NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022 Results & Live Updates
Welcome to the live results blog for NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022 event on May 1, 2022.
IWGP World Champion Kazuchika Okada will headline the event against Tetsuya Naito in what is expected to be another great match between the duo. Tomohiro Ishii is a late replacement to face Hiroshi Tanahashi for the vacant IWGP US Heavyweight title in the co-headliner.
El Desperado defends the Jr. Heavyweight title against Taiji Ishimori. Evil will face former Bullet Club member Tama Tonga as he defends his NEVER Openweight title. Tango Loa will face Yujiro Takahashi. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan of United Empire are up against Bullet Club and Bishamon to defend tag team titles.
Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato will have their work cut out as they defend against Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI. Shingo Takagi and Bushi will have an unrevealed partner to face Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & TAKA Michinoku. YOH vs Hiromu Takahashi will be the first singles match of the evening.
Tune in as we bring you the live results from NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022 event with live updates, highlights and winners.
Results
- Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & TAKA Michinoku defeated Shingo Takagi, Bushi & Shiro Koshinaka in a tag team match via pinfall.
- Hiromu Takahashi defeated YOH in a singles match via pinfall.
- Tanga Loa defeated Yujiro Takahashi in a singles match via pinfall.
- Six or Nine(Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato)(c) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI via pinfall to retain IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
- BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan)(c) & Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) via pinfall in a Three Way Tornado Tag Team Match to retain IWGP World Tag Team Championship.
- Tama Tonga defeated Evil (c) via pinfall to win the Never Openweight Championship.
- Taiji Ishimori defeated El Desperado(c) via submission to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii via pinfall to win the vacant IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.
- Kazuchika Okada(c) defeated Tetsuya Naito via pinfall to retain IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Live Updates
Shingo Takagi, Bushi & Shiro Koshinaka vs Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & TAKA Michinoku
The mystery partner for Takagi and Bushi is Shiro Koshinaka. Some teasing over who will start from both teams. Koshinaka steps up and Sabre comes from the other side. A lock-up to start and Koshinaka pushes Sabre to the ropes. A kick and side headlock from Koshinaka. Sabre comes out with a headscissor. Koshinaka hits a kick to midsection. They collide with tackles and no-sell. Koshinaka pulls out his first hip attack.
Bushi has come in and hits a neckbreaker for a two-count. He misses a charge in the corner. Sabre puts on an armbar but Bushi was on the ropes. Sabre puts on a kneebar by taking Bushi to the floor. Bushi’s partners are swipped off the apron and put down. Taichi comes in after Bushi beats the referee’s count. Bushi keeps control for a while.
Shingo is getting frustrated by this. Michinoku tags in and Bushi unloads on him. Taka rakes his eyes and hits a knee strikes for a two-count. Bushi hits a big boot to coutner a charge and then hits a headscissor. Shingo gets the tag and unloads with jabs and chops in the corner. Taichi comes in but Shingo drops him also. Sabre is hit with a belly to belly suplex. Taka is hit with a senton for a two-count.
Taka hits a pump knee and tags in Taichi. Some kicks from Taichi before Shingo slaps at his chest. Sabre comes in for some double team before Shingo takes control again. Shingo and team work in tandem on Taichi. Bushi hits a splash in the corner on Taichi. Koshinaka hits a hip attack from the top. Shingo gets a two-count as the pin is broken by Sabre.
Bushi takes Sabre to the floor. Shingo and Taichi fight in the middle now. Taichi with a twisting takedown. He puts on a backslide using his leg and gets the pin and the win.
Winner – Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & TAKA Michinoku
Shingo held onto the pin after the three count until the referee counted the pin once more. Taichi is taunting Shingo for the double pin over him. Certainly, a rematch for KOPW title is coming soon.
