By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to Destruction”
September 13, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton and El Phantasmo provided commentary.
1. Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. Zane Jay. I’ll reiterate that Zane, who was bald most of the year, now has short brown hair, and it changes his entire look. The Young Lions immediately went to the mat; I don’t think either has scored a win over the other yet. Tatusya tied up Zane’s legs. Zane targeted the left arm. He applied a leg bar, but Tatsuya reached the ropes at 8:30. Tatsuya applied a half crab, but the bell rang at 10:00 sharp.
Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. Zane Jay went to a time-limit draw at 10:00.
2. Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, and Togi Makabe vs. Yasuda, Katsuya Murashima, and Shoma Kato. The Young Lions attacked, and everyone brawled; we finally got a bell at 00:30 to officially begin. The vets worked over Yasuda in their corner. Honma hit a series of chops. Shoma got in and hit a flying forearm in the corner on Honma at 3:00. Togi entered and hit a bodyslam on Shoma. Tiger Mask put Shoma in a Camel Clutch-style move, but Kato reached the ropes at 4:30.
Murashima got a hot tag, and he dropped Honma with a flying forearm. (Murashima is so much better than the other Young Lions, it’s just not even close.) He hit a flipping senton on Honma for a nearfall. The Young Lions took turns hitting moves in the corner on Togi. Togi hit a scoop bodyslam on Yasuda. Honma hit a Kokeshi falling headbutt, and Togi hit a clothesline for the pin on Yasuda. Meh.
Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, and Togi Makabe defeated Yasuda, Katsuya Murashima, and Shoma Kato at 8:11/official time of 7:41.
3. “House of Torture” EVIL, Don Fale, and Dick Togo vs. Boltin Oleg, Yuya Uemura, and Shota Umino. The HoT attacked, and we’re underway. Oleg hit a running splash in the corner on Fale, then a shoulder tackle. The HoT stomped on Boltin. Togo hit a senton at 2:30. EVIL traded chops with Boltin. Shota got a hot tag at 4:30, and he cleared the ring. He couldn’t lift Fale. He hit a fisherman’s suplex on EVIL for a nearfall. Umino hit a basement dropkick on Togo at 6:30. Uemura tagged in, and he beat up Togo. He hit a huracanrana and applied a cross-armbreaker, and Togo immediately tapped out. Solid.
Boltin Oleg, Yuya Uemura, and Shota Umino defeated EVIL, Don Fale, and Dick Togo at 7:22.
4. Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi and Daiki Nagai and Hiromu Takahashi vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” David Finlay and Gedo and Taiji Ishimori and Gabe Kidd. Ishimori was just competing in Mexico days ago. The BCWD attacked, and we’re underway; we had a bell at 00:12. Kidd and Shingo brawled on the floor and away from the ring. FInlay traded blows with Yota in the ring. Hiromu hit a running back elbow in the corner on Finlay; David hit a senton on Hiromu at 2:00, then a Claudio-style Giant Swing. Hiromu hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Gedo at 4:30.
Hiromu and Ishimori traded some fast-paced offense, with Hiromu hitting a Falcon Arrow, and they were both down. Kidd and Shingo got in, and they traded headbutts at 7:00. Kidd hit an Exploder Suplex. Kidd hit a corner moonsault to the floor on Shingo! In the ring, they hit stereo clotheslines. Nagai tagged in for the first time at 8:30 to face Kidd, and Daiki hit a Spinebuster, then he locked Kidd in a Boston Crab. Yota and Finlay jumped in and traded more offense. Kidd hit two piledrivers to pin Nagai. Easily the best action of the show.
David Finlay, Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, and Gabe Kidd defeated Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Daiki Nagai, and Hiromu Takahashi at 9:47.
5. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Clark Connors and Oskar and Yuto-Ice vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Taka Michinoku and Taichi. Again, Yuto has dyed his hair white and is now a rapper gimmick, and Oscar has dropped his Leube surname. Ishii and Yuto-Ice opened and immediately traded hard slaps to the face. Yuto hit a series of roundhouse kicks to the chest. Oskar knocked Taichi down with a shoulder tackle. Clark got his car tire from under the ring; he brawled with Ishii, and he dropped Ishii face-first on the tire on the thin mat at ringside at 2:30.
Connors threw Ishii back into the ring, and the BCWD worked him over. In the ring, Connors and Taka traded offense. Oskar entered and easily shoved Taka to the mat. Ishii hit a German Suplex on Oscar. Taichi got a hot tag at 4:30, and he battled Oskar. Yuto and Taichi traded spin kicks to the thighs. Oskar hit a wind-up bodyslam on Taichi, then a powerslam on Ishii at 6:00. Oskar hit a Mafia Kick. Ishii hit a leaping forearm strike that dropped Oskar.
