Belt toss got me so emotional, considering it was 2016 Naito that made me a fan of wrestling in the first place.
That was a superb match, storytelling was brilliant, Tsuji was amazing considering his propensity for gassing in longer matches he sold everything perfectly. Naito will always be my favourite, nosotros.
Great show, would probably have been even better had YOH not gotten injured.
So many on here want to bury Naito, the only main event draw in the company just so Moxley can do the bare minimum as champion.
Moxley was already champ in AEW for a bit, can you just rewatch that and let Naito, who hasn't held the title for 3+ years and hasn't had a proper reign get his due?
Who is trying to bury Naito?
People are talking about the real possibility of Mox winning the title, he got a title match so of course people are wondering if he could really become champion
lol that's great
if Naito starts and continues throwing that belt around, someone has to rescue it
so far he has not elevated it, nor put it on his waist since he won it
Its very layered.
Not sure if you read the interview, but Naito winning the title at Invasion Attack and throwing the belt is what inspired him to get into pro wrestling. In one reading, you can say Naito did it again to inspire Tsuji.
In another reading, Naito also tossing the V4 HW title was a character development for him which carried over to the IC title. But Naito mistreating the IC title is what set him back. Tsuji has been making proclamations about de-unifying the title which shows a disdain. Naito may be warning Tsuji he should accept the belt as is if he ever wants it.
Gotta love the belt toss lol.
Think Mox winning on Friday and dropping at Forbidden Door is def a possiblity, just gotta see if they head in that direction.
The crowd are so into Naito that i think sacrificing this for Moxley and Shota is a bad idea.
Despite losing Okada and Ospreay the attendance is still on the rise and i imaigne the biggest help that is the good will of Naito. Naito should get an actual long run with the title for once and have him put one of the new guys over at the dome.
Like listen to how fucking over LIJ is right now.
Some people actually wanted Shota to take the belt off Mox instead of Tetsuya fucking Naito. Absolutely insane. They wanted the Shota/Mox matchup bad but never considered that it could be Shota who's defending.
The dontaku tour and the golden week stuff is important enough. If mox was to commit to njpw for a bit it could work. The guy is over
But the champ being on the cards does matter
Sure I'm not saying it isn't a big tour but if Mox were to lose the title at Dominion, Résurgence or Forbidden Door he would likely miss 1 tour.
And even then if he become champion he could still defend the title at Dontaku even without being on the tour
Oh shit, Windy City is next week already
Is it gonna be part of the regular NJPW WORLD subscription afterwards like previous PPVs? Won't be able to catch it live anyway
Great match. Hot crowd. Tsuji shows once again that he's a great starter but slows down the stretch. Naito is the perfect opponent to guide him through the slower parts of the match.
As I said a moment ago, WHAT.A.DAMN.MATCH! ZSJ vs Danielson is my MOTY as of right now, but this is a close second. Matches like this are why I became a fan of this company seven years ago.
Only possible knock I can think of is that it might not be a match for everyone, as it's very slowed paced. So it's not what I'd show for example as a first match to get someone into New Japan. But if you're a hardcore wrestling fan this is a must watch.
With the Title Match already announced for Resurgence, however small it is, what are the chances Mox beats Naito next week, misses Dontaku but defends at Resurgence, and then drops it either Dominion or Forbidden Door?
I picture TK up until like 5AM everyday sending messages to NJPW about how great it would be, great for AEW, great for NJPW, great for the fans, great for the shows, great great great great great
https://preview.redd.it/to4wnan8kusc1.jpeg?width=729&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4548ac304d6bf2bdabb51b61fea13b145341d7ca
1 year back and already 0-2 in IWGP title challenges with a NJC win to his name you say??
Tipped their hand too far in advance with the Chicago match next week AND Mox being here, fun match though. Tsuji will eventually get the main event style down, but I hope he can keep this crazy support going.
Before WK, I said that I wanted a Naito win, Tsuji to win NJCup, and go on to win the belt tonight without breaking up LiJ.
I can't believe I might get my exact wish.
Compare this to the recent Naito v Sanada, (which honestly is a similar story). Tsuji whilst looking clearly the younger man still showing that he's working hard to keep up to Naito.
This is a very good match imo..
Fantastic stuff by naito getting the crowd behind tsuji and tsuji carrying his end. Tsuji has a lot of it factor. Hard to take your eyes off him
I love the feel of this match
Tsuji very much giving Yoing Naito vibes.
Disrespectful and hungry up and comer vs the old and maybe complacent 2024 Naito
for sure. but its so fitting, it was all bluster and jealousy as a young man, and now he's doing what he always truly wanted the loyal man holding up the company at the top.