YOH vs Hiromu Takahashi
Hiromu hits a big chop to start. YOH answers quickly with the same thing. They trade chest slaps for a while. Hiromu invites more chops from YOH. They both drop each other with shoulder tackles. Powerbomb is countered with a headscissors by YOH. YOH with a drop toe hold as the quick start continues. Hiromu hits a dropkick to the knee. Hiromu slams him to the corner. YOH counters time bomb with a pin attempt. Hiromu sends him to the apron.
YOH counters another powerbomb attempt on the floor and flips Hiromu to the floor. YOH hits a senton dive on the floor. Both men are down on the floor. YOH returns to the ring at 16 and Hiromu also beats the count at 19. Hiromu hits chops as YOH tries to pick him up. YOH answers a back elbow with a dropkick. Hiromu also hits him with a dropkick. Hiromu finally hits a pop-up powerbomb for a close two-count. YOH drops him with a big clothesline.
YOH screams his lungs out. They counter each other until Hiromu drops YOH with a DDT. YOH goes for 5-star but Hiromu hits a German suplex and a clothesline for a one-count. YOH cuts off a charge with a superkick. He hits a brainbuster after that. Hiromu takes him to the corner. YOH hits a dragon suplex bridge for a close two-count.
Hiromu blocks a driver and hits a thrust kick. YOH is sent to the turnbuckle with a belly-to-belly suplex. Hiromu picks him up and drops him with a lariat. He hits time bomb but does not go for a cover. He hits time bomb 2 and gets the pin.
Winner – Hiromu Takahashi
Hiromu leaves the Best of Super Junior trophy in the ring as he makes his exit.
Tanga Loa vs Yujiro Takahashi
Peiter is with Takahashi for this match. Jado comes out with Tanga Loa. Yujiro sends Loa to the floor as soon as the match starts. Loa is sent into the barricade. Takahashi brings him back to the ring and Loa hits a couple of shoulder tackles. A hip toss and body slam follows as Tanga hypes up. Takahashi is pleading and plays possum. They both counter each other before Takahashi rolls to the floor and decides to leave.
Loa follows him and picks him up. He goes for a powerbomb but SHO runs out to attack him. Yujiro hits a fisherman buster. SHO also attacks Jado. The referee starts to count down now. Yujiro drags Loa back to the ring. He hits another fisherman buster but Loa kicks out of the pin.
Yujiro hits a big boot. He puts on crossface. Loa drags himself to the ropes to break the hold. Loa starts to hulk up with more kicks from Yujiro. He stops a big boot and then counters with a jackhammer. Loa follows with some clotheslines. A saito suplex follows after SHO is dropped from the apron. Loa hits 619 and a flying clothesline from the top for a close two-count. Yujiro takes his eyes and hits a basement dropkick. An Olympic slam from Yujiro gets him a two-count.
Loa stops Miami Shine and hits a spear for a near fall. Yujiro shoves him into the referee as SHO was trying to interfere. SHO hits Loa with a German suplex. Loa fights off as he comes in with a wrench. Jado hits him with a clothesline and Loa hits powerbomb. Yujiro takes advantage with Pimp Juice, but Loa kicks out. Back and forth counters. Loa hits a swinging side slam and then hits the reverse piledriver to get the pin and the win.
Winner – Tanga Loa
Six or Nine(Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato)(c) vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match
A quick start between Wato and DOUKI as they trade shots. Wato hits a headscissor and a dropkick. Kanemaru comes in to interfere. Taguchi comes in to counter. Double drop toe hold and a double dropkick on DOUKI. Wato is pulled out by Kanemaru and dropped into the barricade. Kanemaru drops Taguchi also on the floor. Wato recovers and hits a tope suicida on both opponents.
Kanemaru sweeps him from the apron and drops him over the barricade again. DOUKI and Kanemaru with quick tags to keep control over Wato now. Wato counters with a backbreaker on DOUKI. Kanemaru sweeps Taguchi off the corner to stop the tag. Wato hits him with a dropkick and tags in Taguchi. Taguchi hits hip attacks on both opponents. He hits a springboard hip on DOUKI for a two-count.
