New Japan held an El Desperado Produced independent event today dubbed “DEATH PAIN INVITACIONAL”.
Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand as a PPV on New Japan World outside Japan for $22.99 US. Purchase includes unlimited on demand replays until July 31, 2025. You can also watch a pre-show match FOR FREE on YouTube.
The announced paid attendance was 1481, a legit sellout.
Pre-show match: Daiki Nagai, Katsuya Murashima, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Dragon Libre, Kengo, GENTARO & Tatsuhito Takaiwa. Taguchi beat Libre with Oh My & Gar Ankle.
Match 1: Mammoth Sasaki & Takashi Sasaki beat Gedo & Taiji Ishimori. Takashi Sasaki pinned Gedo after D. Geist.
Match 2: Kosei Fujita beat Jun Masaoka.
Match 3: In a hardcore match, Kenji Gukumoto & Seiji Takeda beat Rina Yamashita & Suzu Suzuki. Takeda pinned Yamashita after Reverse U Crush.
Match 4: Toru Sugiura & Boltin Oleg beat Tomoya Hirata & Toru Yano. Sugiura pinned Hirata after Swift Driver.
Main Event: In a Fluorescent Lighttubes & Glass Board Death Match, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado beat Jun Kasai to retain the title. V6 for Desperado. Next up: Presumably Fujita, who is awaiting his shot for winning Best Of The Super Junior. After this match, Kasai invited everyone to the next DEATH PAIN INVITACIONAL. Which will be in 2035…
The next event is Thursday at Chino Civic Center Multi-Hall in Nagano to continue the New Japan Soul 2025 Tour. There will be no live or on demand broadcast. In fact, the New Japan World broadcasts are finished for June, no live or on demand scheduled again until July 4. Remember the TANAHASHI JAM event this Sunday is only available in Japan and only on TV Asahi. But after that it’s the G1 CLIMAX and then a Yuji Nagata Produced event so everything should be live & on demand from July through mid-September.
It was also announced that TV Asahi will have a live broadcast of Tokyo Dome on 1/4/26, the first time in 22 years the network has broadcast New Japan’s biggest annual event live in Japan. It will be available outside Japan on New Japan World.
In other news, Togi Makabe participation in DDT was also announced today for that promotion’s 7/27 event for what will be a HARASHIMA 24th Anniversary match in his hometown at Sumitomo Metal Mining Arena Ome Sports Hall 1 in Tokyo. That match will be Makabe, HARASHIMA & Yasu Utano vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Shinya Aoki & Akito. That match may be available on New Japan World at some point but will also be available to watch on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.
