By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Dominion”
June 15, 2025, in Osaka, Japan at Osaka-Jo Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton provided commentary. This is an arena; the lights are low so I can’t really estimate the crowd size but it’s clearly several thousand in attendance.
1. “House of Torture” Sanada, Yujior Takahashi, Ren Narita, and Bad Luck Fale vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Chase Owens, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, and Taiji Ishimori. HoT came out first. Fale was a surprise entrant with the House of Torture. He immediately grabbed long-time teammate Chase by the throat, but Drilla made the save. We had a bell to officially begin at 00:33. The HoT worked over Ishimori early on. Connors got a hot tag at 3:00 and cleared the ring. He hit a snap suplex on Yujiro and was fired up. Connors got the vehicle tire he used throughout BoSJ and he struck Fale in the head with it. In the ring, he hit a powerslam on Yujiro for a nearfall, then a Pounce!
Sanada and Drilla both tagged in at 5:30, and Drilla hit a Spinebuster. Sanada hit the Magic Screw neckbreaker on Drilla. Sanada grabbed a guitar, but Chase Owens ran in and took it. Chase kicked Drilla in the least shocking heel turn of all time. Chase handed the guitar back to Sanada, who struck Drilla over the head with it, and Sanada pinned Moloney. Again, it was widely speculated online that Owens, who has been absent most of 2025, was joining the House of Torture.
Sanada, Yujior Takahashi, Ren Narita, and Bad Luck Fale defeated Chase Owens, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, and Taiji Ishimori at 7:15/official time of 6:42.
2. El Phantasmo and Shota Umino (w/Jado) vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa. Shota and Ryohei opened, as Walker and Charlton talked about who will possibly be announced for the G1 field, and if there will be a play-in tournament like last year. Sabre and ELP tagged in at 1:30 and traded standing switches, then offense while tied in a knuckle lock. Oiwa got back in and hit a scoop bodyslam on ELP, then a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 5:00. Shota tagged in and hit a tornado DDT on Sabre. ELP dove through the ropes and crashed onto Sabre, then a springboard Swanton on Oiwa. Oiwa got his knees up to block a Lionsault, then he hit a back suplex on ELP.
Oiwa nailed a Doctor Bomb (gut-wrench powerbomb) for a believable nearfall at 8:00. ELP hit a discus clothesline and they were both down. Sabre and Shota tagged in and immediately traded rollups, and there were some believable nearfalls. They got to their feet and traded European Uppercuts. TMDK were pushed into each other, then ELP and Shota hit stereo enzuigiris. Sabre went for a Cobra Twist, but Oiwa broke it up. Shota hit a stiff clothesline on Sabre for a believable nearfall at 11:00. Sabre hit his Pele Kick to the shoulder. Shota and Sabre again traded rollups, with Sabre getting one, leaning back for added pressure, and got the pin.That was a very good undercard match.
Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Shota Umino and El Phantasmo at 11:23.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuya Uemura. I love that Hiroshi is making a point to have all these singles matches with so many stars in his final year in action. Charlton said it is just Hiroshi’s fifth-ever singles match in this venue. They traded quick reversals on the mat at the bell and had a standoff. They traded armdrags. Uemura targeted the left arm and kept Hiroshi tied up. Tanahashi hit a flying forearm and a back–body drop at 4:30. Charlton noted that Tanahashi will compete at Forbidden Door. Tanahashi hit his second-rope somersault senton, then a Dragonscrew Legwhip and a snap neckbreaker, then a Sling Blade for a nearfall.
Tanahashi missed a High Fly Flow; Uemura missed his own top-rope crossbody block, but Yuya immediately sold pain in his arm. Walker and Charlton noted that it was the arm Yuya previously injured. They got up and traded forearm strikes at 8:00. Yuya went for a cross-armbreaker. Tanahashi hit a Dragon Suplex and he was fired up. Yuya hit a huracanrana and he went for a cross-armbreaker, but Tanahashi rolled on top of Yuya and got the flash pin!
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yuya Uemura at 9:30.