Kanemaru makes the tag and hits a basement dropkick to his face. Kanemaru hits another basement dropkick to the knee. More work on knee before Kanemaru puts on the figure four leg lock on Taguchi. Taguchi struggles for a minute before dragging himself to the ropes. Tandem offense from DOUKI with double stomp and Kanemaru with a moonsault. Wato breaks the pin. DOUKI takes Wato to the floor. Taguchi starts to fight back and hits an enziguiri. Wato flies in with a flying tackle.
DOUKI saves Kanemaru from double team finisher. Wato breaks a pin from Kanemaru. Kanemaru hits a springboard move to drop both his opponents. Kanemaru takes a swig of his whiskey. Taguchi hits him with a hip attack, which leads to Kanemaru spitting whiskey on DOUKI. Taguchi rolls him over and gets the pin. Kanemaru was a bit to kick-off.
Winner – Six or Nine
United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan)(c) vs BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) vs Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) – Three Way Match for IWGP World Tag Team Championship
This is a tornado tag team match. Both challenger teams attack the champions. Bishamon works on Great-O-Khan in the ring while Bullet Club working in Cobb on the floor. Fale and Owens come to the ring and attack Bishamon now. Fale is pulled out by United Empire. Bishamon drops Owens with suplex and clothesline combo.
Khan and Cobb hits assisted sideslam but the pin is broken. More chaos as guys come in and go out one by one. Owens and Fale hits corner splashes on YOSHI-HASHI. Owens hits him with a V-Trigger. His package piledriver is stopped by Goto. Goto unloads in the corner before a spinning heel kick. Goto drops Khan with a suplex. YOSHI-HASHI and Goto hit double team STO. Fale stops them from a double team move on Owens. Bishamon drop him on Owens and cover both of them. Fale powers out to break the pin. He drops both men from Bishamon.
Jeff Cobb gets into the ring and faces off with Fale. They start trading punches. Fale hits a big tackle before Cobb takes him to the floor. Khan hits a clothesline on YOSHI-HASHI before getting dropped iwth the same move. Bishamon hits the violent flash on Khan. They hit Shoto on Khan but Owens breaks the pin. Chase and Goto trade elbows. Owens hits a tope suicida on Khan and YOSHI-HASHI. Goto drops Cobb on his knees. Cobb counters and hits big elbow.
Cobb hits a swinging powerslam on Goto but Fale breaks up the pin. Cobb hits Fale with a dropkick. Fale sends him to the apron and works with Owens to drop him to the floor. Fale helps Owens to hit an assisted elbow drop(their new finisher) on YOSHI-HASHI to get the pin and the win.
Winner – Bullet Club(Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) – New IWGP Junior Tag Team champions
United Empire is asking them for a rematch after the bell, but Bullet Club members tell them to away.
Best of Super Junior 29 line-up is announced.
Evil(c) vs Tama Tonga – Never Openweight Championship
Tonga attacks Evil on the ramp. Jado is with Tonga for this match. Tonga brings Evil down to ringside and slams his face on the mat a couple of times. They get into the ring and the bell rings. Evil hits a big kick to start the match. Evil keeps control as the action spills to the floor.
Dick Togo is forced back by Jado. Evil hits a suplex on the floor. Evil slams Tonga into the barricade. He keeps control for a while and brings Tonga back to the ring. Tonga goes for a dropkick but Evil hands onto the ropes to avoid it. Evil hits him with a lariat for a close two-count. A body slam follows. Evil tries for pin several times and Tama kicks out everytime.
Evil boots Tonga for a while. Tonga blocks a suplex by digging his knees to the mat. Tonga hits a suplex of his own. Tonga unloads with punches and then with dropkicks. Dick Togo tries to interfere and Tonga pulls him in and drops him with a big shot. Tonga hits a corner splash on Evil for a two-count. Tonga blocks another suplex and hits an inverted DDT. He goes to the top but Evil shields behind the referee. Tonga comes down and Evil drops him with a clothesline after running the ropes.
