NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Highlights: Jay White Returns, Several Title Changes
NJPW presented Wrestling Dontaku 2022 event from Fukuoka Dome which saw several title changes, a great main event match and Bullet Club showing that they are the biggest stable in pro-wrestling today. Here are some of the highlights from the show which was full of chaos. Check the complete results from Wrestling Dontaku 2022 here.
Okada Comes on Top
Tetsuya Naito was on his top form in the main event match as he challenged Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The pair was at 1-1 this year before this bout with Naito defeating Okada in the semifinal of New Japan Cup. However, Okada was able to ready for everything that Naito threw at him. Their 30 minute plus battle involved kicking out of each other’s finishers and several blocks before Okada finished off with a landslide and Rainmaker to get the pin.
Jay White at the Helm
Okada thanked the fans for their continued support and highlighted that good thing are to come as things would open up more and more with COVID slowing down. Just as he was celebrating, his music cut off and Jay White’s music started. White returned to Japan after more than a year and stood in front of Okada.
A brawl ensued after Dick Togo attacked Okada from behind. White was able to drop Okada with Bladerunner. Rest of the Bullet Club, which regrouped throughout the show, also came out and celebrated 9 years of the group.
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa Get One Over Bullet Club
Bullet Club’s first involvement came as early as in the third match of the night as Yujiro Tanahashi faced former club member Tanga Loa. After several interferences, Loa was able to get the win with reverse piledriver. Similarly, Tama Tonga was also able to fight-off all the interferences and won the NEVER Openweight title from EVIL.
Title Changes
Tama Tonga was one of the four new champions coming out of Wrestling Dontaku. Hiroshi Tanahashi has to go all out in his bout against Tomohiro Ishii to win the vacant IWGP US Heavyweight title. Taiji Ishimori was able to force El Desperado to submit and win the Junior Heavyweight title from him. Bullet Club also added the IWGP World Tag Team Championship to their group as Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale won the three-way Tornado tag team match.
Bullet Club Reunites
Tama Tonga might have won the title from EVIl, but his feud with Bullet Club is not over in any sense. Just as he celebrated his title win, The Good Brothers returned to NJPW to attack him. “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson told him that he is coming after the title now.
Juice Robinson’s NJPW contract expired in January this year. So, it was a major surprise when he was revealed as the masked man how attacked Tanahashi. Tanahashi was confronted by Chase Owens just after he win the US Heavyweight title. That distraction allowed Robinson to attack Tanahashi from behind. As the group was returning back, Jay White reminded that Chris Bey is also a member of this group despite being not there in Japan tonight. The Club poses on the stage to effectively close the show.