4. Yoh and Master Wato vs. “House of Torture” Sho and mystery partner (w/Yoshinobu Kanemaru) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. The crowd, Yoh and Wato were SHOCKED as Douki came out as the mystery partner. He has more makeup now and a better mask that covers his mouth. (Douki injured his arm at Wrestle Kingdom on Jan. 4 and this is his first match back.) They all brawled on the floor; they got in the ring and we had a bell at 00:54 to officially begin. Douki wore a cool-looking HoT T-shirt. (This has to officially end Just 4 Guys, right?) The HoT worked over Wato. They slammed him knees-first onto the thin mat at ringside at 3:00.
In the ring, Douki applied a half-crab, but Wato reached the ropes. Wato hit a backbreaker over his knee and they were both down. Sho tagged in and cut off the hot tag. Wato hit a double bulldog but sold pain in his knees. Yoh got the hot tag at 6:00 and beat up both heels. He hit a plancha to the floor on Kanemaru, too. In the ring, Yoh hit a top-rope somersault splash on a standing Sho for a nearfall. Sho hit a spear and they were both down. Douki tagged back in and hit a doublestomp on Yoh. Wato nailed a flip dive to the floor on Douki at 9:00.
In the ring, Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow on Douki. The ref got bumped and Sho immediately grabbed his wrench, but Yoh avoided it. Kanemaru sprayed whiskey in Wato’s eyes, and Sho hit Yoh with the wrench! Douki got a long walking stick and struck Wato in the legs with it. Douki tied Wato in a modified Figure Four Leglock. The ref woke up, checked on Wato, and called for the bell, as Wato began furiously tapping out. The new champs posed with their belts.
Douki and Sho defeated Yoh and Master Wato to win the IWGP Junior Tag Team Titles at 11:46/official time of 10:52.
5. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan vs. Taichi and Tomohiro Ishii for the IWGP Tag Team Titles. Of course, Ishii competed in the U.S. for AEW just days ago. Callum and Taichi opened and immediately traded forearm strikes. O-Khan got in and tossed Taichi around. Taichi got up and hit some chops on O-Khan. Ishii tagged in for the first time at 3:00 and he knocked Callum down with a shoulder block, then he suplexed O-Khan. O-Khan hit some Mongolian chops. Taichi tagged back in and hit a Helluva Kick on Callum at 6:00. Taichi hit a Saito Suplex for a nearfall. O-Khan dropped Ishii with a clothesline.
O-Khan hit a plancha to the floor on Ishii, and Callum nailed a flip dive to the floor, barely grazing Taichi at 8:30. In the ring, Callum hit a top-rope doublestomp for a nearfall on Taichi. Callum hooked a leg and hit a suplex on Taichi. Ishii hit a shoulder block that knocked down Callum. Callum hit a tornado DDT on Taichi, while O-Khan hit a German Suplex on Ishii at 11:00. Callum hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly on Taichi for a believable nearfall. This crowd was tepid as we began this match but were fully into this one now. Ishii hit a brainbuster move. Taichi hit the Black Mephisto (Air Raid Crash) and pinned Newman! New champs!
Taichi and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles at 12:46.
It’s time to find out who is in the G1 Climax!!!!!!
A Block: Hirooki Goto, Boltin Oleg, Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, David Finlay, EVIL, Sanada, Hiroshi Tanahashi,
B Block: El Phantasmo, Shota Umino, Shingo Takagi, Zack Sabre Jr. Great-O-Khan, Gabe Kidd, Ren Narita, Konosuke Takeshita,
That is eight in each Block. We will have tournaments for the final four spots (two more in the A Block, two more in the B block.) Charlton noted the big reaction from the crowd that Tanahashi has one more G1 in him.
6. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Boltin Oleg for the NEVER Openweight Title. They traded shoulder blocks with neither going down, so Takeshita hit a jumping knee to the sternum to drop Oleg. Takeshita hit a flip dive to the floor on Oleg. Konosuke hit a second-rope senton for a nearfall at 2:00. Oleg flipped Takeshita to the floor and they brawled up the entrance ramp and away from the ring. (This is long, narrow with a steep angle.) Oleg hit his gut-wrench suplex at 5:00, and Takeshita rolled down the ramp and back towards ringside. In the ring, Oleg hit a second-rope Vader Bomb for a nearfall and Takeshita sold the pain of that gut-wrench suplex.
Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb at 6:30 and he switched to a Boston Crab. He hit a clothesline and was fired up. He hit a German Suplex with a nearfall. Oleg hit a second-rope Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall at 9:30. Oleg hit the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes, and Oleg finally dropped him. Oleg hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 12:00. This has been STIFF action. Oleg went for a second Kamikaze, but Takeshita escaped, and Konosuke hit a Dragon Suplex. Boltin hit a second Kamikaze and got the pin! I didn’t expect that! New champion!
Boltin Oleg defeated Konosuke Takeshita to win the NEVER Openweight Title at 13:12.
7. David Finlay (w/Bullet Club) vs. EVIL (w/the House of Torture) in a dog collar match. There are now like eight or nine members of the HoT in the ring. At first, it was just Finlay and Gedo who came out of the back, but moments later, Moloney, Connors and Ishimori joined them. (They are still under-manned compared to the HoT). The dog collars were placed on their necks, then we had the bell and they pulled on the chain to bring each other closer together. Finlay tripped EVIL, jumped on top of him and hit a series of punches. Finlay wrapped the chain around the ring post and pulled on it to choke EVIL.
Finlay flipped EVIL over the top rope and he hanged him by the chain at 3:00. They brawled to the floor, past the guard rail, and into the crowd. They returned to the ring at 6:30, and EVIL wrapped the chain around Finlay’s throat and choked him. EVIL tied Finlay in the Tree of Woe; he stood on the floor and choked Finlay as David was upside down. The chain was now off of EVIL’s neck, but he stood still and let the ref put it back on at 8:30. Finlay pulled the chain up between EVIL’s legs to injure EVIL’s groin, and Finlay whipped EVIL over the back with the chain at 10:30. He wrapped the chain around his fist and punched EVIL.
Finlay powerbombed EVIL over the top rope onto 7-8 HoT guys on the floor! Finlay tied EVIL to the ring post (Finlay dove into the ring a few times to tie him. He freed EVIL, but EVIL immediately pulled on the chain, sending Finlay head-first into the ring post at 13:30. In the ring, EVIL took control, and he hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 16:00. He hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Finlay nailed the Oblivion (neckbreaker over his knee) and they were both down. Finlay nailed a Buckle Bomb at 17:30, then a release powerbomb, and a second one. The ref got bumped! Dick Togo jumped in and choked Finlay, so Gedo jumped in and choked Togo.
The members of both factions suddenly were in the ring and everyone was brawling. Chase Owens hit a C-Trigger (running knee) on FInlay. EVIL threw a table at Finlay. Fale hit a second-rope frogsplash onto Finlay on the table, with the table breaking at 21:30. EVIL applied a Sharpshooter, and the ref was awake and on his feet. EVIL pulled back on the chain, and Finlay passed out. The ref called for the bell. Good match; it was hard-hitting but not too violent. All of the House of Torture celebrated over the prone, knocked-out Finlay.
EVIL defeated David Finlay at 23:04.
8. Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd for the IWGP Global Title. Kidd hit a flip dive to the floor in the first minute, crashing onto Tsuji. Yota hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor at 1:00. (When has Yota ever done that???) In the ring, Yota hit some bodyslams and a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 3:30. He knocked Kidd down with a shoulder tackle, and he tied Kidd in a leglock around the waist. They traded forearm strikes while both lying on the mat at 6:00. Kidd flipped Yota over the top rope to the floor and they were both down. In the ring, Kidd hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 8:00.
Kidd hit a flying crossbody block, then a T-Bone Suplex for a nearfall. Yota hit a Flatliner and a German Suplex at 9:30, then a jumping knee in the corner. He dropped Kidd with a superkick for a nearfall. Kidd dropped Yota stomach-first on the top rope and hit a dropkick on his head, then a top-rope senton on his back at 11:30. Kidd hit a Saito Suplex. They got up and traded slaps to the face and chops. Yota hit a Stomp on Gabe’s head. Kidd hit a moonsault to the floor, then he hit a Tombstone Piledriver on the thin mat at ringside at 14:30!
