Juicyverse II [NJPW, AEW & TNA]

[CakeWalker]

+ Weekly Schedule +

Monday - NJPW World (NJPW)

Tuesday - NJPW Strong (NJPW)

Wednesday - Dynamite (AEW)[Head Booker: Jeff Valley Driver]

Dynamite #118 (5th January) |

Thursday - Impact (TNA)[Head Booker: Blaine]

Friday - Rampage (AEW)

​

 

[CakeWalker]

+ Heavyweight Division +
Aaron Henare, Adam Cole, Bad Luck Fale, Bandido, Bobby Fish, Bray Wyatt, Brian Cage, Brock Lesnar, Brodie King, Cody Rhodes, Doc Gallows, Eddie Kingston, EVIL, Great O-Khan, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jake Lee, Jay Briscoe, Jay Lethal, Jay White, Jeff Cobb, JONAH, Jonathan Gresham, Johnny Gargano, Josh Alexander, Kaito Kiyomiya, Karl Anderson, Karrion Kross, Kazuchika Okada, Kento Miyahara, Kevin Owens, Konosuke Takashita, Kota Ibushi, Kyle O'Reilly, Malakai Black, Mark Briscoe, Matt Jackson, Mikey Nichols, Miro, MJF, Naomichi Marfuji, Nick Jackson, Ren Narita, Samoa Joe, SANADA, Satoshi Kojima, Shane Haste, Sting, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, Tetsuya Naito, The Great Muta, Togi Makabe, Tommaso Ciampa, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Will Ospreay & Yujiro Takahashi

+ Junior Heavyweight Division +
Angel Garza, Angelo Parker, Alex Coughlin, Alex Shelley, Alex Zayne, Buddy Matthews, Chase Owens, Chris Bey, Dante Martin, Darby Allin, Darius Martin, David Finlay, Dick Togo, Douki, El Phantasmo, El Hijo Del Vikingo, Francesco Akira, Hiromu Takahashi, Humberto Carillo, Juice Robinson, Kushida, Kyle Fletcher, Matt Menard, Mark Davis, Mike Bailey, Mustafa Ali, Ninja Mack, Orange Cassidy, Pete Dunne, Pentagon, Jr., Prince Puma, Rey Fenix, Robbie Eagles, Rush, Sho, Taijii Ishimori, Tiger Mask IV, Timothy Thatcher, TJP, Wheeler Yuta & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

+ Tag Division +
2point0 (Angelo Parker & Matt Menard)
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe)
Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira & TJP)
FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson)
G.o.D (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)
Kings of the Black Throne (Malakai Black & Brodie King)
Legado Del Fantasma (Angel Garza, & Humberto Carillo)
The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix)
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly)
Sting & Darby Allin
TimeSplitters (Alex Shelley & Kushida)
TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nichols)
Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin)
World's Cutest Tag Team (El Phantaso & Taiji Ishimori)
The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson)

+ Units +
Bullet Club: Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, Chris Bey, El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori
Chaos: Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Orange Cassidy, Satoshi Kojima, Tiger Mask IV & Kota Ibushi
Fiendish: Bray Wyatt, The Great Muta, Sting, Karrion Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux & Great Sakuya
The Foundation: Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Timothy Thatcher, Wheeler Yuta & Josh Alexander
House of Black: Malakai Black, Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Julia Hart
House of Torture: EVIL, Dick Togo, Ren Narita, Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi
Los Ingobernables de Japon: Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi, Rush,
The Super Lucha Bros: El Hijo Del Vikingo, Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix
TMDK: JONAH, Shane Haste, Mikey Nichols & Robbie Eagles
United Empire: Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Great O-Khan, Aaron Henare, TJP, Francesco Akira, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis

+ Joshi Division +
Alexa Bliss, Allysin Kay, Ami Sourei, Angelina Love, Bea Priestley, Billy Starkz, Britt Baker, Candice LeRae, Cora Jade, Dakota Kai, Gigi Dolin, Great Sakuya, Guilia, Heidi Howitzer, Hikari Noa, Hikaru Shida, Himeka, Hiragi Kurumi, Indi Hartwell, Io Shirai, Jacy Jayne, Jamie Hayter, Julia Hart, Killer Kelly, Kris Statlander, Liv Morgan, Madison Rayne, Maika, Mai Sakurai, Maki Itoh, Mandy Rose, Mariah May, Max the Impaler, Mayu Iwatani, Mirai, Mina Shirakawa, Miyu Yamshita, Momo Kohgo, Momo Watanabe, Nanae Takahashi, Natsuka Tora, Natsupoi, Raquel Gonzalez, Rebel, Risa Sera, Rok-C, Saya Iida, Scarlett Bordeaux, Serena Deeb, Sky Blue, Starlight Kid, Suzu Suzuki, Syuri, Tam Nakano, Tay Conti, Taya Valkyrie, Tegan Nox, Tenille Dashwood, Tessa Blanchard, Thekla, Tomoka Inaba, Unagi Sayaka, Utami Hayashita, Xena, Xia Brookside & Yuu

+ Joshi Tag Division +
5 STARS (Mayu Iwatana & Saya Iida)
7Upp (Nanae Takahashi & Yuu)
Cora Jade & Rok-C
Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano & Natsupoi)
Club Venus (Mariah May & Xia Brookside)
Dental Assistance (Rebel & Tenille Dashwood)
Mafia Bella (Guilia & Thekla)
MaiHime (Maike & Himeka)
MakiMai (Maki Itoh & Mai Sakurai)
Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin)
Wasteland War Party (Heidi Howitzer & Max the Impaler)
The Way (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell)

+ Joshi Units +
Beautiful People: Angelina Love, Allysin Kay, Madison Rayne & Tayi Conti
The Clinic: Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, Rebel & Tenille Dashwood
Cosmic Angels: Tam Nakano, Natsupoi, Unagi Sayaka, Kris Statlander & Alexa Bliss
Club Venus: Mina Shirakawa, Mandy Rose, Mariah May, Xena & Xia Brookside
Damage CTRL: Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, Io Shirai, Tegan Nox & Tessa Blanchard
Donna del Mondo: Giulia, Thekla, Maika, Himeka, Mai Sakurai & Maki Itoh
God's Eye: Syuri, Mirai, Ami Sourei & Tomoka Inaba
Oedo Tai: Natsuka Tora, Starlight Kid, Bea Priestley, Serena Deeb & Miyu Yamashita
Prominence: Risa Sera, Suzu Suzuki, Hiragi Kurumi, Billie Starkz & Killer Kelly
Queen's Quest: Utami Hayashishita, Hikaru Shida, Taya Valkyrie, Hikari Noa & Liv Morgan
STARS: Mayu Iwatani, Saya Iida, Momo Kohgo, Sky Blue, Rok-C & Cora Jade


+ Championships +

Current Champion: Kazuchika Okada

Current Champion: Will Ospreay

Current Champion: Kevin Owens
1) Cody Rhodes

Current Champion: Robbie Eagles
1) Hiromu Takahashi

Current Champion: Tomohiro Ishii

Current Champion: Jonathan Gresham

Current Champion: Timothy Thatcher

---

Current Champion: The Young Bucks

Current Champion: World's Cutest Tag Team (El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori)

