By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to King of Pro Wrestling 2025”
October 6, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton and Walker Stewart provided commentary.
1. El Phantasmo and Jado vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuya Murashima. ELP and Tanahashi opened, and Phantasmo hit a second-rope crossbody block. They both played some air guitar and did some comedy with ELP playing some air drums. The ref ordered an end to the shenanigans and told them to lock up. Jado and Murashima locked up at 3:30, with Jado hitting some blows to the lower back. Murashima suplexed ELP. Tanahashi entered and hit his second-rope somersault senton, then a basement dropkick on the knee. ELP hit one back.
Tanahashi hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 7:00. ELP hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor on Tanahashi and rolled him back into the ring. Jado hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Murashima hit a running shoulder tackle on ELP, sending Phantasmo to the floor, then a Bulldog Powerslam on Jado. Tanahashi immediately hit the High Fly Flow (frogsplash) to pin Jado. Some good comedy early, and the action worked for me.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuya Murashima defeated El Phantasmo and Jado at 9:17.
2. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors vs. “House of Torture” Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The HoT came out first; the War Dogs charged into the ring, and they all immediately started brawling. They went to the floor, with Sanada and Drilla fighting up in the short bleachers. Clark and Kanemaru fought at ringside. They got into the ring and we had a bell at 1:58 to officially begin. The HoT ‘wish-boned’ Connors’ legs. Kanemaru hit a basement dropkick on Clark’s knee.
Moloney entered at 4:00, and he crotched Sanada in the ropes. Drilla hit a Spinebuster. Sanada hit a low-blow kick, so Moloney hit one, too. Sanada rolled to the floor and refused to get back in, and he just stared at the ring as the ref counted to 20. Lame finish.
Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors defeated Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at 6:16/official time of 4:18.
* Moloney got on the mic and said their upcoming match next week will be no-DQ and no count-outs. Moloney spoke in both English and Japanese; Charlton was impressed with how well he spoke, and that was my reaction, too.
3. “House of Torture” EVIL, Sho, Don Fale, and Dick Togo vs. Boltin Oleg, Kuukai, Tiger Mask, and Toru Yano. EVIL was holding Oleg’s NEVER Openweight Title belt. Oleg’s team charged into the ring, and he chopped EVIL, and we’re underway! He hit a belly-to-belly suplex, easily tossing EVIL across the ring. Yano tagged in at 1:30; just like the other day, he turned around to see the massive Fale standing across the ring from him. They traded some forearm strikes. On the floor, EVIL jabbed a chair into Oleg’s throat. In the ring, Fale did a Tongan Massage Parlor, standing on Yano’s back.
The HoT took turns working over Yano. Kuukai entered, and he slammed Togo at 5:00. He hit a superkick on Sho. Tiger Mask tagged in and hit some kicks on Sho. Oleg entered and flipped Sho around in his arms, and hit a gut-wrench suplex. Tiger Mask hit a backbreaker over his knee on Togo. Kuukai nailed a dive through the ropes at 7:00. Fale nailed The Grenade (pop-up heart punch) on Tiger Mask. Sho immediately nailed the Shock Arrow (cross-arm piledriver) to pin Tiger Mask. Decent; it didn’t drag.
EVIL, Sho, Don Fale, and Dick Togo defeated Boltin Oleg, Kuukai, Tiger Mask, and Toru Yano at 7:40.
4. Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Taiji Ishimori, and Gedo. Kidd and Tsuji opened and traded shoulder blocks with neither man going down, so they switched to loud overhand chops. Yota hit a Flatliner and a German Suplex. He went for a Gene Blaster, but Gabe cut it off with a knee strike, and Gabe hit a brainbuster at 2:00. Finlay and Shingo tagged in, and those two traded forearm strikes. Finlay hit a diving European Uppercut. Shingo hit a DVD on Ishimori.
Titan entered and hit a springboard double dropkick, then a flip dive to the floor at 4:00. He hit a springboard frogsplash on Ishimori for a nearfall. Titan hit a kick to Ishimori’s jaw. Takahashi entered for the first time and battled Ishimori, but Ishimori hit a handspring-back-spin kick to the jaw. Gedo tagged in and pulled Hiromu’s hair. Hiromu grabbed Gedo’s beard and pulled on it, and flipped Gedo to the mat. Shingo clotheslined Finlay to the floor, then a sliding clothesline on Gedo. Hiromu then hit a pumphandle knee strike to Gedo’s jaw and pinned him. That was a sprint.
Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi defeated David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Taiji Ishimori, and Gedo at 7:10.
* Tsuji and Kidd fought up onto the landing halfway up the long seating area at Korakuen Hall and traded forearm strikes in front of the fans up there.
* Background notes: Oskar and Yuto-Ice just won the tag titles, and they will be facing a newly formed team of Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura. So, we have two preview singles matches ahead of that title match.
