times. Mox, Umino and Castagnoli then hit Okada with a triple powerbomb and Mox took Ishii out with a suicide dive. Umino was then finally able to hit Okada with the Death Rider, but he kicked out at two. The six-man tag champs were then able to triple-team Umino, but it all ended with Okada hitting Umino with a Rainmaker to get the win for his team!
Winners: Still Never Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii
BREAKING@bryandanielson has just challenged Kazuchika Okada!#njpw#njdominionpic.twitter.com/oWDvoUKhNI
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) June 4, 2023
Following the match, Moxley grabbed a microphone to say that they brought a message from a member of BCC, Bryan Danielson. In this message, Danielson challenged Kazuchika Okada to a match and Okada happily accepted! Bryan Danielson versus Kazuchika Okada has the potential to be one of the best matches of all time.