Current Champions: The Super Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix & El Hijo Del Vikingo)
1)Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & Ninja Mack

---

Current Champion: Utami Hayashishita

Current Champion: Miyu Yamashita

Current Champion: Serena Deeb
1) Rok-C

Current Champion: Wasteland War Party (Heidi Howitzer & Max the Impaler)
​

 

[CakeWalker]

:: Men ::
"Hangman" Adam Page, Amasis, Bestia 666, Chris Dickinson, Chris Sabin, Christian Cage, Christopher Daniels, Dalton Castle, Dexter Lumis, Eddie Edwards, Edge, Go Shiozaki, James Drake, James Storm Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Jorel Nelson, JR Kratos, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenny King, Kenoh, KENTA, LA Knight, Manabu Soya, Matt Hardy, Matt Taven, Mecha Wolf, Mike Bennett, Minoru Suzuki, The Miz, Nick Aldis, Ophidian, Pac, Randy Orton, Robert Roode, Roman Reigns, Royce Isaacs, Sami Zayn, Scorpio Sky, Shane Taylor, Sheamus, Taichi, Ultramantis Black, WARDOG [Wardlow], Zach Gibson, Zack Sabre, Jr. & Zicky Dice

:: X-Division ::
Alex Shelley, Amakusa, Amazing Red, Blake Christian, Brian Pillman, Jr., BUSHI, Chris Brookes, Chris Ridgeway, Curry Man, Dante Leon, Davey Richards, Dolph Ziggler, Dragon Lee, Dralistico, El Desperado, Flash Morgan Webster, Frankie Kazarian, HAYATA, HAYMAKER [Carmelo Hayes], Ilja Druganov, Jack Perry (Jungle Boy), Lance Archer, Luchasaurus, Mark Andrews, Masahiro Takanashi, Matt Riddle, Matt Sydal, Noam Dar, Nosawa Rongai, Rey Mysterio, Rich Swann, Rockstar Spud, Shark Boy, Shelton Benjamin, Suicide, Tony Deppen & Willie Mack

:: Women ::
Alisha Edwards, Alpha Female (Jazzy Gabert), Amy Rose, AZM, Becky Lynch, Brittany Blake The Bunny, Carmella, Cassie Lee, Charlotte Flair, Dani Luna, Dark Sheik, HZK, Jessie McKay, Kamille, Kayla Sparks, Kay Lee Ray, Kris Wolf, Kylie Rae, Lady C, Maria Kanellis, Maryse. Max the Impaler, Mercedes Martinez, Miranda Alize, Naomi, Paige Vanzant, Penelope Ford, Ronda Rousey, Saya Kamitani, Session Moth Martina, Shazza McKenzie, Sonya Deville, Thunder Rosa & Yuka Sakazaki

:: Tag Division ::
American Wolves (Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards)
Beer Money, Inc. (Bobby Roode & James Storm)
Calamari Drunken Kings (Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi)
Dangerous Tekkers (ZSJ & Taichi)
Edge & Christian w/ Jack Perry
FinnJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay)
Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zach Gibson)
House of Bricks (Kamille & The Bunny)
The IIconis (Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee)
La Rebelion (Mecha Wolf & Bestia 666)
Los Verdaderos Asesinos (Mercedes Martinez & Miranda Alize)
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
The Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian)
The Red Hand (Manabu Soya & Kenoh)
SCU (Christopher Daniels, Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian)
Subculture (Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews)
Time Splitters (Kushida & Alex Shelley)
The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)

:: Units ::
American Gods (Edge, Christian, Randy Orton & Jack Perry)
Bravo Brand (John E. Bravo, Curry Man, Shark Boy & Suicide)
Go 2 Sleep Club (KENTA, Pac, Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels & Rich Swann)
House of Bricks (Kamille, The Bunny, Penelope Ford, Kay Lee Ray, Brittany Blake & Alpha Female)
La Facción Confederada de América [LFCA] (Kenny King, Amy Rose, Shane Taylor, Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Dickinson & Tony Deppen)
League of Extraordinary Wrestlers (Dalton Castle, Ultramantis Black, Amasis, Ophidian, Space Monkey & Kikutaro)
Lynchdom (Becky Lynch, Max the Impaler, Heidi Howitzer, Ronda Rousey & Alpha Female)
The Kingdom (Matt Taven, Mike Bennett & Matt Hardy) w/ Maria Kanellis
Josei Teikoku (AZM, Lady C, HZK & Saya)
Roman Empire (Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs & JR Kratos)
Suzuki-gun ( Minoru Suzuki, ZSJ, Taichi, Lance Archer, Shelton Benjamin, Nosawa Rongai, El Desperado, BUSHI & Dolph Ziggler)
Time Splitting Machine Guns (Kushida, Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
Wolfpack (Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards, HAYMAKER [Carmelo Hayes], WARDOG [Wardlow], Thunder Rosa

:: Championships ::

Current Champion: Vacant

Current Champion: HAYMAKER (Carmelo Hayes)

Current Champion: Minoru Suzuki

---

Current Champion: Thunder Rosa

Current Champion: Saya Kamitani

---

Current Champion: The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso)

Current Champion: Dangerous Desperados (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, and El Desperado)​

 

[CakeWalker]

Men's Roster
Action Andretti, A-Kid, Ace Austin, Adam Scher, AJ Styles, Alexander Hammerstone, Alex Reynolds, Angelo Gordan, Anthony Bowens, Austin Gunn, Big E, Brian Myers, Bryan Danielson, Bron Rochsteiner, Brutus Creed, Cash Wheeler, Charles Gable, Chris Jericho, CIMA, Claudio Castagnoli, Colten Gunn, Damien Priest, Danhausen, Danny Garcia, Dax Harwood, Dilsher Shanker, Dio Maddin, Dirty Dango, Dominic Garrini, Douglas Williams, Drew Gulak, Drew McIntyre, Effy, Erik, Feugo del Sol, Finn Balor, Griffin McCoy, H4RL4ND, Harlem Bravado, Harry Smith, Hirooki Goto, HOOK, Isiah Kassidy, Ivar, Ivy Nile, Jacob, Fatu, Jake Hager, Jake Lee, Jeff Hardy, Joe Gacy, Johnny Dynamite, John Silver, Jon Moxley, Julius Creed, Kenny Omega, Kevin Ku, Kofi Kingston, Lince Dorado, Luigi Primo, Marq Quen, Masashi Takeda, Mason Ryan, Matt Cardona, Matthew Rehwoldt, Matt Tremont, Max Caster, Nick Gage, Otis Bogojevic, Puma King, Ricky Starks, Rinku Singh, Sheamus, Shingo Takagi, Shinsuke Nakamura, Simon Gotch, Shota Umino, T-Beerze, Teoman, Tez Huracan, The Butcher, Tom Lawlor, WALTER, Warhorse, Will Hobbs, Xavier Woods, YOSHI-HASHI & Yoshi-Tatsu