Tonga blocks STO. Evil takes his eyes. Dick Togo and Jado come to the apron. Tonga slams Evil into Togo and then hits driver. Tonga hits splash for a close two-count. Tonga stops a low blow. The referee gets distracted and Togo hits Tonga with a chair shot from the floor. Evil hits Darkness Falls but Tonga kicks out of the pin.
Evil goes for the sharpshooter. Tonga successfully blocks it. Evil whips him into an exposed turnbuckle. Tonga explodes with a clothesline. Tonga puts on the sharpshooter on Evil. Togo and Jado fight on the floor. Togo rings the bell and Tonga lets go off Evil thinking that he has won.
Evil attacks Tonga with a chop block. The referee is dropped and Togo chokes Tonga with a wire. Tonga fights off but Evil comes in and hits Magic Killer with Dogo. They were looking for a super powerbomb but Jado slams Evil with a kendo stick. Jado clears Togo from the ring. Both men get up and counter each other. Tonga hits Gun Stun(Diamond cutter) to get the pin.
Winner – Tama Tonga– New NEVER Openweight Champion
After the match, The Good Brothers attack Tama Tonga and Jado. They unload on Tonga until Tanga Loa comes down. Loa is also dropped and dumped to the floor. Karl Anderson challenges Tonga for the newly won title. He places the title in the middle of the ring and hits stun gun on Tonga.
El Desperado(c) vs Taiji Ishimori – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
Ishimori starts with a wristlock. Desperado counters it. Ishimori snaps him arm. Ishimori hits a shoulder block after landing on the apron. Desperado slams his face into the mat. Ishimori lands on the outside. Desperado follows him. Ishimori drops him on the barricade on his midsection. Desperado is down and Ishimori has removed the corner pad.
Desperado beats the referee’s count. Ishimori starts working on him as soon as he gets into the ring. He slams Desperado into the exposed corner shoulder first. He works on the arm and slings it into the mat. Ishimori puts on a triangle choke and wraps Desperado’s arm around his own neck to choke him. Desperado gets his leg on the ropes to break the move.
Desperado counters and sends Ishimori to the corner. He hits a dragon screw leg. He puts on the Indian death lock. Ishimori hits punches as he tries to break the lock but Desperado pushes more pressure. Ishimori gets to the ropes to break it. A back suplex from Desperado to get a two-count.
Ishimori manages to slam his shoulder into the exposed corner. Ishimori drops Desperado’s shoulder on his knee. He goes to the top but Desperado moves out of the 450-splash. Desperado hits a spear. Ishimori drops him on his knees. Ishimori has damaged his knees in both moves. Desperado counters an arm lock with a falcon arrow. He hits a big elbow. Ishimori fires back with a pump knee. Desperado nails a forearm to drop Ishimori.
Ishimori blocks the piledriver and puts on the Yes Lock. Desperado drags himself but Ishimori brings him back to the middle. Back and forth counters until Desperado puts on the stretch muffler. Ishimori works his way out of it and goes for the crossface. Desperado once again counters with a stretch muffler. Ishimori counters with a cobra twist submission. Desperado hits a piledriver for a near fall. He hits Pinche Loco, and goes for another but Ishimori counters with a crossface. Desperado taps out after a few seconds.
Winner – Taiji Ishimori– New IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tomohiro Ishii – Vacant IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
They lock up and come to stalemate on the ropes. Ishimore hits a forearm. Tanahashi fires back with forearms of his own. He hits a springboard crossbody. Ishii gets irritated when Tanahashi shows off and kicks him from behind. They trade forearm shots back and forth for a minute or so. Tanahashi is losing his footing and Ishii drops him with a big forearm. Ishii hits a suplex to get a two-count.
