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NJPW Wrestle Dontaku, 1st May 2022 *contains Hyper Battle spoilers*


The Natural

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Copied and pasted from f4wonline.com:

Here is the full card for Wrestling Dontaku, which takes place at the Fukuoka Dome:

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight title
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States title
  • El Desperado vs. Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title
  • EVIL vs. Tama Tonga for the NEVER Openweight title
  • YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan vs. Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens for the IWGP Tag Team titles
  • Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI for the IWGP Junior Tag Team titles
  • Tanga Loa vs. Yujiro Takahashi
  • Tatsumi Fujinami, Shingo Takagi, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, and Taka Michinoku

---

Kazuchika Okada retained the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Zack Sabre Jr at Hyper Battle 2022. NJPW should have pulled the trigger and put the belt on ZSJ. Afterwards Okada challenged Tetsuya Naito to a rubber match at Wrestle Dontaku. Have little to no interest in that either as it'll be their third match in five months: New Year's Golden Series 2022, New Japan Cup 2022 and Wrestle Dontaku 2022. Stale booking, Gedo.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay for the vacant IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at the same show. Tanahashi should never have lost his two title reigns so soon as he did. It's become a hot potato since the longest reign in the belt's history ended, Jon Moxley's second reign.

This card doesn't do it for me. NJPW needs freshening up. I miss the NJPW of 2012-2018.

Edited by The Natural
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On 4/10/2022 at 6:54 PM, Blue Dragon said:

20220501.jpg

Good poster. Dangerous Tekkers as front and centre poster boys and AEW commentary wishes come true with the launch of the lawyer-friendly catchphrase Shingo Takagi PayPay.

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On 4/19/2022 at 11:07 AM, Blue Dragon said:

KOPW 

Taichi vs Shingo is next. It will main event one of those tour shows maybe. 

Shingo is asking for a 1-count, then 2-count, then 3-count three falls match. Taichi is asking for a match where every second of every pin attempt is counted and the first to thirty wins.

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The first time I've laughed at hearing the KOPW stips, but on reflection also the first time I thought they were actually good. That three falls match particularly. Remember when every junior singles match would open with some amateur exchanges? We could get that again but with a point this time.

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Well worth the near five year wait. MOTYC.

Spoiler

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Hiroshi Tanahashi regains the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship he never should have lost.

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Surprising post match as Juice Robinson said he was leaving NJPW but attacks Tanahashi and is in Bullet Club.

 

Edited by The Natural
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Spoiler

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Kazuchika Okada retained the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito. Post match Jay White back in Japan, his Bullet Club attacked Okada after the match including Blade Runner x2.

 

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Spoiler

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Big show for Bullet Club on its 9th birthday. Karl Anderson/Luke Gallows back in NJPW, Chase Owens/Bad Luck Fale are the new IWGP World Tag Team Champions, Tajiri Ishimori the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Juice Robinson joining the faction and Jay White in Japan.

 

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Spoiler

As much as I wanted Naito to win, I can live with Okada winning after he busted out an enzuigiri out of the Rainmaker position and set up the finish with a move that the announcers hadn't seen before (and thus had no name to shout out when he hit it). Plus the Bullet Club stuff after. Seemed like overkill to have three post-match run-ins but each one upped the ante. At least the NEVER belt is off Evil. Wonder if the House of Torture is it's own thing now.

 

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