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From The Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan:
New Japan built a massive entry stage and had huge video screens. It looks like each wrestler will get a good entrance video.
1 - NJPW World TV Championship: El Phantasmo vs. Chris Brookes
Good competitive match. ELP hits a Thunderkiss 86 and gets the pin.
El Phantasmo retains the NJPW World TV Championship.
2 - NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Tornado Ranbo Match: Master Wato, YOH and Toru Yano vs. Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Takeshi Kaisei, Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino vs. Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask and Togi Makabe vs. Satoshi Kojima, Taichi and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Clark Conners, OSKAR and Yuto-Ice vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SANADA and Ren Narita
Kaisei, Uemura and Umino are out first. SANADA, Narita and Kanemaru come to the ring next. SANADA is wearing a crazy light up armor.
Both teams start in the ring. All six men are fighting. No tags. OSKAR, Yuto-Ice and Clark Conners are out next. Thekla accompanies them to the ring.
All nine men continue to brawl. TMDK are out next.
Oiwa and ZSJ quickly go after OSKAR and Yuto.
Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe are next.
Bulllet Club is eliminated.
Bishomon and Boltin Oleg is out next.
Ishii, Kojima and Tachi are out next.
Oleg pins Tiger Mask so his team is elimiated.
Wato, YOH and Yano are out last.
The camera cannot keep up with all the eliminations. Very chaotic.
It comes down to TMDK and Bishomon and Oleg.
ZSJ pins Oleg with a cradle and a bridge.
TMDK win the NEVER Openweight 6-man Championship. This is Hartley Jackson's first New Japan title.
Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa will challenge the Knockout Brothers for the IWGP Tag Team Titles tomorrow.
3 - IWGP Women's and STRONG WOMEN'S Double Championship Match: Syuri vs. Saya Kamitani
Syuri hit Kamitani with stiff kicks and strikes. She tried to tied up Kamitani with submissions. Syuri hit a draping DDT. Two count. Kamitani hits a Blue Thunder Bomb. Two count. Kamitani hits a Star Crusher. Two count. Kamitani hits a Poisonrana. Two count. Syuri picks up Kamitani on her shoulders and drops her into a slam, similar to a One Winged Angel.
Syuri pins Kamitani.
Syuri wins the IWGP Women's and STRONG WOMEN'S Championships.
4 - Hiromu Takahashi, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd, David Finlay and Shingo Takagi vs. Great O-Khan, Callum Newman, HENARE, Andrade El Idolo, and ?
David Finlay comes to the ring with a mini-gun, like Jesse Ventura in Predator.
Jake Lee is the newest member of The United Empire.
Everyone brawls into the crowd. It becomes a normal tag team match. Everyone trades finishers. Finlay kicks Hiromu and powerbombs Hiromu over the top rope and they take out everyone. Hiromu gets upset, and grabs Finlay and hits a superplex on everyone on the floor. Jake Lee hits a Facebreak Shot on Hiromu. Lee pins Hiromu. Jakob Austin Young comes to the ring. Francesco Akira in a mask lays out Hiromu. United Empire pose in the ring and look like a formidable force again.
5 - Jr. Heavyweight Number One Contenders Match: El Desperado vs. Kosei Fujita vs. Taiji Ishimori and SHO
DOUKI (the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, one of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, and Super Jr. Tag League WInner) comes to the ring prior to the Number One Contenders Match.
DOUKI sits at ringside. SHO comes to the ring with Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
All four men start the match quickly. While Desperado and Ishimori were going for submissions, SHO slams Fujita on the referee. Kanemaru and DOUKI hit the ring and attack everyone. KUKAI, Robbie Eagles and Robbie X come to the ring to even the odds and they take out Kanemaru and DOUKI. SHO hits Fujita in the head with a metal sheet. SHO goes for a pin but Desperado punches SHO in the jaw. Desperado hits Pinche Loco.
Desperado pins SHO.
El Desperado is the new Number One contender to DOUKI's Jr. Heavyweight Title.
They announce The New Beginning Tour in Osaka and future dates for upcoming New Japan events like the New Japan Cup and Best of the Super Juniors. They also announce that G1 Climax 36 will have an event at the Now Arena in Chicago Illinois.
6 - NEVER Openweight Championship: Aaron Wolf (debut match) vs. EVIL
Aaron Wolfe appears onstage in his Judo gi uniform. He takes it off and shows his shaved head and wearing black trunks, like a young lion is supposed to wear.
A guitar player plays EVIL's music as EVIL hits the stage. Dick Togo, Don Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, SANADA and Ren Narita come to the ring with EVIL.
YOH and Master Wato are at ringside for Wolfe.
Both men trade blows at the start of the match. EVIL escapes the ring. Wolfe chases him. But the House of Torture attacks him. EVIL puts a chair on his neck and hits him with another chair. Wolfe gets back in the ring. EVIL attacks Wolfe's lower back. Wolfe makes a comeback and House of Torture jump in the ring. He judo throws everyone. EVIL throws powder in his face. EVIL locks on the Darkness Scorpion. Wolfe gets to the ropes. EVIL hits a bunch of lariats but Wolfe absorbs them. EVIL hits another lariat, but Wolfe turns it into a powerslam. Wolfe with an Olympic Slam. EVIL kicks out. Wolfe hits a Splash off the top rope. House of Torture pulls out the referee. House of Torture jumps in the ring and YOH and Wato jump in for the save. HOT take out Wato and YOH. Fale puts Wolfe on a table and hits a splash. EVIL hits a running lariat on Wolfe and Wolfe kicks out. EVIL goes for Everything is Evil, but Wolfe reverses into a takedown. Wolfe traps EVIL in a triangle submission. EVIL passes out.