Ishii hits some chops. Tanahashi fires back with forearms but Ishii no-sells them. Ishii hit big chops before whipping him to the other corner and drop him with a shoulder tackle. Tanahashi gets back up and hits more forearm. He hits flying elbow to drop Ishii. Tanahashi hits a right forearm and counter left combo. He hits a senton to get a two-count. He hits a dragon screw leg and Ishii crumbles to the mat. Ishii blocks cloverleaf. He hits a basement dropkick and hits a dragon screw leg.
Ishii hits a German suplex. He goes for a sharpshooter but Tanahashi blocks. They trade more shots. Ishii drops Tanahashi with another big forearm. Ishii puts Tanahashi on the top turnbuckle. Tanahashi fights back and brings him back to the mat. Tanahashi puts on the cloverleaf. Ishii works his way to the ropes to force a break. Ishii tries to kick Tanahashi away but Tanahashi hits a dragon screw leg. Ishii hits back with a powerslam. Both men are down.
Tanahashi slaps Ishii and then hits a dragon suplex. Ishii gets back up immediately and hits Tanahashi with a dragon suplex. Tanahashi hits a slingblade twice back to back and gets a two-count. Ishii blocks a dragon suplex and Tanahashi changes it to a straight jacket German suplex. He holds onto the bridge for a near fall. Tanahashi gets to the top and Ishii charges at him to knock him out on the top. Ishii hits a superplex and gets a near fall.
A sliding lariat from Ishii to get another close two-count. Tanahashi blocks the brainbuster and hits dragon swing three times. He goes for the High Fly Flow but Ishii blocks it. Ishii goes for crucifix pin and gets a near fall. Tanahashi goes for clotheslines but Ishii stands there as a brick wall. Ishii hits an enziguiri to drop Tanahashi. He hits a big lariat to get another near fall. Ishiit hits another big lariat and then hits a vertical drop brainbuster. Tanahashi kicks out once again.
Tanahashi comes back with another slingblade. They get up and Ishii hits headbutts. Tanahashi hits back with a headbutt of his own to drop Ishii to the mat. Ishii counters with a slingblade. Tanahashi blocks a brainbuster and hits one of his own. He hits a slingblade but Ishii kicks out at one. Tanahashi hits a crossbody from the top. He follows with High Fly Flow to get the pin and the win.
Winner – Hiroshi Tanahashi– New IWGP US Heavyweight Champion
Tanahashi thanks Ishii after the match on the mic as he was leaving. Chase Owens comes out to ask for his title shot that he did not get in Tanahashi’s last title reign. A hooded man attacks Tanahashi and drops him with a couple of times. It is Juice Robinson, who removes his mask and shakes hands with Chase Owens.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tomohiro Ishii – Vacant IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
Naito is taking his time to get ready for the match. The bell rings but they do not engage right away. After a few seconds, they start to circle, still not engaging though. The referee tells Naito to get on with it. They lock up finally and Okada pushes Naito back to the ropes. But, he stops his chop. Naito nails him with punches before Okada fires back with a few of his own. They start trading forearms in the middle of the ring. Okada ducks a clothesline as he runs the ropes and nails an elbow.
Okada with a corner hip attack and a DDT to get two-count. Okada hits a couple of neckbreakers for another two-count. He clamps on a chinlock. Naito gets him leg to the ropes. Okada hits a snapmare and a dropkick. Naito slips out of the ring for a breather. Okada follows him and Naito reverse a whip to send him into the barricade. He whips Okada into the barricade once again before hitting a neckbreaker on the floor. The referee starts to count for Okada as he is down on the floor. He gets back on 14.
Naito drops Okada a couple of times before hitting another neckbreaker. Okada goes to the apron and Naito drops his neck on the ropes. Naito hits a neckbreaker on the apron now. He hits a hangman’s neckbreaker next. Naito puts on a crucifix style lock to put more pressure on Okada’s neck. Okada gets his leg on the ropes but Naito pulls him back and keeps on the lock. The referee warns him to break the lock and he does. Okada gets up and nails some forearms. Naito brings him down to his knees with elbows. Okada counters a swing DDT and hits a big boot as he comes off the ropes.