Women's Roster
Alex Gracia, Aliyah, Allie Kat, Anna Jay, Aofie Valkyrie, Ashley Vox, Asuka, Athena Bianca Bel Air, Davina Rose, Delmi Exo, Deonna Purrazzo, Emi Sakura, Faby Apache, Isla Dawn, Jordynne Grace, Kairi Hojo, Leila Grey, Marina Shafir, Mercedes Banks, Mia Yim, Mizuki, Nyla Rose, Red Velvet, Rhea Ripley, Riho, Ruaka, Ruby Soho, Santana Garrett, Saraya, Sexy Star (II), Shayna Baszler, Tasha Steelz, Tatum Paxley, Toni Storm, Viper, Willow Nightingale & Zelina Vega

Tag Teams
FTR: Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler
Private Party: Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy
The True Profits: Tez Huracan and Angelo Gordan
The Commonwealth Connection: Harry Smith and Doug Williams
Bishamon: Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI
Hotei: Shingo Takagi and Hirooki Goto
Fukurokuju: YOSHI-HASHI and Shingo Takagi
Team Taz: HOOK, Will Hobbs, and Ricky Starks
Gaytanic Panic: Danhausen and Effy
BUSSY: Effy and Allie Kat
Warhausen: Warhorse and Danhausen
Mercedes Banks and Davina Rose
The Acclaimed: Anthony Bowens & Max Caster
The Gunn Club: Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn
Sea Stars ( Ashley Vox and Delmi Exo)
The Silent Generation: Matthew Rehwoldt and Simon Gotch
The Creed Brothers: Brutus and Julius Creed w/ Ivy Nile
The Beaver Boys: Alex Reynolds and John Silver
The H8 Club: Nick Gage and Matt Tremont
द गोल्डन लायंस - Da Goldan Laayans: Ringu Singh and Dilsher Shanky
The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Hojo)
Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)

Stables & Factions
StableHausen: Danhausen, Effy, Allie Kat, Luigi Primo & Warhorse
La Facción de Fukujin: Shingo Takagi, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
The Academy of the Alphas: Charles Gable Otis Bogojevic, Drew Gulak & Harlem Bravado
Jericho Appreciation Society: Chris Jericho, Jake Hager Danny Garcia & Shayna Baszler
The Slaughterhouse: The Butcher, Joe Gacy and H4RL4ND
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods)


Championships

CHAMPION - VACANT

CHAMPION - MATT CARDONA

CHAMPION - WALTER

CHAMPION - HOOK

CHAMPION - FTR
- - -

CHAMPION - TONI STORM

CHAMPION - SHAYNA BASZLER

CHAMPION - VACANT
​

 

[CakeWalker]

+ Additional and Extra Information +​

 

[CakeWalker]

+ Additional and Extra Information +


​

 

[CakeWalker]

+ Special Event & PPVS +

WrestleKingdom 16 - Night One (2nd January) Part One Part Two
WrestleKingdom 16 - Night Two (3rd January) Part One Part Two
Destination-X - (22nd January)
​

 

[CakeWalker]

NIGHT ONE PREVIEW

1ST MATCH - NEW JAPAN RANBO CHALLENGER MATCH

Aaron Henare vs. Bad Luck Fale vs. Brian Cage vs. Eddie Kingston vs. Great O-Khan vs. Jake Lee vs. JONAH vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Karrion Kross vs. Miro vs. Satoshi Kojima vs. The Great Muta vs. Togi Makabe vs. Buddy Matthews vs. Chase Owens vs. David Finlay vs. Mustafi Ali vs Orange Cassidy vs. Prince Puma vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Toru Yano


2ND MATCH - UNIFICATION TAG TEAM MATCH

World's Cutest Tag Team (El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori) vs. TimeSplitters (Alex Shelley & Kushida)


3RD MATCH - SINGLES MATCH

Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. SANADA


4TH MATCH - SINGLES MATCH

Miyu Yamashita (c) vs. Kris Statlander


5TH MATCH - UNIFICATION MATCH

Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens


6TH MATCH - TAG MATCH

Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & Ninja Mack (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) & El Hijo Del Vikingo


7TH MATCH - ELIMINATION 8 TEAM MATCH (#1 CONTENDERS)
Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dollin vs. Giulia & Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter & Britt Baker vs. Mariah May & Xia Brookside vs. Tam Nakano & Natsupoi vs. Maika & Himeka vs. Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida vs. Allysin Kay & Angelina Love


8TH MATCH - SINGLES MATCH

Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Mike Bailey


9TH MATCH - SINGLES MATCH

Rok-C (c) vs. Serena Deeb


MAIN EVENT - UNIFICATION MATCH

Will Ospreay vs. Bandido ​

 

[Samoa Looch]

Oooo... nice to see the return of the Juicyverse. Good luck with this project, Cake. I'll definitely gonna take a look at the shows you'll put up.

In case you take predictions:
Night One
1 - Henare; Kingston; Gargano; Ali
2 - Cutest Tag
3 - SANADA
4 - Yamashita
5 - Cody
6 - Lucha Bros.
7 - Iwatani & Iida
8 - Bailey
9 - Rok-C
ME - Ospreay, Ospreay

Night Two
1 - Howiter & Impaler
2 - Wyatt
3 - Kingston
4 - Eagles
5 - Marufuji
6 - Briscoes
7 - Syuri
8 - Takeshita, Miyahara & Kiyomiya
9 - Ibushi
ME - Okada

 

[CakeWalker]

NIGHT TWO PREVIEW

1ST MATCH - TAG MATCH

Heidi Howitzer & Max the Impaler (c) vs. Winners of Elimination 8-Team Match


2ND MATCH - SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH
Bray Wyatt vs. EVIL


3RD MATCH - FOUR WAY MATCH

Four Survivors From Ranbo Match


4TH MATCH - THREE WAY MATCH

Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Robbie Eagles vs. Darby Allin


5TH MATCH - SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH
Naomichi Marufuji vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi


6TH MATCH - FOUR CORNERS TAG MATCH

The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson) (c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) vs. reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) vs. G.o.D (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)


7TH MATCH - SINGLES MATCH

Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Syuri


8TH MATCH - SPECIAL TAG MATCH
Konosuke Takeshita, Kento Miyahara & Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Adam Cole, Jay White & MJF


9TH MATCH - SPECIAL SINGLES MATCH
Brock Lesnar vs. Kota Ibushi


MAIN EVENT - SINGLES MATCH

Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito​

 

[CakeWalker]

1ST MATCH

Aaron Henare vs. Bad Luck Fale vs. Brian Cage vs. Eddie Kingston vs. Great O-Khan vs. Jake Lee vs. JONAH vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Karrion Kross vs. Miro vs. Satoshi Kojima vs. The Great Muta vs. Togi Makabe vs. Buddy Matthews vs. Chase Owens vs. David Finlay vs. Mustafi Ali vs Orange Cassidy vs. Prince Puma vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Toru Yano

- The first night of WrestleKingdom 16 would begin with the traditional New Japan Ranbo, that once again would see the final four entrants qualifying for tomorrow night’s four way match to become the first provisional trophy holder for 2022 with a total of 21 entrants confirmed to be taking part this year. The two men that would kickoff the contest would be Orange Cassidy and Great O-Khan. The two men between them, despite having very different vibes, would seem rather focused on eliminating each other, and preventing anyone else from doing so. This would result in the next three entrants of Buddy Matthews, Prince Puma and Karrion Kross being the first three men to be removed from the Ranbo contest.