Clark grabbed Ishii’s ankle and dragged him to the floor. Taichi hit a clothesline on Yuto-Ice at 8:00. Taka tagged in, but Clark ran him over with a shoulder tackle. Connors hit a powerslam on Taka. Taka hit a running knee on Connors and a superkick on Yuto. Yuto hit a hard clothesline on Taichi. He hit a punch to Ishii’s jaw at 10:00. Oskar hit a jumping Tombstone Piledriver on Taka, and Yuto-Ice made the cover for the pin.
Clark Connors, Oskar, and Yuto-Ice defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Taka Michinoku, and Taichi at 10:19.
6. “House of Torture” Ren Narita, Sho, Sanada, Douki, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa, and Kosei Fujita. All 10 brawled at the bell. Robbie hit a huracanrana on Sho. Robbie and Kosei hit some quick team offense on Douki and Sho. Yujiro dropped Oiwa gut-first over the top rope at 3:00. Sanada dragged Oiwa to the floor and whipped him into the guardrail, and those two brawled into the crowd. They took turns slamming each other’s heads into a wall. Those two got back into the ring, where Sanada hit a low blow.
Sanada missed a moonsault at 5:00 but landed on his feet. Oiwa hit a dropkick. Sabre got in and hit a Pele Kick on Ren’s shoulder, then he did his neck snap on Narita between his ankles, and Zack tied him in an Octopus Stretch. They tied up each other’s legs on the mat. Hartley got in and hit a crossbody block on Ren for a nearfall at 8:30. Douki and Sho battled Kosei and Robbie, with the TMDK duo hitting stereo moonsaults from the apron to the floor. Sanada got a guitar, but it was confiscated. Yujiro hit Hartley in the head with his walking staff. Ren hit his Hell’s Guillotine (top-rope flying knee to the throat) and pinned Hartley. Good action.
Ren Narita, Sho., Sanada, Douki, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa, and Kosei Fujita at 10:26.
7. Toru Yano and Yoh and Master Wato vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Desperado and Ryusuke Taguchi for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Titles. I truly had forgotten who held these belts. Yoh has his left shoulder taped; he opened against Desperado. Yoh hit a standing neckbreaker at 2:00. Yano entered, so Tanahashi also entered. (These two were on a six-man tag champ squad a year ago, with Ishii!) They traded forearm strikes. Tanahashi hit a second-rope crossbody block on Yano at 4:00. Taguchi pulled down his pants and rammed Tanahashi’s head into his red underwear. Taguchi put Wato in an ankle lock; his pants were still at his knees.
Tanahashi tied up Wato in the ropes, and Hiroshi’s team worked over Wato in their corner for several minutes. Despe got in and hit a back suplex on Wato at 13:00. Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow on Despe and they were both down. Yano got back in and removed the corner pad. “Why does he do this? I don’t get it?” ELP said. You and me both, man. Tanahashi hit a flying forearm on Yano, and he hit a second-rope somersault senton for a nearfall at 15:00. Yano hit a chop block and got a nearfall. Wato and Taguchi tagged in; Charlton noted that those two also were champs together before. Taguchi hit a flying buttbump on Wato at 17:00. (At least he’s pulled his pants back up now.) They traded rollups. They hit stereo spin kicks.
Yoh and Wato hit a team suplex on Taguchi for a nearfall at 19:00. Taguchi and Despe hit a team suplex on Wato. Tanahashi’s team took turns working over Wato in the corner, with Despe hitting a spinebuster, and Taguchi hitting a running buttbump for a nearfall. Tanahashi hit a plancha to the floor, and that popped the crowd. In the ring, Taguchi and Wato traded rollups. Wato hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 21:00. He mouse-trapped the arms and got a seatbelt cover to pin Taguchi. Funny that ELP could not keep track of who was on which team, and which team was the champions (it speaks volumes about how little these belts matter).
Toru Yano, Yoh, and Master Wato defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Titles at 21:28.
* Yano violently attacked Tanahashi! Those two brawled to the back. That whole match was a friendly bout between six babyfaces, but Yano’s actions “crossed the line,” and he looked like a heel in this moment. Both ELP and Charlton were taken aback by how violent Yano was there.
* Wato got on the mic and spoke to the crowd. He boasted that they successfully defended the belts.
Final Thoughts: An utterly skippable show. I’ve never been a fan of Taguchi or Yano’s antics, and having them both in the main event was cringeworthy. I know that ELP was just being a bit silly and over-the-top, but it was indeed hard to keep track of who was on whose team, as so many of these guys have tagged together and won belts together in the past, but were on opposite sides in this one. The match dragged with almost no action between the 5- and 12-minute mark, a surefire sign that the match was going over 20 minutes. And seriously… these belts are so rarely defended, even someone who rarely misses NJPW would struggle to remember who has these belts.
So, the former LIJ vs. Finlay’s Bullet Club earned the best match, ahead of the TMDK match. I’ll give Ishii’s match third, as I’m enjoying seeing the return of Oskar and Yuto-Ice. No, I’m not putting a 20-plus-minute main event in the top three matches of the show.
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