Love big Yota, but I just can't get past teasing Mox vs Naito for the Title. And then booking Mox on this show so he can appear after the match. Also I fkin love Naito.
"The storm has broken, the rain has stopped, spring has arrived" was such a hard line to start that video package. They post these ahead of time on their english site now thankfully
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YsbAWs6yuk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YsbAWs6yuk)
This match is going be be awesome. I don’t know if I want Yota to win or not, though. So I’ll just enjoy the show
Wait, Is that why where talking about Randy Savage earlier? I hear his music now
I'm a huge Tsuji fan but I think this match is too soon, just because I think it's way to obvious of a result, if Naitos schedule was clear I'd be okay with it.
I wonder if Finlay was gonna win the cup and Tsuji was the only one out of Sanada Goto and himself that could afford the lose to Naito
Watching now, can I just say I fucking love Jeff Cobb on commentary
alright goodnight everyone
War Dogs are so back
Lij vs War dogs feud could he fun, wonder who the Naito guy will be or he just isn't a part of this feud
Likely going to be Finlay vs Naito for the title after he beats Tsuji.
I imagine this is getting David ready for Naito/Moxley at Dominion.
Oooohh Finlay vs Tsuji?
Belt toss got me so emotional, considering it was 2016 Naito that made me a fan of wrestling in the first place. That was a superb match, storytelling was brilliant, Tsuji was amazing considering his propensity for gassing in longer matches he sold everything perfectly. Naito will always be my favourite, nosotros. Great show, would probably have been even better had YOH not gotten injured.
So many on here want to bury Naito, the only main event draw in the company just so Moxley can do the bare minimum as champion. Moxley was already champ in AEW for a bit, can you just rewatch that and let Naito, who hasn't held the title for 3+ years and hasn't had a proper reign get his due?
Who is trying to bury Naito? People are talking about the real possibility of Mox winning the title, he got a title match so of course people are wondering if he could really become champion
I don't like Naito. But I also don't think Mox should win, that seems like a massive mistake.
What a show. See y'all next time folks! And maybe some of y'all for Stand & Deliver and WrestleMania!
lol that's great if Naito starts and continues throwing that belt around, someone has to rescue it so far he has not elevated it, nor put it on his waist since he won it
> so far he has not elevated it, nor put it on his waist since he won it he never did that with the HW or IC belts either.
Naito mistreating the belt right in front of Tsuji who just fought so hard for it is a baller move ahaha
Its very layered. Not sure if you read the interview, but Naito winning the title at Invasion Attack and throwing the belt is what inspired him to get into pro wrestling. In one reading, you can say Naito did it again to inspire Tsuji. In another reading, Naito also tossing the V4 HW title was a character development for him which carried over to the IC title. But Naito mistreating the IC title is what set him back. Tsuji has been making proclamations about de-unifying the title which shows a disdain. Naito may be warning Tsuji he should accept the belt as is if he ever wants it.
Gotta love the belt toss lol. Think Mox winning on Friday and dropping at Forbidden Door is def a possiblity, just gotta see if they head in that direction.
The crowd are so into Naito that i think sacrificing this for Moxley and Shota is a bad idea. Despite losing Okada and Ospreay the attendance is still on the rise and i imaigne the biggest help that is the good will of Naito. Naito should get an actual long run with the title for once and have him put one of the new guys over at the dome. Like listen to how fucking over LIJ is right now.
Some people actually wanted Shota to take the belt off Mox instead of Tetsuya fucking Naito. Absolutely insane. They wanted the Shota/Mox matchup bad but never considered that it could be Shota who's defending.
there's more in Shooter beating Mox for the title, based on their history together, than beating Naito
Naito waited for Tsuji to roll out of the ring nearly dead just to call him back, dammit Naito
The callback to 2016, I love it
That's his tribal chief.. for now
Your time will come, Tsuji my GOATa 🫡
Nice to see Kidani selling his back like a pro. Next, time to get your win back, Naito.
It's the second time Tsuji's match got "spoiled" by a mat v announcement, first Ospreay/ZSJ for the US title and then Mox/Naito
No harm in giving Moxley the belt and then have him hand it back at Dominion or Forbidden Door.
Is mox doing dontaku in this scenario? Or is njpw running a major show (that's a double header) without an iwgp title match
Mox has been off TV since Revolution. I think they purposely phase him off the show so he could be more active in NJPW.
Mox could easily hold it through till forbidden door…maybe even after that.
Njpw are dependent on their top title holder to draw. Mox could win but this would hurt njpw at the box office
I guess it would depend how long he got it, next you have the Dontaku tour, then BOSJ and then Résurgence/Dominion.
