By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Redzone in Hiroshima”
April 26, 2025, in Hiroshima, Japan at Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This venue is an arena. The lights were low but the ring is well-lit. Walker Stewart was alone on commentary as we began, but he said Clark Connors will be joining him later.
1. Katsuya Murashima vs. Daiki Nagai. Murashima is taller, thicker, clearly stronger, and I’d say has progressed more so far. Basic reversals. Right on cue, Walker talked about the size Murashima has put on the past year, intending to be a heavyweight. Murashima hit a Bulldog Powerslam at 7:30 and he applied a Boston Crab, and Daiki tapped out! Walker said Murashima is now 5-0 in singles matches against his fellow Young Lion.
Katsuya Murashima defeated Daiki Nagai at 8:15.
2. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita and Ryohei Oiwa and Robbie Eagles and Zack Sabre Jr. and Hartley Jackson vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Boltin Oleg and Toru Yano and Yoh and Master Wato. Walker talked about Sabre’s matches in Las Vegas last weekend against a variety of opponents. Eagles and Yoh opened. Wato and Yoh hit a team armdrag on Robbie. Eagles hit a sliding clothesline to the back of Wato’s head at 2:00. Hartley got in and unloaded some LOUD chops on Wato, then a bodyslam. Sabre entered and put Wato in an ankle lock at 5:00, but Wato quickly broke free. Tanahashi tagged in for the first time and hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Eagles, then several others.
Hartley hit a double clothesline on Hiroshi and Yano. Sabre snapped Hiroshi’s neck between his ankles. Hiroshi hit a Twist-and-Shout neckbreaker on Sabre, and they were both down at 7:00. Oleg and Hartley tagged in and they traded massive clotheslines, then chops. Hartley hit a flying crossbody block. Hartley hit a short-arm clothesline and a massive senton for a nearfall. Oleg hit a gut-wrench suplex at 8:30 and got a massive pop. Oleg hit a shotgun dropkick, then the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) on Hartley for the pin. This finish was almost identical to a week ago, but these Hartley-Oleg segments have been great.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano, Yoh, and Master Wato defeated Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, Robbie Eagles, Zack Sabre Jr., and Hartley Jackson at 9:44.
3. “House of Torture” Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Taiji Ishimori and Clark Connors. All four brawled before the bell; we had a bell just seconds later. They fought to the floor. Back in the ring, the HoT worked over Ishimori in their corner. Connors got in and hit a shoulder block into the corner on Sho at 5:00. Sho hit a back suplex on Connors. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. Ishimori jumped in and hit a handspring-back-enzuigiri. Connors hit a powerslam for a nearfall. Kanemaru sprayed whiskey into Connors’ eyes to blind him, got a rollup, and scored the cheap pin.
Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori and Clark Connors at 7:18 (official time is probably about 7:03.)
4. El Phantasmo, El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. “United Empire” Templario, Jakob Austin Young, and Francesco Akira. Despe and Templario pushed their foreheads against each other at the bell then locked up. Templario hit a backbreaker over his knee, then a second one. Taguchi got in and pulled down the back of Young’s trunks on a rollup, getting some crowd laughter. Sure enough, Taguchi’s pants also were down, showing off his red undies. Akira got in and hit some chops on Taguchi at 4:00. ELP hit a brainbuster on Akira for a nearfall, then a Lionsault for a nearfall at 6:00.
Akira and ELP traded kicks. Jakob got in and hit a twisting suplex on ELP. Templario hit a springboard dropkick. Akira hit a flip dive to the floor at 8:00. Templario hit a Sasuke Special dive. In the ring, ELP put Jakob on his shoulders, did an Airplane Spin-into-a-slam, and got the pin on Young.
El Phantasmo and El Desperado and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Templario and Jakob Austin Young and Francesco Akira at 8:46.
* Clark Connors joined commentary here.
5. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji vs. Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura (w/Taka Michinoku). Yota and Yuya opened, while Clark and Walker talked about the future of LIJ without Naito and Bushi. Uemura hit a deep armdrag and worked the left arm. LIJ hit a team shoulder tackle on Yuya at 2:30, and Shingo grounded Yuya. Shota tagged in at 5:30 and he tied up Shingo in a crossface hold on the mat. Those two brawled to the floor, and Shingo whipped Shota into the ring post at 7:30.
They got back into the ring, and Takagi hit a senton and kept Umino grounded. Shota and Yuya collided and briefly argued but then they hit stereo dropkicks. Shingo and Shota hit stereo clotheslines; Shingo hit a sliding clothesline as we got the 10:00 call. Umino hit a running clothesline that knocked Shingo down, and he was fired up. However, Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline for the pin! Clark (and me!) thought Shota kicked out.
Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji defeated Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura at 11:54.
* Shingo kept attacking Shota after the bell. They are clearly establishing that Shingo is a bit out of control right now.
