Ryogoku sees spring's supercard[
On April 5, the biggest event of the spring sees NJPW make it's first trip of 2025 to Ryogoku Sumo Hall. In the fallout of New Japan Cup, and with six titles on the line, the historic Ryogoku setting will see a monumental event with the year continuing to heat up further.
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Main event: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship- Hirooki Goto vs David Finlay
Singles record: 1-1
The after effects from two years of New Japan Cup finals sees a rubber match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship between David Finlay and Hirooki Goto. The 2024 New Japan Cup, saw a health concern necessitating Finlay's withdrawal, while a Hirooki Goto motivated by his father's then recent passing reached the finals. Goto maintained his forward momentum later into the summer, where Korakuen Hall had him face Finlay. The Rebel had made it very clear that Goto had taken the New Japan Cup final spot that should have been his, and looked to prove that point; in the end though it was Goot victorious in one of the most emotionally rousing moments of the summer.
To Finlay, every loss represents a 'moment of weakness', and that meant the BULLET CLUB leader was eager to make sure he got his win back in the most definitive form possible. In Ryogoku in October, Finlay wanted to see to it that Hirooki Goto's children were sitting ringside for a rematch over the IWGP Global title that the Rebel held at the time; Finlay was victorious as promised and Goto's children left in tears.
Still, Goto kept moving forward, and in February, finally claimed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. With Finlay having captured the New Japan Cup on March 20, we come full circle back to Ryogoku, now with Goto as a champion and Finlay the challenger. Finlay has promised that Goto's children will be in tears again as the champion's 'Cinderella story' comes to an end. Can Goto's revolution continue, or will it meet a hard stop at the hands of the Rebel King?
7th Match: IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship- Yota Tsuji vs EVIL
Singles record: 1-1
It's another rubber match covering two years of New Japan Cup fallout in our semi main event as Yota Tsuji faces the challenge of EVIL with the Global title on the line. 2024 New Japan Cup saw HOUSE OF TORTURE at their overbearing worst, as a multitude of members with deep runs in the tournament saw a wave of interference and frustration. With the aid of the rest of Los Ingobernables De Japon, Tsuji vanquished EVIL, and went on to win the whole tournament, but the King of Darkness was not about to forget his grudge.
At New Beginning in Osaka, EVIL returned after a month away and instantly targeted Tsuji. The first round of the New Japan Cup saw EVIL victorious over the Global Champion, albeit thanks to a handful of powder to the eyes from Dick Togo, and it seemed as if there was a clear claim to the Global gold, but EVIL's path to the white belt was still to see some trials and tribulations. In repeated nights, EVIL tried to assert a more physical claim to the gold in post match attacks, but all were thwarted by Tsuji until the Cup final night, where Togo's steel wire choked the champion out and EVIL added a vile exclamation point.
Tsuji responded to the attack in his backstage comments by saying he 'saw no value' in facing EVIL for the Global title in his current form, but that there was value in facing the 'old' EVIL. Pre-HOUSE OF TORTURE, EVIL was the very first pareja in Los Ingobernables De Japon, and was a popular figure in the group that Tsuji would call home years later. Tsuji has made a direct appeal to face 'Everything is' EVIL, but which version of the King of Darkness will battle the Gene Blast for Global gold?
6th Match: IWGP Tag Team Championships- Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman)
Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito seek their first defence of the IWGP tag team titles in Ryogoku when they take on Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb. In the aftermath of Naito and Hiromu capturing tag team gold at New Beginning in February, further tag team ambitions took the back seat to the singles New Japan Cup. There, Naito defeated Callum Newman in the first round, but fell to Jeff Cobb in the second. For days afterward, Cobb would pressure for an IWGP Tag title shot, citing the fact that with Great-O-Khan, the Imperial Unit was a two time tag team champion, but had never been beaten for tag gold, as both reigns had ended in three way matches. His strength and speed combination with Callum Newman certainly seemed like valid challengers, but it wasn't until Naito's 'team leader' Hiromu Takahashi gave his official approval at the New Japan Cup final that this match could be made.
Six man action at the New Japan Cup final saw the new challengers struck by the fearsome Tendedero double team. Will they have an answer in Ryogoku, or will the champions clinch their first defence?
5th Match: NEVER Openweight Championship- Konosuke Takeshita vs Ryohei Oiwa
The NEVER title is on the line in Ryogoku when Ryohei Oiwa challenges Konosuke Takeshita. In the wake of a stunning battle over the NEVER gold for Takeshita against Boltin Oleg in February, Oiwa was motivated to call his shot against the Alpha. Takeshita took an interest in the young TMDK member, and with Oiwa having taken an alternate path to the traditional Young Lion route in NJPW, a certain respect underlay his accepting the challenge.