Okada hits flapjack after ducking Naito a couple of times. A neckbreaker on his knees follows from Okada to get a two-count. Okada puts on the money clip in the standing position. Naito pushes him to the corner. Okada hits a dropkick to send Naito to the floor. Okada gets to the floor and whips Naito into the barricade. He knocks him over with a running boot. Okada jumps over the barricade with a crossbody. The referee starts the count. Okada gets up and brings Naito back to the ring.
Okada hits an amazing missile dropkick. He puts on the money clip and holds Naito down. Naito struggles a bit but gets his legs on the ropes soon. Okada hits a scoop and a slam. Naito counters as Okada goes to the top and brings him down. Naito hits some hammer shots on the neck. Naito hits a dropkick in the corner. Some quick moves from Naito and drops Okada with Gloria. Naito puts on Pluma Blancha. Okada fades away. The referee checks on Okada and he wakes up immediately and puts him leg on the ropes to break the submission move. Naito puts Okada on the top and Okada counters with an avalanche powerbomb.
Naito ducks a short clothesline. He also avoids a dropkick. Naito gets a two-count with a jackknife. Okada counters Destino and hits another clothesline. Naito blocks the rainmaker but Okada hits him with a dropkick. Naito drops him with a reverse STO sort of. We are 25 minutes into the match. Naito nails some elbows on Okada’s neck. More elbows to the neck. Naito hits espranza from the second rope. Okada blocks Destino. Naito hits an enziguiri and then hits Destino to get a two-count.
Okada counters Destino with a piledriver. Okada hits a spinning rainmaker. He goes the Purple Rainmaker but Naito counters with a backslide pin attempt. Naito hits a German suplex and a kick. Okada hits back with a dropkick. He hits landslide. Naito counters the rainmaker and hits Destino, only for Okada to kick out. Naito hits a scoop and slam. He goes for a moonsault but Okada moves away. Both men are down. Naito ducks another rainmaker. He buckles down to his knee though. Okada comes to him and he nails a forearm. This starts another battle of forearm strikes back and forth.
They keep nailing each other with forearm and Okada is dropped to his knees finally. Naito goes for Valentia but Okada blocks. Naito blocks landslide. Okada hits a German suplex. Naito stops rainmaker by slapping Okada to his face. They trade some slaps. Okada is dropped once again. He blocks Destino and hits an enziguiri. Okada hits landslide and Purple Rainmaker to get the pin and the win.
Winner – Kazuchika Okada
Okada celebrates as he gets his title. Naito is pulled up by the crew but he pushes them away and starts to go back on his own. Okada takes the mic and gives him props. Naito gets his cap and tips it as he exits. Okada thanks the fans and says he wants to do it again at Pay Pay Dome in future. He wraps up his promo as some pyro goes off. Okada poses in the corner. Suddenly, music hits and Jay White comes out.
White takes the mic in the ring. Okada slaps it away from his hands and shows off his title. Dick Togo attacks Okada from behind. White also starts to unload. Okada fights back and nails Togo. White hits Okada with Bladerunner to drop him to good. White starts to cut a promo asking whether Okada has forgotten about him. The rest of Bullet Club come down to the ring.
Karl Anderson starts singing Happy Birthday Bullet Club as the group complete 9 years. They has some bears with them and toast. Anderson introduces every member of the Bullet Club. He puts over Jay White as the best wrestler in the world. They pose with “Too Sweet.” White drops Okada with Bladerunner once again. He puts the IWGP World title back on Okada’s chest before Bullet Club poses over him with “Too Sweet” once again. White namedrops Chris Bey as the group walk back. They pose on the stage once again as the show ends.