Aaron Wolfe wins the NEVER Openweight Championship.
Wolfe was fine in his debut. House of Torture and their shenanigans really helped to get Wolfe over, and helped to hide any mistakes.. At least Wolfe shaved his head and respected the young lion tradition. This was a hotshot move, and Wolfe should not have this title for any extended period of time.
7 - IWGP World and IWGP Global Heavyweight Double Championship Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji
Good stiff match between both men. They trade lots of stiff shots. Tsuij hits a reverse powerbomb and a Guererro Special. Takeshita kicks out. Takeshita with a Poisonrana. Tsuji with a running knee strike. Takeshita blocks a Marlow Crash. Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder Bomb off the top rope. Then a Power Knee strike. Tsuji kicks out. Tsuji hits a headbutt. Tsuji with a Gene Blaster and a Boston Crab. Takeshita taps out.
Yota Tsuji wins the IWGP World Heavyweight Title and the Global Heavyweight Title.
Both Tsuji and Takeshita had an aswesome match. Now comes the hard part. Can Tsuji carry the company on his back and will his name translate into ticket sales?
After the match, Tsuji is cutting a promo. Jake Lee attacks Tsuji and hits the Facebreak Shot. Tsuji has to be helped from the ring.
The next storyline for Yota Tsuji is set up.
8 - Hiroshi Tanahashi's Retirement Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada
Okada comes out to his AEW music and Gedo in his corner. Both wrestled on the mat in the opening moments. They picked up the speed. Tanahashi goes for a plancha, but Okada hits a dropkick, knocking Tanahashi to the floor. Okada hits a draping DDT on the guardrails to the floor. Okada goes for a chinlock in the ring, while the crowd chants for Tanahashi. Tanahashi fights back. Okada rakes Tanahashi in the eyes. Tanahashi hits Aces High on Okada to the floor. Okada hits a neck breaker. Okada goes for a Rainmaker pose, but he gives the middle finger to the Tokyo Dome. Tanahashi gives him three Slingblades. Okada hits a Tombstone Piledriver. Okada with Shotgun Dropkick. Okada takes Tanahashi up the entryway and hits another Tombstone. Tanahashi beats the count. Okada hits another Tombstone. Okada pulls him up. The crowd boos. Tanahashi fights back with slaps. Okada hits a lariat. Okada misses a Rainmaker but Tanahashi hits one of his own. Okada hits a Rainmaker. Tanahashi kicks out at two.
Okada applies a Boston Crab. Tanahashi gets to the ropes. Okada kicks Tanahashi in the head. Okada hits a dropkick. Tanahashi with a Slingblade. Tanahashi applies a Sleeper and hits a Punt Kick. Tanahashi hits a Bomaye. Tanahashi hits a High Fly Flow. Okada kicks out. They trade reversals and Tanahashi hits another Slingblade and a German Suplex. Two count. Another High Fly Flow. Tanahashi goes for a third but Okada gets the knees up. They trade more elbows. Okada with another dropkick. They trade reversals. Okada hits a Rainmaker. Tanahashi kicks out. Okada motions for the crowd to cheer Tanahashi to get up.
Okada hits a slam and a top rope elbow. He gives a true Rainmaker pose. Okada hits a final Rainmaker.
Okada pins Tanahashi.
Hiroshi Tanahashi goes out on his back, like the veteran he is. Okada bows to Tanahashi. He thanks Tanahashi and leaves the ring.
Tanahashi is emotional in the ring. He is given flowers from New Japan officials and takes photos.
Jay White comes out. He bows to Tanahashi and they hug.
Will Ospreay comes out. He bows to Tanahashi as well.
Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi come to the ring. Ibushi is limping to the ring from a broken femur bone. They bow and hug Tanahashi.
Katsuyori Shibata comes to the ring. Shibata takes off his shirt and they exchange chops. Then they embrace.
Keiji Mutoh comes to the ring. He congratulates Tanahashi.
Tatsumi Fujinami comes to the ring and he hugs an emotional Tanahashi. They all pose in the ring for photos.
Tetsuya Naito's music plays. BUSHI comes out with the GHC Tag Team Championship and followed by Naito. Naito gets the mic and he thanks Tanahashi for allowing him to come back to the Tokyo Dome. He does not know if he will wrestle here again, but he hopes to see Tanahashi again soon. Naito offers a fist bump and Tanahashi accepts. Very cool moment.
Tanahashi finally gets to speak. He thanks the fans. He is happy to see what a sold out Tokyo Dome looks like. He says that the wrestlers in New Japan will fight their hearts out and he wants them to keep watching.
Tanahashi gives the Tokyo Dome one final air guitar show. I hope he did not tweak his knee on the guitar jump. He gets the fans to do a big wave around the arena.
They ended the night with the traditional 10 bell salute to wrestlers who retire.
Just an awesome night for Hiroshi Tanahashi. Well done, New Japan.
Thank you for reading. Long Live Hiroshi Tanahashi.
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