By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to Tokyo Dome”
December 19, 2025, in Gunma, Japan, at G Messe Gunma
Streamed live on New Japan World
This show had Japanese-only commentary. The venue is a generic large room. The crowd of around 600 was all seated on the floor. The lights were on and it was easy to see.
1. Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, and Masatora Yasuda vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Zane Jay, and Tiger Mask. Four guys who should retire and two Young Lions, and the Young Lions opened. Taguchi and Honma locked up at 2:00. Tiger Mask hit some knee drops across Honma’s forehead. Zane bodyslammed Honma for a nearfall at 4:00, then a dropkick on Makabe. Tiger Mask put Yasuda in a Boston Crab, but Makabe made the save. Tiger Mask tied Yasuda in a Hammerlock, and Yasuda tapped out.
Ryusuke Taguchi, Zane Jay, and Tiger Mask defeated Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, and Masatora Yasuda at 7:41.
2. Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano, and Shoma Kato vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, Tatsuya Matsumoto, and Boltin Oleg. The teams make no sense; Oleg and Yano teamed for three straight weeks but are on opposite sides today. Wato and Yoshi-Hashi opened. The Young Lions battled. Goto hit a back suplex on Yoh for a nearfall at 4:00, then a clothesline. Oleg tagged in and dropped Yoh with a loud chop, then flipped him around in his arms.
Shoma entered and went for a huracanrana, but Oleg blocked it. Shoma hit a dropkick that only staggered Boltin, but he got a huracanrana. He hit a dropkick for a nearfall at 7:30, and he tried to put Oleg in a Boston Crab, but Boltin escaped and hit a bodyslam. Boltin hit a splash to the mat, and he applied a Boston Crab, and Shoma tapped out.
Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, Tatsuya Matsumoto, and Boltin Oleg defeated Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano, and Shoma Kato at 8:45.
3. “House of Torture” Sho, Douki, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Kuukai, El Desperado, and Katsuya Murashima. Desperado and Sho opened. The heels crotched Despe around the ring post. Douki hit a doublestomp on Despe’s chest at 2:30. On the floor, Sho jabbed a chair into Despe’s stomach and threw him back into the ring, where Yujiro got a nearfall. Desperado hit a German Suplex on Yujiro. Kuukai got a hot tag at 5:00.
Kuukai hit some huracanranas. Sho hit a spear on Kuukai. Murashima hit his rolling sentons on Douki for a nearfall, then a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall at 7:30. Douki put him in the “Darkness Stretch” (Douki Chokey!) triangle choke, and Murashima tapped out. Passable. Good to see Kuukai back, as he did well in the Super Junior Tag League.
Sho, Douki, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Kuukai, El Desperado, and Katsuya Murashima at 8:54.
4. “House of Torture” EVIL, Sanada, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Ren Narita (w/Dick Togo) vs. Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino, Satoshi Kojima, and Taichi. All eight brawled at the bell, and it went to the floor. Yuya tied up Kanemaru in the ring. EVIL entered and choked Yuya with a T-Shirt at 2:30. EVIL hit a fisherman’s suplex on Yuya for a nearfall. Ren entered and choked Yuya. Uemura hit a dropkick.
Umino entered at 5:00 and clotheslined EVIL to the mat. He hit a fisherman’s suplex on Narita for a nearfall. He hit a tornado DDT on Kanemaru. Kojima entered for the first time at 7:00, and he hit rapid-fire chops in the corner on Sanada, then on Kanemaru. Satoshi hit a Koji Cutter on Sanada. Sanada hit a low-blow mule kick on Satoshi. Sanada did the ‘Eddie Spot,’ tossing his guitar to Kojima and collapsing to the mat. The ref saw Kojima with the guitar and called for the bell to disqualify Satoshi!
EVIL, Sanada, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Ren Narita (w/Dick Togo) defeated Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino, Satoshi Kojima, and Taichi via DQ at 9:06.
* EVIL and Aaron Wolf had another confrontation! They choked Aaron in the ring. Wolf will debut against EVIL at Wrestle Kingdom! Also, Taichi and Kojima began shoving each other in the ring! They weren’t exactly successful in World Tag League, going just 1-6. Yuya and Shota had to separate them before it turned into a full-blown fight.