5. Oskar vs. Shota Umino. A lockup and feeling-out process early on. They fought to the floor at 3:00, with Oskar in charge. He hit some loud chops and tossed Umino back into the ring and stomped on him in the corner. Oskar hit a bodyslam at 5:00, and he applied a Camel Clutch. He missed a guillotine leg drop, and Shota immediately hit a bodyslam. Shota hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 8:00.
Oskar hit a big back-body drop, and he kept Shota grounded. They traded forearm strikes at 11:30. Shota hit a DDT, but Osakar popped up. Shota hit a German Suplex and a Shining Wizard for a nearfall, then an enzuigiri. Oskar applied a sleeper hold at 14:00. Shota hit a hard clothesline and a “Second Chapter” (Snow Plow driver) for the clean pin. Good match.
Shota Umino defeated Oskar at 16:18.
6. Yuto-Ice vs. Yuya Uemura. Yuto immediately hit some forearm strikes, and they traded quick reversals on the mat. They fought on the floor, and Yuto whipped Uemura into rows of chairs at 1:30. He picked up a table and threw it at Yuya. Yuto went for a running boot as Yuya was lying on a table, but Yuto’s leg went right through the table! They got back into the ring with Yuto-Ice in charge. Yuya hit a flying forearm at 6:00, and they were both down. Yuya applied a hammerlock on the mat, but Yuto-Ice got a foot on the ropes. Yuya stayed focused on the left arm.
They traded forearm strikes, and Yuya hit a headbutt at 10:00, and he was fired up. He kept punching Yuto-Ice in the corner and shoved the ref aside. Charlton and Walker noted that Yuya could be disqualified for this behavior. Yuya hit a dropkick into the corner and a back suplex, and he switched to a cross-armbreaker at 11:30. Yuto-Ice pushed a thumb into the eyes to escape. Yuto-Ice hit a short-arm clothesline and a suplex, but only got a one-count. Yuya hit a German Suplex.
Yuto-Ice dropped him with a straight punch to the jaw, then he hit a running Penalty Kick for a nearfall at 14:00. Yuya hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Yuya again applied the cross-armbreaker! He switched to a Fujiwara Armbar and cranked back on the arm! Yuya let go and hit the Deadbolt suplex, and went back to a hammerlock, and Yuto-Ice tapped out. That was really, really good. So, the challengers swept the matches against the tag champions.
Yuya Uemura defeated Yuto-Ice at 15:30.
* Background notes: Douki injured his arm early in his Wrestle Kingdom match in January against challenger El Desperado. Douki was stripped of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, and it was given to Despe. So, now that Douki is healthy and back, he’s getting his title rematch for a belt he never lost.
7. El Desperado (w/Kuukai) vs. Douki for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Sho got on the mic and said Douki was the true champion. The ref ordered Sho and all of the HoT to the back before the bell! We got underway, and they fought to the floor at 1:30, with Despe in charge. Douki struck Desperado in the head with a title belt! In the ring, Douki hit a DDT for a nearfall at 4:00. Walker said this is Despe’s ninth title defense, and he listed off the prior challengers. They went back to the floor, where Douki put his pipe against Despe’s throat and hit a Rude Awakening neckbreaker!
Douki got back into the ring while the ref began counting. Despe got back in, but Douki hit a swinging neckbreaker at 6:30, and he applied the Douki Chokey (triangle choke). Despe hit a back suplex, and they were both down. Desperado hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip out of the corner at 8:30. Douki hit his slingshot DDT, and he went back to a Douki Chokey on the mat; Despe finally reached the ropes at 11:30. Desperado hit a back suplex and a brainbuster for a nearfall. He hit a modified Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 13:00. Douki hit an enzuigiri, but he sold the pain in his knee upon landing.
Desperado immediately applied a standing Stretch Muffler. Sho returned to the ring and hit Desperado with a wrench to the head. Kuukai jumped in the ring and dropkicked Sho. Sho hit Kuukai with his wrench. Desperado dropped Sho with a punch. Douki brought his pipe in the ring, but Despe took it and struck Douki in the head twice with it! Desperado hit Pinche Loco (Angel’s Wings) at 15:30, but we had no ref! Sho hit Desperado in the head with a chairshot! Sho hit several more blows to the head with a flat metal sheet. Douki put Desperado in the Douki Chokey. Sho revived the ref, who checked on Desperado, and determined he was out, and called for the bell. Walker was disgusted.
Douki defeated El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title at 17:15.
Final Thoughts: I’ve noted before that everyone seems to bring their game to another level when they are in Korakuen Hall. I really liked Yuya vs. Yuto-Ice for best match. The commentators noted how Yuto-Ice had brought out some renewed fire from Uemura. The main event was entertaining until the screwjob finish and takes second, narrowly ahead of Oskar-Shota. The undercard was fine. It feels strange to have a couple of shows this week with no sign of TMDK or the United Empire, though.
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