Dominion show was on tonight.
Read no further if you haven't watched, it is spoiler heavy and will be talking about results and the storylines going forward
Oh. My. God (if ever Joey Styles was needed, it was tonight).
Didn't watch the 6 man tags (heard Goto got pinned by Yujiro in the Yuj + Taiji vs Okada + Goto match, remember kids, Being Goto is suffering, rule #1 of New Japan). No Wato turn, this better be some KENTA type slow burn turn otherwise despite being a decent wrestler, Wato looks like a massive geek and frankly he's been good in the ring from what i saw last night (I mean he got a decent match out of freaking Douki).
Never Openweight Title - Shingo Takagi (c) vs SHO - *****
What a match. This was very much in the same vein of their New Japan Cup match but turned up even more. They did not hold back, this was a proper strong style brawl. Sho i'd say had the better of it but it was really good back and forth. In the end Shingo reversed SHO and hit last of the dragon, it came down to Shingo's experience. Great story here in the continuing rivalry between these two dating all the way back to Takagi's debut (his debut match and unveiling as against RP3K by the way back in 2018, that's how long this feud has been going, Gedo loves his long term storytelling).
IWGP Tag Team titles - Golden Ace (Ibushi & Tanahashi) (c) vs Dangerous Tekkers (ZSJ & Taichi) - ***1/4
This match started off damn slow, took 20 minutes to get into it which is about the only reason i'm rating it so low cause the last 10 minutes they really went off. To be fair this was less a workrate match (cause lets face it, Tanahashi's so cooked at this point he isn't going to have a conventional classic, he has been relying heavily on psychology, not a bad thing though cause him, Naito and Okada are probably the best in the business at it). Match ended with basically a 5 minute torture session of Tanahashi's legs after Ibushi got hit by the iron claw from Taichi (the one he inherited from Iizuka). I counted 6 inverted and 6 conventional dragon screw leg whips per leg by ZSJ and then the tag finisher. It was a murder of Tanahashi to the point where he was actually sobbing and screaming out in pain (i don't mean like 'screaming in pain' as an expression, i mean he basically was screaming and sobbing) which honestly was top notch selling by Tanahashi. It made me believe that he was legit being murdered or at least his career was being ended and that he'd never walk again. As a match, technically it wasn't great perse, but as a story it did a damn good job.
IWGP Intercontinental & IWGP World Championship - Tetsuya Naito (c) vs EVIL - ****3/4
Easily the most emotionally charged match in recent years for a number of reasons. First of all, EVIL has new music and attire and despite EVIL's last theme being the best in the company, this also is about equal to that, it still is fantastic and honestly just screams final boss music, its main event music (then again, so was his last theme tbf). Attire too was on point (loved the bullets on his shoulder pad armour thing). Anyway Naito comes out and theres this absolute look of sadness, betrayal, heartbreak and anger on his face which he keeps for the entire match (like a 'how could you, of all people, do this to me). He was Naito's first Pareja after all, the first man recruited to LIJ out of everyone (before even Hiromu or Bushi). Of course EVIL comes in with the Bullet Club (or at least the scrubs + Ishimori) and of course Red Shoes sends them to the back. This was a hell of a emotional rollercoaster. Naito was not wasting time, not really following the rules himself, hair grabbing, using the ropes etc. Just anything to hurt him. Match goes outside and Naito throws EVIL into the barracade etc. Then EVIL reverses it and does the same, brings out a table. A bit later after the action goes outside again. EVIL passes Milano (who is still holding up his little sycthe and fan, almost in denial, the poor man is so broken he was sobbing last night), and grabs the sycthe and breaks it over his knee. Milano jumps over the barracade and EVIL just beats the poor man and irish whips him into the other guard rail, with poor Milano just crumpling down and sobbing again (give all your prayers to Milano, may be the worst two nights of his entire life). Crowd was meant to be keeping silent and just clapping, after that they legit starting booing heavily (well, for a 4k crowd it was nuclear). EVIL puts Naito through a table (gimmicked, if it was a proper japanese table Naito would have lost a leg) so that messed his knee (and he got a back cut too for good measure). EVIL gets out a chair and then Red Shoes picks up a table and is just on his knees holding up this piece of table protecting himself and Naito
one of the most unintentionally hillarious moments of the year. Puts in the scorpion death lock and it looks like Naito may tap or pass out (but he doesn't). Then a bit of back and forth and Naito starts getting back in and by this point, its half an hour and it absolutely flew by. Of course a few minutes later, the ref spot occurs (cause Red Shoes). Jado starts walking out but you know he's so slow that Naito will have made a full recovery by the time he reached the ring (he's legit slower than the Undertaker if that's possible). Sadly, Ishimori comes sprinting past and springboard sentons Naito and holds Naito up for Jado and that damn stick, Hiromu however sprints down and makes the save. Now we get Naito and EVIL on somewhat even terms until another ref spot (again, cause Red Shoes is blind) and then, what looked like Bushi came out, if Bushi gained 50 pounds overnight and became buff. Naito thinks its Bushi (somehow) and then fake Bushi gets the bike lock and strangles him with it. EVIL takes advantage, hits that STO.
1.2.3. EVIL is your new World Heavyweight Champion. Throughout that 3 count I was thinking no way they do this, Naito's going to kick out surely, but nope. EVIL is Double Champ (in fact he's technically Threevil cause he has the 6 man tags as well).