6. “House of Torture” EVIL, Sanada, and Ren Narita (w/Dick Togo and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd, and David Finlay (w/Gedo). HoT came out first; the BCWD ran in, and everyone started fighting on the floor. I haven’t heard a bell. Moloney and Sanada brawled through the crowd. Those two got in the ring and we had a bell at 1:22 to officially begin. Sanada kicked the ropes to crotch Moloney. The HoT stomped on Drilla on the floor. In the ring, EVIL kept Moloney grounded. Moloney finally hit a spinebuster on Sanada, and Kidd got a hot tag at 5:30. Gabe chopped Narita and knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Finay got in and battled EVIL. Yujiro jumped in the ring and hit Finlay with his cane. EVIL hit Finlay in the head with his shillelagh! EVIL then hit an Everything is Evil uranage for the cheap pin.
EVIL, Sanada, and Ren Narita defeated Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd, and David Finlay at 10:50/official time of about 9:28.
* The HoT hit Moloney over the head with a guitar. Clark left commentary and got in the ring, but the HoT beat him up, too.
7. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi (w/Bushi) vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi. Taichi and Naito opened, and Taichi hit some stiff kicks to the spine. (Walker was back doing solo commentary; no Clark.) Ishii backed Naito into a corner and hit some chops. Hiromu got in at 5:00 and hit a head-scissors takedown on Ishii, then a shotgun dropkick on Taichi. Ishii and Hiromu traded some LOUD chops. Hiromu hit a suplex at 8:00, then a superkick. Ishii dropped him with a clothesline and they were both down. Taichi got in and hit some Yes Kicks to Hiromu’s chest.
Takahashi hit a Falcon Arrow on Taichi, and they were both down at 11:00. Naito got a hot tag and battled Naito. Naito hit an Esperanza (flipping slam out of the corner) at 12:30. Hiromu hit a shotgun dropkick. Naito nailed a Destino on Taichi for a nearfall, but Ishii made the save. Hiromu hit a Death Valley Driver on Ishii. Naito hit a tornado DDT on Taichi, then an assisted Destino for a nearfall. Taichi hit a back suplex on Naito. Hiromu hit a German Suplex; Ishii hit one, and they hit stereo clotheslines. Hiromu hit a DDT on Ishii, and all four were down at 15:30.
Naito hit a brainbuster move on Taichi. He went for a Destino but Taichi turned it into a sideslam. Taichi nailed a spin kick to the side of Naito’s head for a believable nearfall. He hit a back suplex for a believable nearfall on Naito! I thought that was it! Hiromu hit some clotheslines. Taichi hit a superkick that dropped Naito, and they were both down. Taichi eventually got a nearfall at 19:00. Taichi hit a brainbuster, then the Black Mephisto (Air Raid Crash) and pinned Naito! I actually never considered the possibility of Naito losing here. That was a really good match.
Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi defeated Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi at 19:36.
* Taichi shook Naito’s hands and looked saddened as he rolled to the floor. He shook Bushi’s hand and left, too. It’s definitely coming to an end of an era.
8. “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi vs. Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman for the vacant IWGP Tag Team Titles. Walker said that the “last two weeks has shown that the United Empire is fractured, in more ways than one.” (A nice reference to a recent Twitter exchange of words between Jeff Cobb and TJP that certainly crossed into some personal territory and beyond storylines.) Callum and Goto opened with a lockup, as Walker talked about Callum being forced to vacate the tag team titles due to Cobb leaving NJPW. Newman hit his sprinting Mafia Kick at 1:30. Goto got in and hit his Mongolian Chops, and the UE kept Goto on the mat for a long, long time. Yoshi-Hashi got in and hit a standing neckbreaker for a nearfall.
Goto and Callum traded forearm strikes at 10:00 as Walker said we needed to have a winner. Callum hit an enzuigiri. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee, and they were both down. Yoshi-Hashi got a hot tag at 12:30 and hit running double knees on Callum for a nearfall. Yoshi-Hashi hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Y-H hit a Headhunter flipping neckbreaker. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Callum. Bishamon set up for the Shoto team slam, but O-Khan broke it up. Y-H hit a Dragon Suplex. Callum badly missed a jumping knee (the camera showed it was nowhere close to landing.) Callum immediately hit an OsCutter, then he flipped Y-H over with a slam and pinned him. Too bad we had such a terrible angle at the end that showed how he was nowhere close to striking Yoshi-Hashi.
Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan defeated Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi to win the vacant IWGP Tag Team Titles at 15:59.
* Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi came to the ring. Hey, they just won a tag match! It’s clear they want a title shot.
Final Thoughts: Well, Taichi, Hiromu and Ishii dragged Naito to a really good match. Obviously, Hiromu had to work the bulk of the match to try to cover Naito’s glaring and growing deficiencies. Taichi had a really standout showing here, making Naito look good, too. So, that takes best match. The Shingo/Yota tag match was really good and takes second. The main event was merely okay; an extended beat down of Goto mid-match was a bit dull, and there were several spots in the match where they just came nowhere close to striking each other — we all know that this a sport of illusion, but we had more moments here where blows just didn’t connect than I can think of in a long, long time.
I’ve mentioned this a few times, but I must reiterate it here — by finally wiping away the rigid boundaries between Hontai, Chaos, and Just 4 Guys, it has allowed for new teaming possibilities. Look no further than this. Yuya and Shota tagged up — that wouldn’t have happened two months ago. Likewise, Taichi and Ishii also can now team. It never made any sense for babyfaces to be in factions where they didn’t team with other babyfaces. So, I think this is an underrated positive change in NJPW.
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