By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to Wrestling Dontaku”
April 19, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
A lot of the top talent is in the United States; I didn’t look at the lineup at all, so I don’t know what to expect. The crowd is always great here, even for a ‘B show.’ Chris Charlton provided solo commentary as we began; I’m not sure if there is an English-speaking wrestler on the show who can join him later.
* Notably, Jeff Cobb is departing New Japan, so the IWGP Tag Team Titles he held with Callum Newman have been vacated. Bushi and Naito also are slated to leave on May 4; I don’t think NJPW has announced a replacement yet for Bushi in the Best of Super Juniors.
1. Tomaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Daiki Nagai, and Katsuya Murashima vs. Masatora Yasuda, Tiger Mask, Satoshi Kojima, and Yuji Nagata. Charlton said Yasuda is replacing Tenzan, who is sick. (Tenzan looked terrible on his last show a few weeks ago, and I hope he takes some time off to get better.) Yasuda opened against Togi. Murashima beat up Yasuda. Satoshi entered and hit his rapid-fire chops on Murashima at 3:00. Murashima hit a powerslam.
Tiger Mask and Honma entered and battled each other. Honma hit the Kokeshi falling headbutt at 5:30. Daiki entered and battled Tiger Mask. Nagai and Murashima hit a team suplex on Yuji. Yuji hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Nagai for a nearfall. Yuj cranked back on Daiki’s head until the Young Lion tapped out. That was as good as could be expected for five aging vets and three Young Lions.
Masatora Yasuda, Tiger Mask, Satoshi Kojima, and Yuji Nagata defeated Tomaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Daiki Nagai, and Katsuya Murashima at 7:42.
2. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Robbie Eagles, Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yoh, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, and Master Wato. Oiwa is really letting his hair get long and looks a lot like Hiroshi Tanahashi right now. Charlton reiterated that Yoh was reluctant about teaming up with Master Wato, but Wato is all-in on the pairing. They teased we were going to start with the massive Hartley vs. Yoh, but instead it was Yoh vs. Kosei, with Fujita hitting some loud chops. Wato and Eagles tagged in at 2:00, and Robbie hit a snap huracanrana. Charlton acknowledged that Oskar Leube and Yuto Nakashima will return from their European excursion next week!
Oiwa hit a bodyslam on Wato and a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 5:30. Yano entered and removed a corner pad. Oiwa dropkicked Yano. The big men, Oleg and Hartley tagged in at 7:00 and hit shoulder blocks and that popped the crowd. Hartley hit a short-arm clothesline and a senton for a nearfall. Oleg finally suplexed Hartley and hit a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 9:00. Wato and Yoh hit stereo planchas. In the ring, Oleg and Hartley kept clotheslining each other. Oleg flipped Hartley in his arms and hit the gut-wrench suplex! Oleg hit the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) and pinned Hartley. That was entertaining.
Robbie Eagles, Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Yoh, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, and Master Wato at 10:27.
3. Jeff Cobb vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. Charlton talked about Cobb’s eight-year run here coming to a close, and the crowd was cheering him on, and Jeff legit had tears in his eyes as the bell rang. Geez, this should be the main event. Standing switches to open. Cobb hit a windup bodyslam but he missed a standing moonsault. Tanahashi tried a standing moonsault and nearly broke his neck on an awkward landing. No joke. Charlton said “we nearly had a funeral.” Cobb held Tanahashi upside down for maybe 20 seconds before bodyslamming him at 3:30. Tanahashi hit a dropkick on the knee, then his Dragonscrew Legwhip at 5:00, then his second-rope somersault senton for a nearfall.
Cobb hit a uranage and a diving forearm, and this time he hit the standing moonsault for a nearfall. Jeff missed a second-rope somersault senton. (I’m enjoying them trying to copy each other’s moves.) Tanahashi hit a Twist-and-Shout neckbreaker. He went for a top-rope crossbody block but Cobb caught him. Somehow, Tanahashi spun Cobb to the mat for a nearfall at 8:00. Cobb hit a German Suplex, then the Tour of the Islands swinging powerslam. Cobb set up for a second Tour of the Islands, but Tanahashi rolled him up for the flash pin! That was pretty good!
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Jeff Cobb at 8:45.
* They got up, shook hands and hugged. The crowd went nuts and Cobb was again fighting back tears. What a nice moment. Again, I have no idea what matches are to come but this should have been the main event. Tanahashi left. The other members of United Empire who are present came to the ring. Cobb got on the mic. “I was not expecting to lose today” and that got some chuckles. He thanked the people who “don’t get seen.” (Charlton provided Japanese commentary in the ring; obviously, I know he translates to English but I don’t know if I have ever heard him speak it!) Cobb thanked each and every fan. He told Callum Newman “he has the ball and to run” with it. He said a few words about each of the UE members present. He concluded with the “this is not goodbye, this is see you later.” He bowed to the crowd. What a great segment, and I’m glad I tuned in for this one now. The six UE members present posed and made their “crowns up” pose.
* Robbie Eagles joined Charlton on commentary and they immediately joked about how many factions Sanada has been in over the past two years. They talked about the danger of the cage match. As Charlton noted, in the last one, “someone was never seen again (Ospreay), someone retired (Alex Coughlin) and someone nearly died (Henare).” And that’s no joke… Henare had a serious amount of blood loss very early in that match.
