By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Wrestling Dontaku – Night One”
May 3, 2026, in Fukuoka, Japan, at the Fukuoka Convention Center
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart, Gino Gambino, and Chris Charlton provided commentary.
1. Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Yoh vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Taisei Nakahara, and Tiger Mask. Taguchi’s team attacked, and we’re underway! Yano battled Taguchi. Yoh accidentally crashed into Yano. Tiger Mask and Yoh traded rollups. The Young Lion, Taisei, entered at 3:30, but Wato easily shoved him to the mat. Wato splashed onto Nakahara for the pin. Ugly stuff; no one in this match is even remotely over right now.
Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Yoh defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Taisei Nakahara, and Tiger Mask at 5:14.
2. “The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar vs. Tomoaki Honma and Masatora Yasuda. This should be a squash. Oskar immediately put Yasuda in a sleeper. Honma missed a Kokeshi. Oskar hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Yasuda at 1:30. Yuto-Ice and Yasuda traded chops. Yuto-Ice hit a hard knee strike that knocked out Yasuda! (I don’t think it was a legit knockout, but it sure looked devastating!) The ref called for the bell.
“The Knockout Brothers” Yuto-Ice and Oskar defeated Tomoaki Honma and Masatora Yasuda at 3:15.
3. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, and Robbie Eagles vs. Yuya Uemura, El Desperado, Mistico, and Taichi. I haven’t seen Despe since the Vegas deathmatch show, and he opened against Kosei. They traded basic reversals early on, and Despe hit some chops. Mistico and Eagles entered at 2:30 and immediately traded overhand chops. Mistico hit a top-rope crossbody block. Taichi battled Oiwa. Hartley knocked Taichi down with a shoulder block at 4:00, then a snap suplex and a splash for a nearfall.
Eagles kicked Taichi’s left leg, and those two traded forearm strikes. Yuya and Oiwa tagged in at 6:00, and Uemura hit some armdrags, then dropkicks on multiple opponents. Oiwa hit a splash to the mat on Yuya for a nearfall at 8:00. Hartley hit a massive senton on Yuya for a nearfall. Mistico and Despe battled Eagles and Kosei. Hartley hit a double clothesline at 9:30. Hartley hit a running crossbody block on Yuya for a nearfall. Yuya snapped off a huracanrana and pinned Hartley! That was really good!
Yuya Uemura, El Desperado, Mistico, and Taichi defeated “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, and Robbie Eagles at 10:29.
4. Tatsuya Matsumoto and “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi Hashi vs. “United Empire” Henare, Great-O-Khan, and Will Ospreay. Ospreay’s neck was heavily taped. He opened against Goto. Goto flipped each of his teammates onto Ospreay. O-Khan and Yoshi-Hashi brawled into the crowd. Henare hit a senton on Matsumoto. Matsumoto hit a dropkick on Henare at 3:30. Yoshi-Hashi entered and traded forearm strikes with Henare. Henare dropped him with a shoulder tackle at 5:00. O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops on Yoshi-Hashi.
Goto entered and dropped Henare with a clothesline. Goto and Ospreay traded forearm strikes. Ospreay nailed a handspring-back-spin kick. Yoshi-Hashi hit a superkick on O-Khan, and suddenly, everyone was down at 6:30. Matsumoto tagged in and battled O-Khan. Matsumoto hit his modified Air Raid Crash on O-Khan, and he put him in a Boston Crab, but O-Khan grabbed the ropes at 8:00. O-Khan spun Matsumoto to the mat for a nearfall, then a Flatliner move. He applied a Claw over Matsumoto’s face and slammed his head into the mat, then got the pin. (A solid match, but you bring Ospreay over here for… that?)
“United Empire” Henare, Great-O-Khan, and Will Ospreay defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto and “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi Hashi at 10:08.
* Ospreay clearly wasn’t happy with how O-Khan kept up a post-match assault. (Ospreay is clearly oblivious to how much more violent the UE has become since he left here!)
5. Shota Umino and Konosuke Takeshita vs. “House of Torture” Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi. Konosuke and Yujiro went to open, but Chase attacked from behind. Yujiro hit a running boot to Chase’s face. Shota was pushed into Takeshita; those two are clearly ‘not on the same page.’ Chase hit a back suplex on Umino at 2:00, and he kept Shota grounded. Shota finally hit a dropkick, and they were both down at 5:00. Takeshita entered and hit a flying shoulder tackle, then a plancha.
