New Japan began the Road To TOKYO Dome Tour today, a quick weekend tour that marks the end of the promotion’s 2025 and start of the final farewell for Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Today’s event was held at G Messe Gunma in Gunma and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. Originally there was to be no live or on demand broadcast but thankfully plans changed. You can also watch the first 2 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.
The announced paid attendance was 1291, a legit sellout.
Match 1: Zane Jay, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask beat Masatora Yasuda, Tomoaki Honma & Togo Makabe. TM 4 beat Yasuda with a chicken wing.
Match 2: Tatsuya Matsunoto, Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Shoma Kato, Yoh, Master Wato & Toru Yano. Oleg pinned Kato.
Match 3: Yujiro Takahashi, Sho & DOUKI beat Katsuya Murashima, KUUKAI (Michinoku Pro) & El Desperado. DOUKI beat Murashima with Italian Stretch 32.
Match 4: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SANADA, Ren Narita & EVIL beat Satoshi Kojima, Taichi, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino. SANADA pinned Kojima.
Match 5: Gedo, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji beat Jacob Austin Young, Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan. Takagi pinned Young.
Match 6: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Dakki Nagai, Taiji Ishimori, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Jackson pinned Nagai after Death Valley Bomb.
Main Event: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Hiromu Takahashi. Afterwards, Tanahashi gave his final sendoff to the Gunma fans including one more air guitar to send the crowd home happy (hopefully…and surely a little sad as it’s the last time they’ll see him competing).
The next event-also Tanahashi’s final event outside of Tokyo-is Sunday at Light Cube Utsunomiya in Tochigi. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at midnight PT/3 AM ET.