- The rivalry between Orange and O-Khan would be short lived however, when the likes of Miro, Bad Luck Fale, Mustafa Ali and David Finlay were thrown into the mixer. The first of the pairing to fall foul of the new entrants would be Orange Cassidy with Mustafi Ali and Bad Luck Fale getting removed from contention not much long after. The three men still in the ring, would be forced to persevere through, as seven more men would enter the Ranbo before another elimination would occur.

- Not one, not two, but three eliminations would by way of the 16th entry into the contest form the veteran Satoshi Kojima connecting with his signature Lariat that would cause Aaron Henare, Johnny Garano and JONAH to be sent tumbling over the top rope and out of the contest in the process. This would mean that the Great O-Khan was still hanging on, as the one of the original two in the contest and would top this off by removing the second longest man in the contest Miro. There would be an epic moment when Makabe and Kojima with the pair dropping everyone else in the ring and exchange heavy chops to each other's midsection. The introduction of Jake Lee though, would result in both men being thrown over the rope in tandem.

- The Great Muta, Chase Owens, Timothy Thatcher and Toru Yano would be the last four men to enter the contest with a total of nine men in contention meaning that only five more elimination would take place before the contest drew to a close. The next few to fall would end up being Brian Cage, Chase Owens, David Finlay and The Great Muta. With one place left, it seemed that everyone was aware of how much a trickster Toru Yano was and they would all work as a team to remove him from the contest, in a mix up though it would actually be Jake Lee that would find himself hitting the floor first and being the final elimination.

Survivors: Great O-Khan, Eddie Kingston, Timothy Thatcher & Toru Yano

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2ND MATCH

World's Cutest Tag Team (El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori) vs. TimeSplitters (Alex Shelley & Kushida)

Since New Japan had acquired all the rights to Ring of Honour, the roster had been combined and a number of titles had been confirmed as being given a final hurrah. This would be for Shelley and Kushida, they would either successfully defend the titles on last time or ELP and Ishimori would continue to show exactly why they had been the Jr. Tag Team Champions for so long. The match perhaps would have been better if it had last a bit longer, but the feeling was to really increase the prestige of the host belts with ELP claiming the victory by rocking Kushida square in the jaw with Sudden Death (Superkick)!

Winners: World's Cutest Tag Team (El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori)

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

3RD MATCH

Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. SANADA

The clash between the challenger SANADA and Ishii was a good old fashioned brawl, with the Stone Pitbull really going hard on the offensive from the very start. It was obvious that just three months into this reign, he really didn’t have the desire to lose the belt at the biggest event of the NJPW year. SANADA, who was the only representative of Los Ingobernables de Japon on this evening’s card, was desperate to claim gold for his unit. The match would very much be the best match of the night, although this wasn’t the biggest accomplishment. Nonetheless people were very much in their seats, when Ishii would finish the contest with the Ishii Driller (Vertical suplex piledriver) to remain the top dog.

Winner: Tomohiro Ishii

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4TH MATCH

Miyu Yamashita (c) vs. Kris Statlander

With Stardom having officially become part of NJPW programing with their no longer being a separation between the women and the men, Yamashita had proven the be one of the most impactful new figures in the Joshi Division parting way with the UJWO and establishing herself as the hottest talent in the division and had successfully defended the Wonder of Stardom Championship over a dozen times since winning it in August. Kris Statlander on the other hand, had been making a name for herself in ROH but many felt this was quite the dream match with two Joshis who would eventually challenge for the big one sooner or later.

The match would show why Women’s/Joshi wrestling was very much on the up and up and that the basic bitch wrestling that had existed before WWE had defunct was not the way to do it. There would be a number of near falls and high impact moments that would certainly seem to keep the production truck happy as a number of side-by-side action replays would feature throughout the match. The match would finally come to a conclusion when Statlander would go aerial and look to hit Area 451 (450 Splash), only for Yamashita to lift up her knees at the last minute winding Statlander before transitioning into the Tough Rolling Hook (Modified armlock) that would have her opponent tapping out in seconds.

Winner: Miyu Yamashita

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

Malakai Black would cut a very passionate promo backstage where he would convey his frustration about not having been booked on either of the two nights of WrestleKingdom and would make a point of stating that he felt he was more talented and a bigger name than a lot of people that arguably taken his spot on the card and that the shot callers in Japan were going to have to start taking him seriously if they didn’t want to wake up in the hospital after he had broken their jaws with his boots. He would end up being interrupted by Jeff Cobb who would make it known that no one in New Japan really knew anything about him, but that next week in Yokohama he would love nothing more than to give Malakai a proper introduction to the real world of professional wrestling and not the time of wrestling that relied on action figures being sold in order to earn titles shot.

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5TH MATCH

Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens

Considering this was a match that would combine the ROH TV title and the IWGP US Championship forever, the fans couldn’t have hoped for a better matchup than Cody Rhodes taking on Kevin Owens. With a match with so many great moments, let us treat you to a few that would really stand out:

- Using a steel chair in a totally illegal manner at ringside, knowing he wouldn't be able to achieve the victory in such a manner. Owens would wrap the chair around Cody’s ankle and lock in the Sharpshooter and would look to have really done a number on Cody’s leg that was noticeable for the rest of the match.

- The two men would be battling on the wrong side of the ropes on the ring apron, and would exchange hard blows. Owens was clearly interested in doing further damage to Rhodes’ leg, which would result in Cody going all out even if it meant he wouldn’t get to finish the match as he would swivel his hips and power Kevin downward with the Cross Rhodes that would see both men clatter down on the floor below.

- The match would hit the fifteen minute mark when it was close to being the end, as Owens would haul Cody off his best and powerslam him down hard against the turnbuckle before nailing Cody with the Stunner to wrap up and win the contest and technically become the first new champion in New Japan.

Winner: Kevin Owens​

 

[CakeWalker]

6TH MATCH

Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & Ninja Mack (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) & El Hijo Del Vikingo

- The challengers were seen by many as the favourites and were very much a Luchador Superteam considering the Lucha Bros on their own were already a truly devastating duo. The three men were not strangers to each other though, as only a month ago Fenix and Vikingo had paired up to become the AAA World Tag Team Champions. Top Flight and Ninja Mack had only been champions for a brief time, as was often the case with 6-man belts and really wasn’t all that surprising when the challengers would claim the belts.

- After the bell, Pentagon, J. would introduce the trio as ‘The Super Lucha Bros’ officially signaling a new era for all three of them

Winners: The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) & El Hijo Del Vikingo


+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

7TH MATCH

Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dollin vs. Giulia & Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter & Britt Baker vs. Mariah May & Xia Brookside vs. Tam Nakano & Natsupoi vs. Maika & Himeka vs. Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida vs. Allysin Kay & Angelina Love

- The elimination qualifier was jam packed with all teams involved, arguably all being stacked, with it had to really guess which duo was going to earn themselves a shot for the gold on tomorrow’s show. With the rules of the match requiring only one member of each team to be pinned or submitted or thrown over the ropes for the entire team to be eliminated the match was a very scrappy and chaotic affair.

