DOMINION, New Japan’s traditional June Osaka blowout event, is now in the books.
Today’s event was held at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This event aired as part of WORLD PRO WRESTLING LIVE 2023 on TV Asahi.
The announced paid attendance was 7040. Depending on the layout, that’s anywhere between 55-80% capacity (it has fixed seating of just under 9000 with movable seating adding up to 4500 more).
Pre-Show: In a Young Lions Challenge where Oskar Leube faces the other 3 Young Lions in 5 minute matches, with increasing prizes of meat from sponsors for each win, Leube went 0-1-2. No meat for you!
Match 1: IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament: Will Ospreay beat Lance Archer to win the tournament. As a result, Ospreay will face Kenny Omega for the title at a later date.
Match 2: Titan, BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito beat TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi. Titan pinned TAKA after Llave Immortal.
Match 3: Francesco Akira & TJP beat IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA to win the titles. Akira & TJP become the 72nd IWGP Je. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Akira pinned Knight after 2/2.
Match 4: NJPW WORLD TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. beat Jeff Cobb to retain the title. V10(!) for Sabre.
Match 5: YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan and Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL in a 3-way, when Goto pinned Takahashi, to win the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team and STRONG Tag Team Championships. YOSHI-HASHI & Goto become the 99th IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and 4th STEONG Tag Team Champions. Afterwards, Gabriel Kidd & Alex Coughlin attacked the new champs and joined Bullet Club.
The G1 CLIMAX 33 participants were announced. They include Eddie Kingston from AEW and…Kaito Kiyomiya!!! LET THEM FIGHT!!! (Kazuchika Okada is on notice)
Match 6: NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay beat El Phantasmo to retain the title. V1 for Finlay.
Match 7: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi beat Master Wato to retain the title. V5 for Takahashi. The Way to the GrandMaster is not this way for Best Of The Super Junior winner Wato.
Match 8: NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada beat Shota Umino, Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley to retain the titles. Okada pinned Umino after Rainmaker. V1 for the champs. Afterwards, Bryan Danielson issued a challenge to Okada.
Main Event: IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA beat Yota Tsuji to retain the title. V2 for SANADA.
The G1 participants list will be posted later today.
The next event is ALL TOGETHER AGAIN, a joint charity event with All-Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH, Friday at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. The event will be a live PPV on New Japan World for about $30 beginning at 2 AM PT/5 AM ET. The non-PPV version will probably be available in mid-September.
