By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to the New Beginning”
January 23, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
There was Japanese-only commentary once again. The lineup still doesn’t have David Finlay, Jeff Cobb, TJP, El Phantasmo, or the four injured guys: Yuya Uemura, Douki, Callum Newman, and Henare. (OH, and no EVIL. But no one is missing EVIL.)
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuya Murashima. I noted this Wednesday, but I love that Tanahashi is giving each of the three current Young Lions a singles match this month. They traded forearm strikes; Murashima is big and thick and has the most potential of the trio, just because of his size, plus he’s shown great personality. Murashima hit a bulldog powerslam for a nearfall at 5:30, and he applied a Boston Crab. Tanahashi applied his own Boston Crab. He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip and applied a Texas Cloverleaf and sat down on the back of Murashima’s head! Murashima tried to reach the ropes but eventually tapped out. On the high end of what to expect in a Young Lions match.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Katsuya Murashima at 8:56.
2. “House of Torture” Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Shoma Kato, Master Wato, Boltin Oleg, and Toru Yano. All eight brawled at the bell. Sho grounded Kato in the ring while the others fought on the floor. Wato hit a series of backbreakers over his knee. Ren and Oleg went past the guardrail and fought into the crowd. The HoT began working over Yano in their corner. Oleg got a hot tag at 4:30 and hit some shoulder blocks to send the heels flying. (I love how they bump for him, like pinballs.) He hit his overhead gut-wrench suplex on Kanemaru. Sho hit a spear on Oleg. Oleg hit a shotgun dropkick at 6:30. Shoma entered and hit a flying forearm on Yujiro. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Yujiro hit the Pimp Juice implant DDT and scored the pin on Shoma. Solid. The HoT continued a post-match beat-down and they stole the six-man tag belts!
Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Shoma Kato, Master Wato, Boltin Oleg, and Toru Yano at 8:34.
3. Shota Umino, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tomohiro Ishii vs. “United Empire” Franceso Akira, Great-O-Khan, and Jakob Austin Young. Akira and Ishii opened; these two had a great exchange yesterday. Ishii dropped him with a shoulder tackle. Akira hit a chop that hurt his hand. O-Khan battled Taguchi with them doing the required Taguchi juvenile humor. Shota tagged in at 4:00 and hit a basement dropkick on O-Khan’s knee, then a basement dropkick on Akira. Jakob got in and hit a dropkick on Taguchi at 7:00. Jakob hit a missile dropkick on Taguchi.
We again had Ishii and Akira trading blows (seriously, give us this singles match!), and Akira hit some superkicks and a German Suplex at 9:00. Shota hit a tornado DDT. Taguchi applied an anklelock on Jakob; Young escaped but Taguchi reapplied it, and Jakob tapped out. Decent action. Great-O-Khan attacked Shota as Umino was about to walk through the curtain, and he dragged him back to ringside. He tore up Shota’s shirt and threw the scraps on a prone Umino.
Shota Umino, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Franceso Akira, Great-O-Khan, and Jakob Austin Young at 10:04.
4. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson and Kosei Fujita vs. El Desperado and Tomoaki Honma. Despe and Kosei opened, with Desperado snapping Fujita’s arm across the top rope. Desperado tried some chops on the massive Hartley, who no-sold them. Despe and Honma hit a team shoulder tackle to drop the big man. Desperado went to work on Fujita’s left arm, which was already wrapped up. Hartley got back in at 5:30 and hit a splash to the mat for a nearfall on Desperado, then a double clothesline. Honma hit the Kokeshi falling headbutt on Hartley.
Hartley dropped Honma with a clothesline, then a senton. He hit a double suplex at 9:00. Kosei hit a springboard dropkick. Hartley hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Honma for a believable nearfall, then a Death Valley Driver for the pin. Solid match.
Hartley Jackson and Kosei Fujita defeated El Desperado and Tomoaki Honma at 9:32.