In the ring, Chase hit a snapmare driver on Takeshita for a nearfall at 7:00. He hit a C-Trigger running knee, but Takeshita hit his own running knee, and they were both down. Yujiro dropped Umino chest-first on the top rope. Shota tied Yujiro in an STF at 9:00, but Chase made the save. Yujiro hit a fisherman’s buster, and Chase hit another C-Trigger, with Yujiro getting a nearfall on Shota. Yujiro hit a Pimp Juice implant DDT on Shota for a nearfall. Shota hit a clothesline on Yujiro, then a fisherman’s buster on Yujiro for the pin.
Shota Umino and Konosuke Takeshita defeated “House of Torture” Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi at 11:19.
* Shota offered a handshake, but Takeshita turned and left.
6. “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Jake Lee, Callum Newman, and Zane Jay vs. “The Unbound Co.” Shingo Takagi, Taiji Ishimori, Robbie X, Drilla Moloney, and Daiki Nagai. Drilla is back! The UE attacked at the bell, and we’re underway. Robbie X hit a standing moonsault. Akira and Nagai brawled. Jake hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Nagai at 2:30. The UE worked over Nagai in their corner. Callum taunted Shingo. Nagai hit a dropkick on Newman, and they were both down. Shingo got a hot tag at 4:30 and hit a clothesline in the corner on Newman.
Akira and Young jumped in and attacked Shingo. Shingo hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Jake Lee. Shingo and Newman brawled, trading forearm strikes. Callum hit a clothesline, and they were both down at 6:30. Young tagged in and battled Shingo, hitting a fallaway slam for a nearfall. Shingo and Drilla hit some team moves on Zane Jay. Ishimori hit a handspring-back-enzuigiri on Akira. Shingo flipped Newman, then clotheslined him to the floor. Nagai hit a plancha onto Newman. Robbie X hit a moonsault to the floor at 9:30. In the ring, Drilla and Zane traded forearm strikes. This has been really, really good. Moloney hit a brainbuster on Zane, then a Gore, then the Drilla Killa (swinging piledriver) for the pin. Sharp match.
“The Unbound Co.” Shingo Takagi, Taiji Ishimori, Robbie X, Drilla Moloney, and Daiki Nagai defeated “United Empire” Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Jake Lee, Callum Newman, and Zane Jay at 10:32.
* Shingo and Newman continued to fight after the bell. They face each other on Monday!
7. Don Fale vs. Aaron Wolf. Wolf has just been a disaster — the fans here so much want him to be good, and he’s just not. Fale attacked Wolf as he stepped through the ropes, and we’re underway. He tried to lift Fale but couldn’t get him up. Fale easily hit a bodyslam. They brawled into the crowd. In the ring, Fale kept Wolf grounded. Wolf was gasping for breath — how is his conditioning still this bad? He’s supposed to be a world-class Olympic athlete! Fale hit some blows to the back and stomped on him.
They went back to the floor at 5:00, and Wolf whipped him into a guardrail. In the ring, Wolf hit a Judo Throw and an elbow drop for a nearfall at 7:00. He hit a frog splash but hilariously came up a bit short and got a nearfall. He tied a leg lock around Fale’s neck. Chase Owens appeared and distracted the ref. Wolf flipped Chase into the ring. Fale pushed Wolf into the ref, and the ref was down. Fale hit a splash into the corner, then a Samoan Drop for a nearfall at 9:00. Fale hit a Grenade, but he missed an elbow drop. Wolf finally hit a bodyslam. Owens hopped on the apron, but Wolf punched him. Wolf finally peeled off his T-shirt and hit an Angle Slam for the pin.
Aaron Wolf defeated Don Fale at 10:35.
8. Ren Narita vs. Boltin Oleg for the NEVER Openweight Title. Boltin came down the ramp but was attacked from behind by Ren and Dick Togo; I started the stopwatch at first contact. He threw Ren in the ring and we got a bell at 00:43. They went right back to the floor. Dick distracted the ref while Ren hit Boltin with a chair, then whipped him into the guardrail. They got back into the ring with Ren in charge, and he twisted Oleg’s left arm. He applied a cross-armbreaker in the ropes at 4:30 but let go before being disqualified.
Oleg flipped him in his arms and hit a gutwrench suplex at 6:30, then a release bodyslam and a splash to the mat for a nearfall. Ren went back to a cross-armbreaker on the mat. Ren pushed Oleg into the ref, then he raked the eyes. Yoshinobu Kanemaru jumped in the ring at 10:00, but Oleg threw Ren onto Kanemaru. Oleg hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Oleg put him in a Torture Rack, but now Sho appeared and distracted the ref as Narita was tapping out.