- The match would hit the ten minute mark, and there would only be three teams left in contention: MaiHime (Maika & Himeka), Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dollin) & STARS ( Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida). Perhaps there was an element of us vs. them and a desire to claim a win for one of the home teams, as the STARS and MaiHime would work together in unison to remove both Dollin and Jayne over the ropes at the same time.

- The match would end well with Maiika and Himeka being seen as the odds-on favourites at this point in the contest, even though Mayu Iwatani was arguably the biggest name of the final four. So everyone would be stunned when it was the variable underdog Saya Iida who would claim the victory by nailing Maika with the Iidabashi (Arm wrench bridging inside cradle pin) to earn STARS a title shot at the top of tomorrow night’s card.

Winners: Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

Ahead of tomorrow’s night Special Single match between EVIL and Bray Wyatt, the leader of House of Torture would actually come out to the middle of the ring and chase away the celebrating Iwatani and Iida to have a moment on the microphone. EVIL would offer himself a lot of praise and blow his own trumpet, totally avoiding the fact that he wasn’t involved in a single match for any title during either day of WrestleKingdom. He would finally focus on his opponent tomorrow night Bray Wyatt and promise that it would be the most disappointing debut in wrestling history, but would demand that when Bray Wyatt loses he bow down in front of him in body and mind before officially joining the greatest unit in wrestling history.

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

8TH MATCH

Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Mike Bailey

- Gresham at this point had been the longest reigning ROH Pure Champion of all time, having held the belt since 30th October 2020 with it having gone 430 days and counting. So impressive was his run, that it had been decided that the belt would not be retired or unified and in fact the Pure Championship would continue to have a legacy in New Japan for the foreseeable future. It was felt by many that ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey on paper at least, would be Gresham’s toughest opponent to date. With the contest fought under Pure Rules, the fans would not be let down by the action that was presented.

- The technical skill in this match was truly impressive with both men following the rules to the tee. There was such a high level of skill involved and use of submission wrestling that both men found themselves having lost all three of their three rope breaks within the first seven minutes of the contest. Both understood the assignment, and now were with the knowledge the ropes wouldn’t be able to save either of them from a pin or submission. Both men would keep it clean throughout which went over very well with the Tokyo fans and it was obvious that both Bailey and Gresham wanted to do things right at the Tokyo Dome.

- The match would reach a crescendo when Mike Bailey started to control the match and looked certain to pull off a challenger’s victory. ‘Speedball’ would go to the Ultima Weapon (Shooting Star double knee drop), but the move would fail to achieve a pinfall not once, but twice with Gresham digging deep and really showing a true fighting spirit despite it being clear that he was in real trouble if he didn’t start to fight back soon. Bailey would have the crowd behind him, as he would clamber up the turnbuckle and come crashing down to hit a hopeful third and final Ultima Weapon only for the ring bell to be rung and it be announced that the scheduled thirty minute time limit had been reached and the match was now over.

Result: Time Limit Draw

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

9TH MATCH

Rok-C (c) vs. Serena Deeb

Rok-C was without a doubt one of the hottest rising talents in women’s wrestling and had topped that off as the inaugural Women of Honor Champion, however it had been clear in the build up that Deeb had little to no respect for the champion with the viewpoint that she had never faced an legitimately tough opponent and instead had ridden a watered down route to winning the belt. So when the match begun, the crowd would be left shocked as Serena would nail Rok-C with a brutal clothesline before locking in the Serenity Lock (high angle calf hold) and forcing her younger opponent to tap in less than thirty seconds in the shortest match of the night and arguably the shortest contest in WrestleKingdom history. One thing was clear, Serena had proven that talking the talk was valid when you could also walk the walk.

Winner: Serena Deeb

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

MAIN EVENT (Night One)

Will Ospreay vs. Bandido

For so many reasons this match would have massive ramifications depending on who the winner was, even if tonight was the last official night that the ROH World Championship would be active. A win for Ospreay would put the Intercontinental belt arguably on as close to a tier as possible as the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and at the minimum leaving him knocking on the door for whoever came out best between Okada and G1 Climax winner Naito during tomorrow’s main event. A win for Bandido would immortalise him in New Japan lore, and also make the point that the spirit of Ring of Honor would never fade. Below are some of the key highlights for this riveting match:

- Bandido would begin the match with a high level of pace that would seem to even catch the normally energetic Ospreay off guard, as he would have to deal with zero to a hundred luchador fire. The Mexican would bounce from the ropes either vertically or horizontally and would do everything to prevent Ospreay from getting comfortable and finding himself a rhythm. Ospreay’s frustration would show, as he would take a risk that would pay off as he would dish out a Glasgow Kiss before sending the already dazed Bandido to the mat with a Pip Pip Cheerio (Springboard forearm smash)!

- Bandido would not show any signs of slowing down the pace in the match, but with Ospreay very much the heel in the contest the match at times would find itself outside of the ring. Bandido and Will would find themselves battling a podium by the announcer’s table as the Mexican would pick Ospreay up and send him crashing through the table with Revolution Fly (Moonsault Fallaway Slam) that would break the table in half, but both men be lying in pieces on the floor for what was a brutal spot.

- The match would hit the twenty-five minute mark and still both men were pushing the other to the total limit and there was no doubt that this was the best match of the night so far. Bandido would be on the ascendancy with an array of ‘ROH! ROH! ROH!’ chants spreading around the Dome. Bandido would manage to nail Ospreay with the 21plex, but was unable to hold him in place for the bridging pin. This would be a massive mistake, before as soon as the Mexican stood up he would be cut in half with the Hidden Blade (Running high impact swinging back elbow to the back of a kneeling opponent's head) only for Will to roll his opponent over and bring the contest to an abrupt end.

Winner: Will Ospreay

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

After the match Will Ospreay would only accept the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at the end of the match, with it clear for him it had never been about the ROH World Championship despite the fact that he would always go down in history as the final champion. With the microphone in hand, Ospreay would declare that he was the man who had single handedly killed Ring of Honor and if he ever heard another wrestler mention that defunct promotion again, they would be spitting blood for a week. Ospreay would then rally and call out the entire United Empire unit to join him in the ring.

Jeff Cobb, Great O-Khan, Aaron Henare, Kyle Fletch and Mark Davis would all proceed to come join Will in the ring wearing expensive suits and looking very dapper. Will would state that the men standing next to him were without a doubt the complete package and the United Empire would have their greatest year in 2022 with an expectation that every single member of the unit would hold championship gold. The six men in unison would then shout into the microphone ‘Long May The Empire Rule!’ as the first night of WrestleKingdom would reach its conclusion. ​

 

[CakeWalker]

1ST MATCH

Heidi Howitzer & Max the Impaler (c) vs. Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida

- Wasteland War Party (Howitzer and Max the Impaler) had proven themselves as the immovable force in NJPW, after leaving UJWO in favour of the biggest promotion in Japan and it was fair in saying that the other Joshi teams were almost fearful when they found out they had a shot at challenging for the Goddess of Stardom Championships. The pairing of Iwatani and Iida though, as representatives of STARS though did not enter the contest with the same aura of fear which wasn’t all that surprising considering how hard the two had worked last night to earn this shot at the belts. If anything they seemed unfazed by the pressure and with the Tokyo crowd behind, you could have almost been fooled into thinking they were entering the ring as the champions.