5. Los Ingobernables de Japon” Tatsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and Bushi vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gabe Kidd, Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, and Taiji Ishimori. Drilla and Shingo immediately traded forearm strikes, and Moloney hit a dropkick. Naito and Clark entered and traded blows at 2:00. Naito and Hiromu hit some quick team moves. The action spilled to the floor, with Gabe brawling with Yota, while Shingo brawled with Moloney. In the ring, Clark choked Hiromu in the ropes, and the BCWD began working over Hiromu in their corner. Hiromu and Kidd traded chops at 6:30, and Hiromu hit a superkick.
Yota entered and hit a bodyslam on Kidd, then a jumping knee to the sternum, then a Stomp on the head. They hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down at 10:00. Bushi entered for the first time and battled Gedo. Shingo hit a twisting neckbreaker on Drilla. Naito hit a sliding kick on Ishimori. Bushi applied a modified Figure Four, and Gedo tapped out. Best match so far; Shingo-Moloney and Kidd-Yota are carrying these undercard feuds.
Tatsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and Bushi defeated Gabe Kidd, Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, and Taiji Ishimori at 11:42.
6. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Robbie Eagles vs. Hirooki Goto and Yoh. A reminder that Goto scored a rare pin on Sabre on Wednesday in a tag match. Eagles and Yoh opened. Sabre and Yoh fought on the floor, with Sabre hitting some European Uppercuts that landed so hard, Yoh went over the guardrail and onto an announcers’ table. In the ring, Eagles tied Yoh in a leg lock. Goto finally got in at 7:00. Sabre applied a Triangle Choke and they traded forearm strikes. Goto hit a hard clothesline at 9:30 and they were both down. Yoh hit a plancha on Eagles.
In the ring, Eagles applied the Ron Miller Special leg lock on Yoh at 11:00, then a Sliced Bread for a nearfall. Yoh fired back with a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Goto hit his neckbreaker over his knee on Sabre. Yoh and Eagles traded rollups, with Eagles suddenly scoring the pin! Good match.
Zack Sabre Jr. and Robbie Eagles defeated Hirooki Goto and Yoh at 14:15.
7. Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yoshi-Hashi. I love having singles matches in NJPW, but I don’t know if this should headline the show. They immediately traded forearm strikes, and Y-H rolled to the floor to regroup. They brawled at ringside, with Yoshi-Hashi whipping Oiwa into the guardrails, and he bodyslammed him onto the thin mat at ringside at 3:30. They got in the ring and traded chops. Oiwa hit a flying back elbow at 7:00. They traded chops, and Yoshi-Hashi hit a Dragon Suplex at 12:30. Oiwa hit a back suplex, then a standing powerbomb, and they were both down.
Yoshi-Hashi hit a lungblower, then a powerbomb for a nearfall at 14:30. Oiwa applied a sleeper. Yoshi-Hashi hit a superkick and a clothesline, then a fisherman’s brainbuster for a believable nearfall at 18:00. They traded short-arm clotheslines while holding onto each other’s wrist. Oiwa hit a Doctor Bomb (gut-wrench powerbomb) for a nearfall, then a top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall. Oiwa reapplied a sleeper and hit his discus clothesline for the clean pin! A very good match. That topped my expectations, and more importantly, the right man won.
Ryohei Oiwa defeated Yoshi-Hashi at 21:26.
Final Thoughts: I fully believe that NJPW needs to build around its young, core stars of Shota, Yota, Kidd, Newman, Uemura and Oiwa (along with vets Sabre, Shingo, Desperado and Cobb. I would add Oleg to that mix, but also acknowledge he’s not a youngster.) I was skeptical entering this show, because Yoshi-Hashi has been stuck in the mid-card for years, and a clean win over Oiwa really would stunt Oiwa’s future growth. So, this was a big singles win for him.
As I noted yesterday, these matches are all building toward “New Beginning” on Feb. 11, which has a lineup featuring Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirooki Goto, Shingo Takagi vs. Drilla Moloney, Taichi vs. Sanada, Gabe Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji, Konosuke Takeshita vs. Oleg Boltin, and the Young Bucks vs. Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi. A good show overall.
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