Wrestling Dontaku 2025
| Wrestling Dontaku | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster of the event | |||
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
| Date | May 3–4, 2025 | ||
| City | Fukuoka, Japan | ||
| Venue | Fukuoka Kokusai Center | ||
| Attendance | Night 1: 2,903[1] Night 2: 5,407[2] | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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| Wrestling Dontaku chronology | |||
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Wrestling Dontaku 2025 was a two-night professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3 and 4, 2025, in Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center.[3][4][5] It was the 20th event under the Wrestling Dontaku name.
The event was also notable for the final NJPW matches of Tetsuya Naito and Bushi as they would depart the company after the event.
Storylines
[edit]
Wrestling Dontaku featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[6]
Night 1 (May 3)
[edit]Event
[edit]The event started with the preshow singles confrontation between Daiki Nagai and Katsuya Murashima solded with the victory of the latter. In the first main card bout, Master Wato, Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano and Yoh picked up a victory over Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles and Ryohei Oiwa in eight-man tag team competition. Next up, Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi, Taka Michinoku and Yuya Uemura defeated Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito and Yota Tsuji in another eight-man tag team competition bout. The fourth match saw Ryusuke Taguchi, Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi picked up a victory over Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan and Jakob Austin Young in six-man tag team competition. Next up, El Phantasmo and Konosuke Takeshita wrestled into a time-limit draw for the NJPW World Television Championship, rendering Phantasmo as the title retainer, having scored the first successful defense of the NJPW World Television Championship in that respective reign. The sixth bout saw Zack Sabre Jr. defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi in one of the latter's retirement road bouts. Next up, Shingo Takagi defeated Shota Umino in singles competition.[7]
In the main event, Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd and Taiji Ishimori) defeated House of Torture (Evil, Ren Narita, Sanada, Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) in a loser leaves stable Dog Pound match. House of Torture members were kicked out of the Bullet Club in the process following the stipulation.[8][9]
Results
[edit]Night 2 (May 4)
[edit]Event
[edit]The event started with the preshow tag team bout between Hitamaru Sasaki and Jet Wei, and Katsuya Murashima and Ryusuke Taguchi, solded with the victory of the latters.
In the first main card bout, Gedo and Taiji Ishimori picked up a victory over Batten Burabura and Mentai Kid in tag team competition. Next up, Master Wato and Yoshi-Hashi outmatched Great-O-Khan and Jakob Austin Young in tag team action. The fourth bout saw World Wonder Ring Stardom's Maika, Hazuki and Koguma defeat Starlight Kid, AZM and Yuna Mizumori in six-woman tag team competition. Next up, El Phantasmo and Oleg Boltin picked up a victory over Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero in tag team competition. In the sixth bout, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Ryota Chikuzen, Tajiri and Yoh defeated Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. in ten-man tag team competition as one of Tanahashi's retirement road matches. Next up, Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito defeated Taichi, Taka Michinoku, Shota Umino and Tomohiro Ishii in eight-man tag team competition which represented Naito and Bushi's last match in NJPW before their departures.[15]
In the semi main event, Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura to secure the fourth consecutive defense of the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in that respective reign. After the bout concluded, Tetsuya Naito passed the leadership of Los Ingobernables de Japon to Tsuji. Gabe Kidd stepped up to challenge Tsuji for the Global title in a match which was scheduled to take place at Dominion 6.15 in Osaka-jo Hall.[16]
In the main event, Hirooki Goto defeated Callum Newman to secure the fifth consecutive defense of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in that respective reign. After the bout concluded, Zack Sabre Jr. challenged Goto for the title. Shingo Takagi also stepped up for a challenge, demanding that he would face the winner between Goto and Sabre for the title.[17]
Results
[edit]| No. | Results[18] | Stipulations | Times[19] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1P | Katsuya Murashima and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Hitamaru Sasaki and Jet Wei by pinfall | Tag team match[10] | 9:06 | ||||
| 2 | Bullet Club War Dogs (Gedo and Taiji Ishimori) defeated Batten Burabura and Mentai Kid by pinfall | Tag team match[10] | 6:00 | ||||
| 3 | Master Wato and Yoshi-Hashi defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Jakob Austin Young) by pinfall | Tag team match[10] | 8:49 | ||||
| 4 | Fukuoka Triple Crazy (Maika, Hazuki and Koguma) defeated Yuna Mizumori and Star Bomb (Starlight Kid and AZM) by pinfall | Stardom exhibition six-woman tag team match[10] | 9:14 | ||||
| 5 | El Phantasmo and Oleg Boltin (with Jado) defeated The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita and Rocky Romero) by pinfall | Tag team match[10] | 8:04 | ||||
| 6 | Ryota Chikuzen, Tajiri, Yoh and Be-Bop Tag Team (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano) defeated TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr.) b pinfall | Ten-man tag team match[10] | 10:22 | ||||
| 7 | Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito) defeated Shota Umino, Tomohiro Ishii and Just 4 Guys (Taichi and Taka Michinoku) by pinfall | Eight-man tag team match[10] | 10:05 | ||||
| 8 | Yota Tsuji (c) defeated Yuya Uemura by pinfall | Singles match for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship[10] | 23:43 | ||||
| 9 | Hirooki Goto (c) defeated Callum Newman by pinfall | Singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship[10] | 24:01 | ||||
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References
[edit]- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 3, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 - Tag 1". cagematch.net. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 4, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 - Tag 2". cagematch.net. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (January 13, 2025). "NJPW announces upcoming major event schedule". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "2025.05.03 Wrestling DONTAKU 2025". NJPW. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "2025.05.04 Wrestling DONTAKU 2025". NJPW. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Homegrown, Todd (May 3, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025: Night 1 Results – May 3rd, 2025". bodyslam.net. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Results 5.03.25: War Dogs Win Dogpound Cage Match". 411mania.com. 411Mania. May 3, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Michaels, Corey (May 3, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku night one live results: Dogpound cage match". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Carey, Ian (April 14, 2025). "NJPW announces lineups for Wrestling Dontaku, other events". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ Carey, Ian (April 30, 2025). "NJPW World TV title match added to Wrestling Dontaku, BOSJ blocks revealed". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ^ "Stakes Raised in the Dogpound as Loser Leaves BULLET CLUB Challenge Accepted". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. April 29, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ Michaels, Corey (May 3, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku night one live results: Dogpound cage match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Vetter, Chris (May 3, 2025). "NJPW "Wrestling Dontaku – Night One" results (5/3): Vetter's review of Losers Leaves Bullet Club cage match, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the New Japan TV Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Andrew (May 4, 2025). "Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI officially wrap up with NJPW at Wrestling Dontaku". POSTWrestling. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ Kelly, Andrew (May 4, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Results". cultaholic.com. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ POST Wrestling Staff (May 4, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025: Hirooki Goto vs. Callum Newman". POSTWrestling. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ Michaels, Corey (May 4, 2025). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku night two live results: Naito's farewell match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ Vetter, Chris (May 4, 2025). "NJPW "Wrestling Dontaku – Night Two" results (5/4): Vetter's review of Hirooki Goto vs. Callum Newman for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura for the IWGP Global Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 5, 2025.