5. “United Empire” Callum Newman, Jakob Austin Young, and Great-O-Khan vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Gedo, Yota Tsuji, and Shingo Takagi. The UE came out first, and they attacked as the UBC got into the ring. All six brawled to the floor. Yota whipped Callum into rows of chairs. Callum and Yota got back into the ring, with Yota hitting a huracanrana. Tsuji and Gedo took turns hitting jab punches on Newman’s jaw at 3:00. Newman began working over Gedo and kept him grounded. Jakob tagged in at 5:00 and continued to tie up Gedo’s left arm.
O-Khan tried to apply a Claw, but Gedo fought free. Shingo got in at 8:00 and hit some clotheslines. He fired up and hit some jab punches on O-Khan, then a suplex for a nearfall. O-Khan bit Shingo on the head and hit a clothesline. Jakob accidentally knocked Callum off the apron to the floor. Shingo hit a clothesline on Young, then a Pumping Bomber clothesline. Yota dove through the ropes onto O-Khan. Newman got back into the ring, holding a chair, which he threw at Shingo’s head, causing the DQ. Good action.
Gedo, Yota Tsuji, and Shingo Takagi defeated Callum Newman, Jakob Austin Young, and Great-O-Khan via DQ at 11:16.
6. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa vs. “Unaffiliated Bullet Club” Taiji Ishimori, Yuto-Ice, Oskar, and Daiki Nagai. Fujita and Ishimori opened and traded fast-paced reversals, and Fujita hit a dropkick. Yuto-Ice and Sabre fought on the floor. Hartley hit a splash to the mat on Ishimori for a nearfall at 2:30. Sabre tagged in and stomped on Ishimori’s left elbow. Oskar entered at 4:00, and he cleared the ring. Oskar and Oiwa traded blows.
Sabre entered at 6:00, but Oskar bodyslammed him. Sabre and Yuto-Ice traded forearm strikes. Yuto-Ice hit his roundhouse kicks to the chest in the corner, then his running double knees in the corner on Zack. Hartley got a hot tag at 9:30 and hit a flying crossbody block on Nagai for a nearfall. Ishimori hit a handspring-back-enzuigiri on Hartley. Nagai hit a Spinebuster on Hartley and put him in a Boston Crab, but Jackson powered out. Hartley hit a massive senton on Nagai for a nearfall, then the Jagged Edge (DVD) for the pin. Good action.
Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Taiji Ishimori, Yuto-Ice, Oskar, and Daiki Nagai at 11:28.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hiromu Takahashi. I have been a big fan of the presentation of the Tanahashi retirement tour, and how he’s had so many singles matches with seemingly everyone on the roster over the past 15 months. Standing switches to open and an extended feeling-out process. Hiromu laid in some chops. Tanahashi hit what appeared to be a senton on Hiromu’s left shoulder and elbow at 3:30. Hiromu briefly rolled to the floor to regroup.
In the ring, Hiromu tied up the left leg on the mat. He set up for a Texas Cloverleaf, but Tanahashi reached the ropes. They got to their feet and traded chops and forearm strikes. Hiromu hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall at 6:30. Tanahashi fired back with a flying forearm. He hit his second-rope somersault senton for a nearfall and a Dragonscrew Legwhip. He tied Hiromu in a Texas Cloverleaf at 8:30.
Hiromu hit a short-arm clothesline and a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 10:30. Tanahashi tied him in a Dragon Clutch, almost a Stretch Plum. He hit a Sling Blade clothesline and got a nearfall at 12:30. Tanahashi hit a top-rope crossbody block. He hit another Sling Blade, then the High Fly Flow frog splash for the pin. Good action. Hiroshi helped Hiromu to his feet and raised his hand.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Hiromu Takahashi at 14:25.
* Hiroshi gave a long monologue in the ring to conclude the show.
Final Thoughts: A really good top couple of matches. The main event was good. Sure, it played out as you would expect, but Hiroshi held up and looked good here. Yuto-Ice has just taken NJPW by storm; he’s a pest heel that you want to watch. The Yuto-Ice/Oskar vs. Sabre/Oiwa match will headline New Year’s Dash (rather than be on Wrestle Kingdom), and that was a great little preview of that match.
We also got a taste of what the UBC-UE five-man war at Wrestle Kingdom will be; I feel I need to stress that Callum Newman is deceptively tall and thick, and his heelish mannerisms in recent months have been spot-on. I know there are a lot of people who are really excited about Aaron Wolf. Hey, I want to see him succeed, too, but it’s worth reiterating that legit fighters have a spotty record of becoming good pro wrestlers. For every Kurt Angle, there is a Cain Velasquez. I guess I wouldn’t have chosen EVIL to be Wolf’s first opponent — on the biggest stage possible.
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