Kidd shoved Yota back in and hit a Brainbuster for a believable nearfall. Kidd applied a Boston Crab, but Yota reached the ropes. They got up and traded forearm strikes and chops. Yota nailed a headbutt that dropped Kidd at 19:00. Kidd put him in an abdominal stretch, then got a rollup for a nearfall. Yota hit a piledriver along his back, then a regular piledriver for a nearfall. Yota hit another Stomp to the head, then a second-rope Stomp to the head for a nearfall at 20:30.
Yota set up for a Gene Blaster (spear), but Kidd cut him off with a jumping knee. Kidd hit a piledriver for a believable nearfall. Yota blocked a jumping knee and he hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 22:00. What’s the time limit on this one? Kidd hit a discus clothesline, then another. Yota nailed a Gene Blaster for a believable nearfall. He went for a second one, but Kidd hit a DDT, then another piledriver, for the pin! Another title change! A superb match.
Gabe Kidd defeated Yota Tsuji to win the IWGP Global Title at 23:24.
* Kidd got on the mic and talked about his mental health struggles (he’s been open about this for quite some time.) He said none of those past issues matter anymore, and he showed off his title belt. He called out Hiroshi Tanahashi! Hiroshi came to the ring, and they agreed to a match.
9. Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Title. The crowd was LOUD and split as they had a feeling-out process early on. They traded shoulder blocks with neither man going down. They kept blocking each other’s moves; Goto hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Shingo at 3:30, and Shingo rolled to the floor to regroup. In the ring, Goto hit some elbow drops and kept Shingo grounded. Shingo hit a tornado DDT, and he clotheslined Goto to the floor. Shingo nailed a snap suplex onto that angled entrance ramp at 7:30. He tossed Goto back into the ring and hit a senton and took control of the offense.
Shingo hit a vertical suplex for a nearfall at 9:30, and he tied a leglock around the waist. He backed Goto into a corner and hit a series of chops and punches. Goto hit a clothesline and they were both down at 12:00. Goto hit a leg lariat in the corner. They fought to the floor, and Goto hit his inverted DDT on the thin mat at ringside at 14:00. They got back into the ring with Goto now in charge. They traded forearm strikes, and Goto hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 15:30. Shingo hit a twisting neckbreaker and a sliding clothesline for a nearfall. Shingo hit a back suplex, but Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee at 18:00, and they were both down.
They got up and traded stereo clotheslines. Shingo hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Goto hit a Sunset Flip Bomb out of the corner for a nearfall at 21:30. Shingo hit an inverted DDT and his pumphandle powerbomb for a nearfall, then the Pumping Bomber clothesline, then the Burning Dragon (DVD) for a believable nearfall at 23:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Goto hit a swinging uranage and they were both down at 25:30. Goto hit a Yes Kick and a clothesline. Shingo hit a diving forearm to the base of the neck.
Goto nailed the GTR over his knee for a believable nearfall at 27:30. Goto hit a headbutt, and he hit the GTR for the pin. A very good match. (Also, something happened to Walker Stewart that made him miss the final minutes of the match. Not sure what, but I hope he’s okay. Charlton called the final five minutes solo; he acknowledged Walker’s sudden absence twice but didn’t say what happened to him. He seemed to imply he got ill from heat stroke but I don’t want to speculate, either.)
Hirooki Goto defeated Shingo Takagi at 28:25.
* Goto got on the mic and talked about the Goto Revolution. He was covered in streamers as the show came to a close. (We suddenly heard Walker’s voice! Charlton asked how he was doing, but Walker sounded fine. Again, my guess is he got a bit of heat stroke.)
Final Thoughts: A really strong show. I’ll narrowly go with Kidd-Finlay for best, Takeshita-Oleg for second and the main event for third. All three were so good, and I wouldn’t argue with anyone who has them in a different order. A lot of surprise title changes. I didn’t expect Takeshita to get cleanly pinned. I am not a fan of make-shift tag teams who have rarely, if ever, teamed up before, winning the belts. And we saw that in both the heavyweight and junior tag matches. But, with all the title changes, it really added to the feeling that Shingo was going to dethrone Goto.
Okay, everyone saw Chase Owens turning heel and joining the House of Torture; NO ONE saw Douki turning heel and joining the HoT. That’s a really big faction now. My only complaint here is Yuya losing to Hiroshi Tanahashi. I know Hiroshi needs to win a portion of his final matches, but I really felt this was a win Uemura needed.
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