- Mayu and Saya would put on a great performance and really put a strong leg forward, however signs of fatigue from the previous night would begin to show and would seem that the Wasteland War Party very much had a firm control of the match and would really focus on cutting the legs from out of Iwatani with Max and Heidi doing their best to take out ‘their biggest threat’ at every opportunity. The pair would send a throwback to the attitude era, by involving a chair in the finish that would see them nail Iwatani with Dudley Death Drop through a table to win the contest and retain their belts.

Winners: Wasteland War Party (Heidi Howitzer & Max the Impaler)

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

With the Goddess of Stardoms Champions still celebrating, the entrance music for Club Venus would start to blast out throughout the Tokyo Dome with Mina Shirakawa walking down the entrance way. The person would turn a few heads as it would be none other than Mandy Rose, who up until this point had yet to debut. Shirakawa would announce that Mandy Rose was officially part of Club Venus and that days were numbered for the other Joshi units in New Japan. Before Wasteland War Party were able to react to the interruption of their celebrations, Mariah May and Xia Brookside would slide into the ring wielding wooden baseball bats and deliver a beatdown to the champion before exiting the ring and very much sending a message to the rest of the division that perhaps Club Venus had no intention of playing nice any longer.

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

2ND MATCH

Bray Wyatt vs. EVIL

- The entrances for both men would be massively interesting for two very different reasons. EVIL would come out alone with not a single member of the House of Torture with it seeming that he truly felt he wasn’t going to need outside interference to claim the victory. On the other side of the coin, Bray Wyatt would offer the entrance that everyone in the world had been hoping for as he would debut as his alternative persona ‘The Fiend’. Rather than make his way out for the back, as music would be played live by HANABIE the ring would be surrounded by smoke with The Fiend exiting from underneath the room and tapping EVIL on the shoulder with blood dripping from his mouth (in a similar fashion to Gangrel) with EVIL visibly started by the over the top entrance of his opponent.

- The match would be truly electric with the fans being treated to a match that would be the perfect balance between brutal and theatrical. At various points in the match whenever it looked as if EVIL was on the ascendancy, the light over the ring would either turn off, be illuminated in a blood red light or have smoke fill the ring. Every Time this happened, it would allow The Fiend to escape or avoid further punishment. EVIL would become grow more and more frustrated by these tactics, which was ironic considering how often he was aided by crooked tactics and would make a hand gesture that would result in Dick Togo and the rest of House of Torture to start to make their way down from the back.

- Their journey to the ring would be prevented however, as a group of ‘fans’ would jump the barricade to block their path with all five of these fans wearing black hoodies with the word FIENDISH emblazoned on the back. As they would lower their hoods and attack, they would be revealed as The Great Muta, Sting, Karrion Kross, Great Sakuya and Scarlett Bordeaux with it not taking much of a fight to send House of Torture retreating backstage. In annoyance of his plan failing EVIL would be left distracted, which would open himself up as The Fiend would grab hold of him and connect with Sister Abigail to pick up a victory on a truly magnificent debut performance.

Winner: Bray Wyatt

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

3RD MATCH

Great O-Khan vs. Eddie Kingston vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Toru Yano

- Toru Yano came into the contest as the two-time overall winner of the previous two KOPW Trophies and despite the fact that he was often seen by most as a bit of a clown, there was no doubt that the other three men were more than aware of the real danger that Yano posed to them. So much so that it seemed that a plan had been discussed ahead of time, with Kingston and Thatcher forcefully holding Yano against the security fence as the Great O-Khan would individually handcuff both of Yano’s wrist to the fence seemingly removing him from contention completely.

- This would result in quite a melee in the ring, with neither of the three men able to gain any sort of advantage before the third wheel would intervene and prevent a finish from occurring. Despite this though, Yano would remain locked up and the match officials would refuse his pleas of unlocking him from his bonds.

- Kingston and Khan would go through a brutal exchange of stiff shots to the other’s chin and there was a real sense that both men wanted to remove the other’s head as they would gradually find themselves dropping to their knees. This moment of weakness would go punished as Timothy Thatcher would charge forward and wipe out Kingston with a diving shoulder charge before grabbing hold of Great O-Khan and force him to tap out by locking in the Thatcher Stretch (Chickenwing over the shoulder crossface) to become the first man of the year to claim the provisional trophy.

Winner: Timothy Thatcher

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

4TH MATCH

Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Robbie Eagles vs. Darby Allin

- There was a feel that the Junior Heavyweight might soon find themselves in a slightly different position than they had been previously, although the fact that the belt had not been involved in any sort of unification match at all would suggest that despite the influx of new talent from them the ROH takeover the belt would continue to have its own identity. The match would be fiery and explosive with the current and x5 champion Hiromu continuing to remind the world just exactly why he is arguably one of the greatest Junior champions of all time.

- Eagles and Allin had no intention of giving the champ an easy ride though, and the fans would very much be left entertained. Allin would take the entertainment to another level when he would attempt to take out Eagles and Takahashi at ringside with the Coffin Drop, but would end up missing the target and appear to wipe himself out of contention as he would be attended to by medical staff. The match would continue only to be brought to a head as Eagles would nail Hiromu with Trigger (Running Enzuigiri to a kneeling opponent) as the champion as pushing himself back onto his feet only to follow up in high speed fashion by locking in the Ron Miller Special with the facelock adjustment to squeeze on the pressure and for Takahashi to tap.

Winner: Robbie Eagles

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

5TH MATCH

Naomichi Marufuji vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

- There was no denying the excitement surrounding this match. On any other event this could easily have the main-event perhaps not for a global audience, but certainly for a Japanese crowd. The fact that the match had been given a sixty minute time limit showed more the level of respect that both men were being given as individuals, and not necessarily the expectation that the contest was actually going to go for that long. With both NJPW and historic NOAH fans very much heavily invested in both men, the fact that they were both part of the same roster gave the contest a real big match feel.

- The match would be a true spotfest with both men pulling out some of the biggest moves from their arsenals. Whether it was Tanahashi relying on moves such as: a Brainbuster, High Fly Attack, Twist and Shout (Snap swinging neckbreaker) or a variety of suplex variations or Marufuji digging deeper with moves like: True Tiger King (Armtrap hammerlock transitioned into a bicycle knee lift, Hurricane Mixer (Front flip snapmare driver), Frog Splash or a multitude of kick combinations it was clear that the fans were thrilled with the spectacle they were being treated to.

- The match would reach its climax just short of the twenty-five minute mark when Tanahashi would treat the fans to an air guitar performance that would get a massive pops from fans and very much get everyone to stand on their feet before he would ascend the turnbuckle and leap off crashing down on top of Marufuji with High Fly Flow (Frog splash) to claim the victory.