After the match EVIL unveils Buff Bushi to be in fact Dick Togo (at this point I started laughing however, i was like really, you couldn't get someone younger or someone i hadn't seen fairly recently doing comedy stuff, as legit as he is, i was watching some DDT matches with him doing incredibly goofy stuff). So I guess EVIL has a new corner man (Jado is the general corner man and Gedo is Switchblade's guy, so EVIL's cornerman is Dick Togo).
They then have a two on one attack until Hiromu again runs down and makes the save. and this is what he said
Hiromu: EVIL! How does it feel? What's going on in your mind right now? Tell me, tell me now! I don't care about anything else, just tell me how you feel right damn now! I have a favour to ask of you, EVIL. Let me challenge for those belts you just took! If you're too scared to put them both up, one or the other is fine!
So Hiromu is up next, he'll challenge for one of the belts (most likely the world title) at Sengoku Lord in Aichi in two weeks time. I don't like his chances but Hiromu is legit top 5, maybe top 3 in terms of most over talents and maybe the most talented wrestler on the roster. At some stage in the near future i do hope Hiromu does become world champ, hell, i'd take Hiromu as ace of the entire company (he's that damn good).
EVIL goes to pick up the mic but then just drops it and walks away with Togo, whilst Hiromu is shaking with rage and he just drops to his knees and screams in absolute anger and anguish over the nights events. In the back EVIL said he's triple champ and Naito is done, whilst he accepts HIromu's challenge and said he'd smash him apart.
These last two nights honestly have been the biggest seismic change in the company arguably since LIJ came in and this betrayal and title win is the biggest since the Okada shock 8 years ago. It had an air of that in terms of unbelievability. EVIL, who couldn't beat Ishii and was on a massive singles losing streak dating back to last year before this cup, becomes the double champ. Naito's world title run ends after 1 title defense as well (then again, he still looks ridiculously strong, almost op in a way, the only naito match with more intereference that i can remember was his match last year against Taichi at New Beginning at Sapporo, Naito could have gotten shot and he still would have kicked out at 2 and a half). EVIL becomes the 4th man not named Naito, Okada, Tanahashi or Nakamura to win the world title. First was AJ Styles when he came in and beat Tana on his first night, he joined the big 4. then it was Omega beating Okada, he was already part of the new 3 muskateers at this point and was leader of the bullet club and had won the G1, then it was Jay White, who just murdered Okada in 14 minutes and was facing off against Tanahashi, who despite a fantastic run in, was still Tanahashi and broken as hell, plus White was always destined for big things and had held singles gold in the form of the U.S title. EVIL's run comes out of absolutely nowhere and I think you could say, if Naito winning at WK was the final chapter of his career, then we're now in the epilogue in a way. I think its not just the end of Naito as a main eventer potentially (i mean i could see maybe Naito having another world title run, but it will never be the same and he'll never have this aura of invincibility and fan connection again as his run to it was really a once in a decade storyline, kind of like Bryan's, where all the ducks lined up, including the fans) and we're now having the new generation stepping up (EVIL becoming a leading figure in Bullet Club and is now world champ, Hiromu stepping up as a challenger).
Tonight was a night for the newer generation and it maybe the case that Naito's generation (4th gen) other than maybe Ibushi are done as main eventers and that in fact, its now time for new stars to rise the ranks and lay claim to the top of the card. It may not be immediate, but i think the rise has started. Hiromu is first batter up, I can imagine Shingo will eventually get involved and then I think there is a very big matchup ahead given their history. EVIL vs Sanada, what a feud this could be. Assuming Sanada signs that damn contract, its clear he's been set up as the #2 guy in the company at some point and Okada's main rival.
I think Covid, given that shows are 1/3rd capacity and all the foreigners minus ZSJ are overseas, i think Gedo is using it as a chance to build new main event stars. I'm curious to see where Golden Ace goes (low key hope it leads to Ibushi-Gun, just let the man get a world title run please) as well as LIJ. I don't think they're long for this company honestly. I can't see LIJ surviving too much longer (I don't mean dying in 6 months, but maybe a year or two before they're one for the history books) just due to the fact that Hiromu, other than EVIL, is the breakout star of this Cup and they have big plans for Sanada. I could see Naito and Shingo becoming a tag team at some point (in a year maybe, cause both will almost be 40). I think Gedo is surely going to start messing with factions now. A lot of the people will be thinking 'wtf is he doing' and reaction has been similar to when White won the title but look how Jay White turned out. In my eyes, EVIL is even more of a sure thing than White is. He is fantastic in the ring (has a catalogue of fantastic matches now), has charisma for days (usually one of the guys that gets the most views for promos and has a super over catchphrase and has this enigmatic aura about him as well). EVIL as a top star to me is an obvious choice, i don't think they intended to do it so soon however.
My theory is the original plan was probably for White to be walking out with the world title and EVIL as IC champ at first (with maybe KENTA as Never champ) and they'd slow build EVIL to the main event but covid messed things up. I think Sanada has a fairly good chance of winning the G1 (I think Hiromu and Naito will come close as well, Okada could be in the mix but i don't think Okada is going for the world title, wouldn't shock me if he's going for the IC title, cause Gedo loves them lessons and Okada probably needs one in humility cause he lost the Cup because of not just interference, but his cockiness and insistence on finishing via the cobra clutch).
I now think that with Covid, and the fact that drawing a gate isn't the biggest concern (they'll draw 1/3rd regardless) they're running that bullet club takes over everything angle that they wanted to run 2 years ago with EVIL at the helm.
Anyway, whoever watched this, what are your thoughts about the show?