Aaron Wolf appeared and carried Sho to the back. Narita hit a Double Cross (X-Factor) for a nearfall, and they were both down at 12:30. Oleg caught Ren and hit the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll), then an F5 for a nearfall, but Narita grabbed the ropes at 14:00. Narita applied another cross-armbreaker. Oleg powered to his feet, but Togo jumped in and hit a low-blow uppercut. Oleg fell back to the mat and tapped out. Meh. Wolf returned to save Oleg.
Ren Narita defeated Boltin Oleg to retain the NEVER Openweight Title at 16:03/official time 15:20.
9. Yota Tsuji vs. Andrade El Idolo for the IWGP Global Title. Andrade replaced the injured Gabe Kidd. I honestly forgot this belt existed. Hiroshi Tanahashi, wearing a suit, entered the ring to hold the title belt above his head. (I like this role for him.) Yota already beat Andrade once this year. A cautious lockup, and Andrade hit a LOUD chop. They got in a knuckle lock, and the commentators talked about the similarities between them. Andrade clotheslined him to the floor at 2:30. In the ring, Yota hit a knee strike to the gut. Andrade dropped him face-first on the top turnbuckle and hit a bodyslam as the 5:00 call was spot-on.
Andrade kept him grounded on the mat, and it’s clear they are going long. He hit some more loud chops. Gambino said he could see Tsuji’s “soul leaving his body” with those blows. Andrade hit a double stomp as Yota was in the Tree of Woe for a nearfall at 8:00. Tsuji hit a backbreaker over his knee. They traded more chops, and they both did Lionsaults and crashed stomach-first to the mat at 10:30. Yota hit an armdrag that sent Andrade to the floor, then he dove through the ropes onto Andrade at 12:00. In the ring, Andrade hit two rolling suplexes and a flying forearm.
Andrade hit a running double knees in the corner for a nearfall at 14:30. He went for a split-legged moonsault, but Tsuji got his knees up. Andrade hit a powerslam on the ring apron, with Yota falling to the floor. Andrade hit a corner twisting crossbody block to the floor at 16:30! In the ring, Andrade hit his double moonsault for a nearfall. He hit a superplex at 18:30, and he hit a suplex, but Tsuji hit a flipping powerbomb, and they were both down. They traded forearm strikes on the ring apron, and Yota hit a huracanrana that flipped Andrade to the floor at 21:30.
In the ring, Tsuji hit a top-rope Spanish Fly for a nearfall. He slammed Andrade to the mat for a nearfall at 23:30. Andrade hit his spinning back elbow, and they were both down. The ref nearly counted them both down! They got up and traded more LOUD chops. This has been a war! Yota hit a headbutt. They traded rollups. Andrade came off the ropes, but Yota cut him in half with a Gene Blaster (spear)!!!
Andrade hit a hammerlock DDT for a nearfall at 29:00. Andrade hit a flipping piledriver move. Yota stomped on his head; the 30:00 call was late. Yota applied a Boston Crab. They fought on the ropes, and Andrade drove Yota’s head into the top of the ring post, but Andrade crashed to the floor! Andrade jumped back in, hit a double-arm DDT, and scored the pin! (I actually had to rewind to see what happened there, as I missed Yota’s head hitting the top of the ring post.)
Andrade El Idolo defeated Yota Tsuji to win the IWGP Global Title at 32:56.
* Andrade spoke in a mix of English and Spanish. He said he was better tonight. He asked, “Who wants to challenge me?” Out of the back came both Drilla Moloney and Shota Umino!! Andrade offered a three-way dance!
Final Thoughts: I don’t know if it needed to be nearly 33 minutes long, but it was a really, really good main event. It will be intriguing to see where Andrade now defends this belt. At the very least, he’s showing it off on AEW TV, right? I certainly didn’t expect Yota to lose this belt — one I forgot he even had — so soon after losing his other belt to Callum Newman. The second-best match was the 10-man UE vs. Unbound Co match.
Nothing else here is a must-see. Yes, I’m harsh on Wolf, and maybe he’ll look better if he ever gets past fighting members of the House of Torture. Monday’s show features both Shingo vs. Newman plus Ospreay’s United Empire team challenging for the six-man tag titles. I expect the UE to turn on Ospreay, especially if he takes the pin.
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