In just a few short weeks after capturing the NEVER title at Wrestle Kingdom 19, Takeshita has defended against Tomohiro Ishii, KUSHIDA, Boltin and Angel Del Oro, putting him already at V4 and even with the most successful title reign of all time for a belt that is notoriously hard to keep a firm hold of. A win would see another history making moment for this one of a kind phenom. Meanwhile Oiwa has admitted to some extreme stress at having challenged for NEVER, NJPW STRONG and TV gold, as well as this year's New Japan Cup all in the last six months, with no hardware to show for it. For that situation to change tonight, he'll have to put up the performance of his career against one of the world's pre-eminent talents.
4th Match: NEVER Openweight 6 Man tag team Championships- HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita) vs War Dogs (Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori)
All spring long, the faction war between BULLET CLUB's War Dogs and HOUSE OF TORTURE, stemming from EVIL's attempts to excise the War Dogs from the Club, has waged with violent results. Or it should be said 'violence', but not necessarily 'results'. Undercard matches during New Japan Cup saw the two groups fight to a streak of countouts and disqualifications, much to the rage of the War Dogs and Gabe Kidd in particular. Yet it was the NJC finals night that finally saw Kidd, Drilla Moloney and Taiji Ishimori score a result, and a definitive one over HOUSE OF TORTURE in non title action, and it was a matter of moments before the Dogs called their title shot.
HOUSE OF TORTURE took the NEVER 6 belts all the way back during the Road to New Beginning, and have effectively held the titles in purgatory since, but will have to put in the work tonight against a pack of dogs hungry for gold and bodies in Ryogoku Sumo Hall.
3rd Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road Connection- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shota Umino
Singles record: 1-0 Tanahashi
Shota Umino's February 2024 declaration that he would be the 'new Ace for a new era in New Japan' was a clear lesson of words having consequences for Umino, Hontai and New Japan at large. Self determination on the part of Umino was decried by many a wrestler and fan, and made his uphill climb in the rest of 2024 all the harder mentally. It all led to Umino taking a hiatus in the wake of defeat to Great-O-Khan at New Beginning in Osaka, and returning with a shaved head, a pared back presentation and the beginning of his 'second chapter'.
A planned redemption story for Umino in the New Japan Cup had a sour twist when Finlay defeated the Roughneck in the New Japan Cup final. Once upon a time close friends in their younger days, and both men having known the unique pressures of being born into the wrestling business, an emotionally charged battle preceded an emotionally charged aftermatch. Right after the match, Finlay clearly stated to Umino that 'my way is the only way', indicating the success Umino could have if he took up the ways of the War Dogs. Umino seemed to nod assent before going backstage, where Hiroshi Tanahashi asked for this singles match on his Final Road: a battle of the Ace against the would be future 'ace'. More than one more match in Tanahashi's last run, this feels like a fight for the future, and the very soul of Shota Umino.
2nd Match: NJPW World TV Championship- El Phantasmo vs Great-O-Khan
Singles record: 2-0 O-Khan
After losses to both Great-O-Khan and TJP during the New Japan Cup tour, speculation heading into the final night's ELP Open Challenge for his TV title was less around whether a United Empire member would challenge, and more about which one. It was TJP who took the opportunity, leading to a hard fought retention for Phantasmo, but there was more to come in the post match.
During the bout, as he laboured in TJP's Pinoy Stretch, it seemed as if Phantasmo had tweaked his neck, and was in visible pain for the close of the contest before winning with a roll up pin. After his victory, Phantasmo shook hands with his challenger, but was blasted from behind by O-Khan, who was quick to declare they wanted next. A pair of TTDs saw to it that if Phantasmo's neck wasn't a significant concern before, it would be for this title encounter. ELP has never bested O-Khan in singles competition, and after the Dominator's attack, the odds look long of the third time being the charm. Can the champ retain?
1st Match: Yuya Uemura vs SANADA
Singles record: 1-0 Uemura
Main card competition gets underway with Yuya Uemura taking on SANADA. Uemura's first order of business on his return from injury this spring was addressing SANADA's betrayal of Just Four Guys to join the BULLET CLUB War Dogs. It led to a singles match int he New Japan Cup that saw Uemura victorious with a Superman Pin, but with plenty of ill feelings in place. When Uemura was knocked out of the cup by David Finlay in the quarterfinals, SANADA would attack the Heat Storm with Deadfall, and maintained aggressions for the rest of the series; now both seek to put a decisive end to this feud in another special singles encounter.
Kickoff Match: Katsuya Murashima vs Daiki Nagai
Singles record: 2-0 Murashima
Before main card action, our kickoff sees Daiki Nagai and Katsuya Murashima one on one. Murashima has twice bested Nagai, who has yet to win a match under his own power in NJPW. With Nagai's first career anniversary approaching in June, can he get the job done here in Ryogoku?