- Both men would shake hands and have a deep embrace after the contest and if anything the match looked as if it might have brought the two men close together as Marufuji would make sure to raise Tanahashi’s arm and signal him as the victor.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
​

 

[CakeWalker]

6TH MATCH

The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson) (c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) vs. reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) vs. G.o.D (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)

- The match for the tag team championship was always going to be mess with four high calibre tag team taking each other all one at the same time and even though the rules dictated that only two men could be in the ring at the same time it wasn’t as if any of these teams had made a name for themselves by simply following the rules to the letter of the law. Every time one of the teams looked close to being building an advantage, a save would come from one of the corners even if it wasn’t their fellow partner they were breaking it up for.

- This of course resulted in absolute chaos, with an impromptu street fight occurring at ringside with all eight men desperate to cause the other as much damage as possible. This would lead to an absolute spotfest at ring side, with all the big money moves being pulled out although because they were all taking place outside of the ring no one was really able to capitalize. That was until Bobby Fish chased Nick Jackson back into the ring very much on the up only for Matt to catch Fish from behind with a low blow for the Bucks would finish off Bobby with SuperKick Party (Double and stereo superkick) to bring an end to the contest and retain the belts.

Winners: The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson)

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

7TH MATCH

Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Syuri

The match between Hayashishita and Syuri would be the final Joshi match of the Wrestle Kingdom weekend, but there was no denying that the match was a true masterpiece that almost left fans wondering how the contest could even be followed. With the match a highlight reel in itself, here are some of the standout moments from the match:

- Syuri had been doing her best to remove one of the turnbuckle protectors for much of the contest and everytime the referee would attempt to secure it, she would use these blindspots as an opportunity to go for cheap and illegal shots to raise her stock in the match. Eventually the leader of God’s Eye would remove the protector, but it would backfire as Utami would grab hold of her and send her flying into the exposed buckle via the Hijack Bomb (Spinning crucifix powerbomb).

- Both women’s units were present at ringside for moral support as was often the case for big Joshi matches. Syuri though would direct traffic and get GE members Ami Sourei and Tomoka Inaba to move around the ring and start causing drama with Queen’s Quest. So much so that the referee would exit the ring, trying to control the situation and maintain some order. This was all a distraction though as Mirai would lead up onto the ring apron with a steel chair and nail Utami over the head with it before Syuri would follow up with Buzzsaw Kick that would wipe out the champion. It would take too long for the referee to return back to the ring, that by the time he stated the count he would only reach two.

- The intensity and rage between the pair would only increase as the match went on, but the referee would grow annoyed by the two units causing trouble and would end up ejecting every single member of both God’s Eye and Queen’s Quest from ringside. It would by Syuri who would end up being distracted by this ejection and get in the face of the match official that would allow Utami to make the next big step in the match as she would catch Syuri with a spinning back elbow before lifting her up and bringing her down hard to the canvas with a BT Bomb (Sitout crucifix powerbomb) to almost result in the end of the contest if only for Syuri getting her foot to bottom rope at the last possible moment.

- The two would go blow for blow as the match surpassed the 25 minute mark and the two Joshi would start to climb the turnbuckle with it unclear where exactly the two were going or what their intentions actually were. Syuri would connect with a high knee to Utami’s jaw and it really looked as if the challenge was going to finally bring an end to the contest. Hayashishita though, would show her toughness and champion’s spirit as she would refuse to be thrown over the great height and instead fight back and get Syuri up onto her shoulder and send her spiking down to the mat with Koumori Tsuri Otoshi (Air Raid Crash) spike Syuri down onto her head before flipping her over to claim the three count and retain the red strap.

Winner: Utami Hayashishta

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

8TH MATCH

Konosuke Takeshita, Kento Miyahara & Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Adam Cole, Jay White & MJF

- This match had been only booked a few weeks prior to the show and wasn’t built up based on rivalries but rather as an exhibition of sorts between home grown talent and foreigners. In the build up Jay White and MJF in particular had created this narrative of who out of Konsuke and Kaito were the better wrestlers and who was just a young boy cosplaying as a big man. No reaction from either man had been picked up though before the day of the match. The mind games would spill into the match and the goading would continue with Kiyomiya and Takshita actually being drawn in and would grow annoyed with each other rather than the instigators.

- Like a rubber band eventually it would become all too much and it would snap with Takeshta and Kiyomiya coming to blows and beating the shit out of each other and would end up fighting each other all the way to the back leaving Kento Miyahara in a three on one situation which he simply wouldn’t be able to survive with the eventual ending coming with Jay White connecting with the Blade Runner to bring an end to the charade. The fans were very vocal about how unhappy they were in how the match had played out.

Winners: Adam Cole, Jay White & MJF

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

9TH MATCH

Brock Lesnar vs. Kota Ibushi

- The last time Brock had been part of a NJPW show it had been 2006 and he had entered as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, so for his next appearance to occur sixteen years later was something of a spectacle. He had previously beaten Nakamura and would now go against another one of Japan’s favourite sons Kota Ibushi in the penultimate match of WrestleKingdom 16. There had been no confirmation on how often Brock would be booked in New Japan, but Ibushi had been very clear in his standing. Kota felt that it was his job to act as a gatekeeper and prevent American dinosaurs from stealing the spotlight from legitimate wrestling talent.

- As many had expected, Lesnar would start the match at full velocity and was looking to end the match as quickly as possible. If it had been a UFC match he was very much looking to end the match in the first five minutes and that is exactly what the fans in the Tokyo Dome would witness. Kota would find himself being thrown around the ring with various suplexes, with the Japanese getting a proper introduction to the ‘Mayor of Suplex City’. Ibushi looked like he was in real trouble as he was placed on Brock’s shoulders and would be spun out and sent crashing down to earth with the F-5. However, everyone including Brock would be left stunned as Kota would manage to kick out of the move after just a one count.

- From then on Brock would start to show signs of fatigue and lack of stamina which would really allow Kota to get technical and like a surgeon really laser in and target all the key areas he needed to fell the man mountain. Brock would continue to be a true leviathan, but the the real shift in direction would occur when Lesnar would slip to his knees only for Ibushi to punish him full force with the Kamigoye (Double wrist-clutch knee strike to a kneeling opponent's face) that would have Brock seeing stars. Kota would be quick and deadly as clambered up the ropes before leaping off to land down on Brock with a 450° splash that would leave Tokyo stunned as it would be enough to keep Lesnar down for count.

Winner: Kota Ibushi

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

MAIN EVENT (Night Two)

Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

- Okada entered the Dome as the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, whilst Naito was the winner of the G1 Climax. However, the last time both of these men had met it had been Nato who had not only beaten Okada but taken the world title away from him in a belt versus belt contest so it was obvious that Kazuchika had to win this match if he was going to save face. On the other hand a win for Naito would turn him into the face of the company at the start of a brand new era for New Japan. All the chips were on the table and neither man was willing to walk away without the big belt in their hands.