4. “House of Torture” Sho, Sanada, and Ren Narita vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gedo, Drilla Moloney, and Taiji Ishimori. HoT came out first; BCWD charged to the ring and they fought on the floor. We had a bell about three seconds later to officially begin. Narita and Ishimori brawled in the ring. Sanada and Drilla entered at 4:30, and Drilla hit a Spinebuster. Sanada did a spot where he ‘accidentally’ hit a low blow on Drilla as he fell to the mat. Gedo got in; he and Ren choked each other. Someone sprayed alcohol in Gedo’s eyes. Ren immediately hit a Double Cross (X-Factor) and pinned Gedo.
Sho and Sanada and Ren Narita defeated Gedo and Drilla Moloney and Taiji Ishimori at 6:57.
5. “United Empire” Callum Newman, Jakob Austin Young, and Templario vs. El Desperad, Hirooki Goto, and Ryusuke Taguchi. Callum is apparently getting a title shot May 4 against Goto, so those two opened against each other. (Robbie Eagles really is a great color commentator, by the way.) Charlton again compared Callum to Finn Balor. Templario hit a springboard crossbody block on Desperado at 1:30, and those two began trading loud overhand chops. Callum got in and worked over Despe while jawing in Goto’s direction. Templario tied up Despe’s legs, but Desperado reached the ropes at 6:00. Desperado hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Templario.
Goto and Callum got back in and Callum hit his sprinting Mafia Kick and a penalty kick for a nearfall at 7:30. Callum hit an enzuigiri and they were both down. Young finally tagged in and he chopped Goto. Goto hit a decapitating clothesline. Taguchi demanded a tag, which he got at 9:00, and he battled Young, applying an ankle lock. Templario hit a headscissors on Despe, then he dove through the ropes onto him. Young got a Magistral Cradle on Taguchi for a nearfall. They traded rollups, with Taguchi getting a bit of tights in his pin. That was really good and topped all expectations.
El Desperado, Hirooki Goto, and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Templario, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young at 10:58.
6. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Bushi, and Yota Tsuji vs. Shota Umino, Yoshi-Hashi, and “Just 4 Guys” Yuya Uemura, Taka Michinoku, and Taichi in an elimination tag match. (This is exactly what I imagined would happen when Just 4 Guys joined with the Hentai babyfaces; it opens up so many more teaming possibilities.) Uemura and Yota opened. Eliminations here can happen via pinfall, submission, and thrown over the top rope to the floor. Taka was nearly eliminated early on and we had a lot of guys against the ropes. LIJ worked over Taka for several minutes. Taka dropped Naito with a pump kick at 6:00 and Taichi tagged in.
LIJ now began working over Taichi. Yoshi-Hashi applied a submission hold around the neck, and Bushi tapped out at 8:57! It’s now 5-on-4. Yoshi-Hoshi got bumped off the apron to the floor and was eliminated at 9:52, and it’s 4-on-4. Shingo backed Shota into a corner and repeatedly chopped him. Shota hit a standing neckbreaker. Robbie talked about how Shota’s “confidence has been shaken.” Shota hit a snap suplex on Shingo for a nearfall and applied an STF at 12:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes; this has been a predictably good exchange between these two. Shingo hit a sliding clothesline at 14:00. Shingo clotheslined them both over the top rope to the floor for a double elimination at 14:23. (There was some confusion here as the commentators somehow thought Taka had been eliminated. He had not.)
Yuya and Yota immediately hopped in. Yota tossed Uemura over the top rope, but Yoya held on! They fought on the ring apron. Tsuji and Uemura both fell to the floor and were both eliminated at 17:50, so it’s just Taichi and Taka vs. Naito and Hiromu. Taka avoided the double clothesline, and this began to look cartoonish. Hiromu rolled up Taka and pinned him at 19:26, and LIJ has a two-on-one advantage. Hiromu got shoved to the floor at 20:49 to be eliminated, so it’s just Taichi vs. Naito! They traded forearm strikes, and Naito slapped him in the face. Taichi hit an Axe Bomber clothesline and a sliding clothesline at 23:00. Naito hit a tornado DDT. They fought on the apron, and Naito nearly fell off but held onto the rope with just one hand. He hit a rolling Koppo Kick in the ring to send Taichi off the apron to the floor to be the sole survivor!
Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Bushi, and Yota Tsuji defeated Shota Umino, Yoshi-Hashi, Yuya Uemura, Taka Michinoku, and Taichi in an elimination match at 24:38.
* Bushi said a lot of thought went into his decision, but he doesn’t regret it. Naito then took the mic, but he didn’t reveal much about his future. The five of them did their pose together.
Final Thoughts: Considering all the wrestlers in Las Vegas, this was a much better-than-expected show. Yeah, I loved the Cobb-Tanahashi match. That was some raw, true emotion coming from Cobb. Watching Tanahashi try to hit a standing moonsault was both hilarious and dangerous at the same time. The main event worked for me, and I generally haven’t enjoyed their Survivor Series matches because so few pins happen. But, it was nice to see Naito get his farewell moment to the Korakuen Hall crowd. This really does feel like the end of an era. With that said… Leube and Nakashima will be back in a week. Zane Jay is an impressive youngster. There are new faces ready to step up and fill in.
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