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Wrestle Kingdom 16 From the Tokyo Dome, Japan - Night One 1/4/22
The crowd is still filing into the Dome as they begin the pre-show.
1) New Japan Ranbo: A Royal Rumble style match with the final four wrestlers meeting in a four way match for the KOPW 2022 Trophy on Night 2. Eliminations occur by pinfalls, submission or over the top rope.
Chase Owens is the first entry.
Aaron Henare is next.
Kosei Fujita is next.
Yuto Nakashima is next.
Ryohei Oiwa is next.
Master Wato is next.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan is next.
Minoru Suzuki is next.
Suzuki eliminates Oiwa then Nakashima by submissions. Oiwa is eliminated by Suzuki after getting choked out. The King is dominant.
Satoshi Kojima is next.
TAKA Michinoku is next.
CIMA (from Dragon Gate) is next. CIMA pins TAKA.
Tomoaki Honma is next.
CIMA eliminates Wato over the top.
DOUKI is next.
Yuji Nagata is next.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru is next.
Tenzan is eliminated by pinfall.
Togi Makabe is next.
Kojima is eliminated by pinfall.
Bad Luck Fale is next.
DOUKI, Kanemaru and Honma are eliminated by Fale.
Tatsumi Fujinami is next!!!
Fale is eliminated by Makabe.
Toru Yano is the final entry.
Henare is eliminated. Fujinami and Makabe are eliminated.
The final four are CIMA, Chase Owens, Minoru Suzuki and Toru Yano. They will meet tomorrow night for the KOPW 2022 Trophy.
2) SHO vs. YOH
SHO tried to use his House of Torture tricks and wrench to his advantage. YOH was able to outsmart the Murder Machine.
YOH pins SHO with a roll up.
3) Rocky Romero, Ryusuke Taguchi and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori and KENTA
KENTA brings a kendo stick to the ring.
KENTA tries to use the stick in the match, but Tanahashi steals the kendo stick and beats KENTA with it.
Tanahashi is disqualified.
Bullet Club wins the match.
4) BUSHI, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay, Great O-Khan and Jeff Cobb
Aaron Henare joins his United Empire team on the way to the ring.
Ospreay hits BUSHI with a Hidden Blade.
Ospreay pins BUSHI.
5) Katsuyori Shibata vs. Ren Narita
Shibata changes the rules of the match from an exhibition to an regular wrestling match.
They begin with grappling and mat wrestling but it becomes a striking match.
Shibata hits an open hand slap to the face, and follows with a sleeper. Narita slumps to the mat and Shibata smashes his chest with a Punt Kick.
Shibata pins Narita.
My favorite match so far, because I did not know what to expect. It was smart to use Narita from the LA Dojo because he was someone who Shibata could trust in the match.
6) NEVER Championship Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL, with Dick Togo
Tons of House of Torture shenanigans. Ref bumps. Weapons. SHO, Yujiro Takahashi and Togo get involved. YOH comes to make the save.
EVIL smashes Ishii in the head with the NEVER belt. EVIL hits Everything is Evil on Ishii.
EVIL pins Ishii.
EVIL is the new NEVER Champion.
7) IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi
Both teams know each other well. They have counters for each other's moves.
YOSHI-HASHI and Goto hit a double team spinning neckbreaker on Taichi.
YOSHI-HASHI pins Taichi.
YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto are the new IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
Taichi looked disappointed after the match, but he hugged the new champions as left the ring.
YOSHI-HASHI and Goto looked really dominant in this match. Very weird to see ZSJ and Taichi being outwrestled. But a lot of credit to the new Champs, they were consistent all year long.
8) IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado
This was a stiff match with high impact moves. Both men were in pain within minutes. Their chests were red from vicious chops. This was a back and forth battle. Desperado hit straight right punch to the chin, then hit two Pinche Locos.
Desperado pins Hiromu.
El Desperado retains the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
WOW. Great match. El Desperado and Hiromu Takahashi beat the hell out of each other. Desperado had trouble with Hiromu during the Best of Super Junior, but on the biggest stage, he got a definitive win. Please go to New Japan World to check out this match.
9) IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi vs. Kazuchika Okada
Both men look sharp in this match. This feels like a big time match. They wrestled a stiff match and were not afraid to lay each other out. Okada hit a DDT on the floor and kept trying for the Money Clip. Okada was unable to hit the Rainmaker. Takagi hit a Death Valley Driver on Okada on the rampway. Okada is almost counted out. Takagi hits a superplex and follows with a lariat. Okada fights back with short arm clotheslines and goes for a Rainmaker. Takagi ducks and hits a Made in Japan. Two count. Takagi hits Last of the Dragon. Okada kicks out. WOW. Takagi hits a Pumping Bomber which catches Okada on the side of his face. Takagi goes for another Last of the Dragon but Okada slides down and hits a Rainmaker. Okada is still hurting from the Pumping Bomber and cannot make the pin. Takagi took Okada to the top rope but Okada hit a DDT from the top. They trade reversals and Takagi drops Okada with a lariat. Takagi goes for Last of the Dragon. Okada slides out and tries for a tombstone. Takagi reverses out and nails a Dragon Suplex. Takagi runs the ropes for a Pumping Bomber but Okada hits a dropkick. Okada picks up Takagi for a sit down tombstone. Okada hits a Rainmaker.
Okada pins Takagi.
Kazuchika Okada wins the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Great match! This was a spectacle. Check it out on New Japan World.
Red Shoes the referee was going to present Okada with the Belt. Okada stopped him and he took the old IWGP Heavyweight Belt, which he has been carrying since winning the G1 Climax and put it in the middle of the ring. He bowed to the belt and the lineage of what it means and represents, honoring all who have held it in the past 50 years. He picked up the belt, held it up and handed it to the ringside attendants. Red Shoes then put on the IWGP World Heavyweight Belt on the new champion.
Here comes Will Ospreay.
Ospreay was selling the obnoxious heel personality to the extreme. Ospreay tells Okada that when he beats him tomorrow, he can go be an actor, because New Japan will be safe in his hands. Ospreay leaves.
Okada takes the mic and calls Takagi the "real deal" and thanks him for the match.
He thanks the fans and honors the lineage of the IWGP Heavyweight and World Heavyweight Titles. He says he will make it rain on New Japan's 50th Anniversary.
Stay tuned for results on Night 2.
Thank you for reading.
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