- The match would start at a slow pace with a lot of theatre and dramatics involved. Even though Naito was the heel, he was the villain that everyone loved which at times visibly frustrated Okada. The champ would try to remain cool, but with Naito gaining more and more support the frustration would boil over as Okada would chuck Tetsuya over the ropes with the pair battling out on the floor with the fans eating it up and loving every minute of it. With the match being so important there would be no count out, with the pair having a melee outside of the ring for a good five minutes throwing each other at the barricades and exchanging hard impact drops on the mat before finally returning back to the ring.

- The match would start to heat up with nearfall after nearfall, with men highly motivated however it was obvious that it would take a lot more damage for either men to lose to the other in this fashion. A battle of attrition had started with the wearing down process fully in effect. And then out of the blue Naito would shake the very fabric of the match with a smooth transition and bring Kazuchika down hard with Destino! Rather than look to finish off the match though instead Naito would take a moment to pose in the middle of the ring lying on his side very much adding insult to injury with a total lack of respect towards Okada. When he would finally go for the cover, it was too late and the champion had rolled underneath the ropes in a matter of life or death.

- With the match on its final legs it was Naito that looked like he was going to beat Okada twice in a row for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship so when he connected with Esperanza (Diving somersault cutter) and Okada stood up and was wobbly on his feet it looked all but other as Naito grabbed hold of his prey. Okada would actually seem to smile though as he counters Tetsuya by grabbing hold of his wrist and in one sudden turn knocks all life out of Naito with the RAINMAKER! Everyone in the Tokyo Dome would lose their minds, as Okada dropped on top of Naito to end the match and successfully defend his championship belt.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

With the IWGP Heavyweight Championship still in his possession Okada would demand the microphone and address the Tokyo Dome. He would thank the fans for their continued support both in the arena and world wide and promise that 2022 would see him continue to be the strongest and most respected man in Japan. He would mull over the events of the last two nights and throw around a few names as potential next challengers: Ibushi, Wyatt, Tanahashi, Ospreay and Kevin Owens and would offer high praise about all of them. He would by stating that in the end it didn’t really matter who he faced because “I am the Rainmaker” which he would say in Japanese before then saying it also in English for added effect as the two night extravaganza would draw to an end.​

 

[CakeWalker]

Dynamite #118 [Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey]

The first Dynamite of 2022 would begin with a TNT Championship match with Matt Cardona defending the belt against a challenging Jeff Hardy. The Deathmatch King had been the champion for quite a considerable while now and he seemed to have all the answers for Jeff and would bring an end to the night’s opener with Radio Silence.

Winner: Matt Cardona

- With the belt over his shoulder and the microphone in his hand he would remark that he was single handedly becoming the greatest champion in the short history of AEW and was by the far the most relevant man in professional wrestling.

- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

- Backstage Shingo Takagi, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI of La Facción de Fukujin would cut a short promo with Takagi very much being the mouthpiece for the trio. Shingo would state with their way of life spreading around the world it was Fukujin's job to show La Facción Confederada de América and Los Ingobernables de Japon that the three of them were more than capable of representing the group and winning belts in AEW and would challenge Dax Harwod to face him tonight.

- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

- Prior to the next match it would be announced that a tournament would begin to crown the inaugural AEW Dream Champions (the new tag belts for the women’s division).

The combination of Toni Storm and Viper were much seen as the favourites of what was the beginning of a brand new era for the women of AEW with some hope that perhaps AEW could correct the wrongs of tag team wrestling for women in America. Despite their star power, Viper and Storm just simply couldn’t agree on anything and there was a real battle for power that would occur between the two. The match would end with Toni Storm flat out refusing to tag Viper in, that would result in her being blindsided from behind by Steelz who would double team Storm with Red Belt to hit a new move Red Steel (Aided Butterfly DDT) to advance.

Winners: Red Velvet & Tasha Steelz

- After the bell Toni Storm and Viper would have a screaming match at ringside, whilst Red Velvet and Tasha would soak up the victory.

- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

- Chris Jericho would stand backstage with a plushie off Danhausen and a pair of scissors and announce this friday on Rampage what Stablehausen experienced would be far more painful than what the world was able to witness as he we would take the scissors and proceed to cut off the plushie’s head before laughing his ass off and walking out of shot.

- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

Shingo calling out Dax Harwood meant two things. The first was that either Hotei or Fukurokuju had their eyes on FTR and coming for the tag team titles. The second was that for the time the rest of the singles division was safe from the truly terrifying athlete that Shingo Takagi was.no longer a threat. Dax was no slouch in the contest that would pass the fifteen minute mark and could very much have gone either way. It was Takagi though who would secure victory by hitting an impressive Made In Japan (Pumphandle half nelson drive),

Winner: Shingo Takagi

- After the bell Takagi would offer Dax his hand as a sign of respect, but the FTR looked furious and showed absolutely no interest in any sort of post-match pleasantries.

- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

- Tony Khan would make a special announcement that on the 26th January that Beach Break would return for Dynamite Special, as well as revealing that Rampage that week would be a two hour special.

- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

The woman who would take on Baszler in the open challenge this week would be Leila Grey, with Shayna actually laughing to herself at the sight of her opponent. And it would prove that the champ would have every right to hold this reaction as she would totally dominate Grey, as if she was a cat toying with a mouse before finally ending the farce by hitting the vertical suplex and then forcing Leila to tap by locking in the Kirifuda Clutch.

Winner: Shayna Baszler

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The TNT Championship was getting a lot of focus on this episode of Dynamite and with a 4-Way Elimination match to decide a new number one contender, it wasn’t all that surprising that Matt Cardona would join the comms table to spectate the contest. The match would be wild and dangerous with all four men really not scared about hurting themselves in order to get the job done. Claudio would find himself being targeted as the biggest threat and would be the best to go, with Jacob Fatu going next resulting in a final two of Damien Priest and Big E. The two men could have put on a masterclass of their own, but it was E that would earn himself a shot at gold by hitting Big Ending (Over the shoulder Cutter).

Winner: Big E

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- Rhea Ripley would offer her praise for Emi Sakura and state she was very much looking forward to locking up with the Japanese veteran this Friday on Rampage. Rhea would talk about how much she was looking forward to 2022 and would prove any of her critics wrong that she had been protected when she had been part of ‘that other company’.

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- Ahead of the main-event event it was announced that at Revolution a Fatal Four Way match would take place for the vacant AEW World Championship that had been without a holder since Bryan Danielson had injured himself. And that the first of these four qualifying matches would happen right now, suddenly changing the dynamic of the match that had been booked between Jake Lee and AJ Styles in a heartbeat.

The fans couldn’t believe their luck with the match they were treated to end the first Dynamite of 2022 with Jake Lee really proving his doubters wrong that he hadn’t been ready to step up from UJWO into the mainstream of the professional wrestling scene. The fact that Styles didn’t show any disrespect towards his lesser known foe, also meant that the match had great flow and was a real barn buster. The match would surely get a decent Meltzer rating, with AJ finally ending the match by hitting the Styles Clash and booking himself a spot on the Revolution Card.

Winner: AJ Styles

N.B.: Special shoutout to Jeff Valley Driver for agreeing to take on the role of the 'Head Booker' for AEW.
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