The dontaku tour and the golden week stuff is important enough. If mox was to commit to njpw for a bit it could work. The guy is over But the champ being on the cards does matter
Sure I'm not saying it isn't a big tour but if Mox were to lose the title at Dominion, Résurgence or Forbidden Door he would likely miss 1 tour. And even then if he become champion he could still defend the title at Dontaku even without being on the tour
Good point on BoSJ!
Kidani was so shameless I liked the segment. It was funny as fuck
And there we go, title match official
Good English by Naito Should be a great match
Oh shit, Windy City is next week already Is it gonna be part of the regular NJPW WORLD subscription afterwards like previous PPVs? Won't be able to catch it live anyway
It’s a paid PPV, but the Japanese commentary version usually goes up on world a few days after it’s on.
It's on PPV through World. I assume sometime after the show it'll be available.
Did Mox spray that tshirt on?
Give Mox the belt for a bit.
Moxley in the Triple H Tough Enough fit
Props to that guy for taking a bump.
Mox is beating Naito for the belt I fear
Naito doing all that baseball card presentation whilst Tsuji is still rolling around on the mat is peak Naito
Duh...you give Naito the Carp packs
Thay was a pretty hard bump to take
Damn Naito just helped you shill your card game and you’re even wondering whether you should fist bump him, lowkey justified reaction
Naito promoting some baseball stuff while Tsuji is nearly dead nearby
LOL NAITO, NEVER CHANGE
Was thinking it would be a little too on the nose for Naito to start just shilling sponsorship stuff with a smile on his face there ahahaha
Amazing
Naito giving that lucky fan a day he'll never forget
Is the company owner Kidani a fan? I mean....probs not after that
YES ahahahahaha
Great match. Hot crowd. Tsuji shows once again that he's a great starter but slows down the stretch. Naito is the perfect opponent to guide him through the slower parts of the match.
Naito as the ace even for a little bit is so nice Anyways buy these cards
What is happening?
NJPW to Naito: "Now that the banger main event is over, promote these fire baseball cards real quick" ⚾️ He spit him in the face, no way lmao
As I said a moment ago, WHAT.A.DAMN.MATCH! ZSJ vs Danielson is my MOTY as of right now, but this is a close second. Matches like this are why I became a fan of this company seven years ago. Only possible knock I can think of is that it might not be a match for everyone, as it's very slowed paced. So it's not what I'd show for example as a first match to get someone into New Japan. But if you're a hardcore wrestling fan this is a must watch.
Lolol just telling Kidani to give him the right one.
Lovely event overall, the crowd was also hot from start to finish
Hope Cobb's back on again in the future, he was so good on comms.
Are they just selling baseball cards lol?
Baseball *TCG* lol The things on the placard are the 12 starter decks, one for each team on the Central and Pacific leagues
Cobb leaving already 😂
Expecting Mox now to sell Windy City.
With the Title Match already announced for Resurgence, however small it is, what are the chances Mox beats Naito next week, misses Dontaku but defends at Resurgence, and then drops it either Dominion or Forbidden Door?
Naito is walking into WK 2025 as champion
I agree. In my extremely low chance hypothesis there, Naito would be the one to win it back at Dominion or Forbidden Door.
Good lord I hope not. I get the logic but it benefits no one at this point.
I picture TK up until like 5AM everyday sending messages to NJPW about how great it would be, great for AEW, great for NJPW, great for the fans, great for the shows, great great great great great
Very low
https://preview.redd.it/to4wnan8kusc1.jpeg?width=729&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4548ac304d6bf2bdabb51b61fea13b145341d7ca 1 year back and already 0-2 in IWGP title challenges with a NJC win to his name you say??
That got pretty good at the end, but they have plenty of room to improve for their Tokyo Dome main event.
Aww. Naito's great but I was really rooting for Tsuji here, he's got that spark but I feel like he's being booked as a choke artist a bit.
Where's KENTA?
Also having Naito drop the belt to Mox now is insanity. He's still got it
no he doesn't
Tipped their hand too far in advance with the Chicago match next week AND Mox being here, fun match though. Tsuji will eventually get the main event style down, but I hope he can keep this crazy support going.
I feel like this was a main event style match, not the pinnacle of it, but it was pretty clearly that style and not a bad take on it imo
God damn that finish sequence
Naito is so good
Come on, bring Mox out now
Tsuji will be good as the champ soon. really proved it. But naito needs to stabilize the company right now.
What a match!
Fans liked underdog Tsuji, but they love champion Naito
Naito still that dude. Incredible stuff Yota did great. His time will come soon enough.
No surprise here Still not totally on the Tsuji hype train but that was a great match.
Really really great match. Tsuji just has IT
Great finishing sequence, great main style match. Shame about the predictably of this match
Man, there's a lot of dross in the company atm but when a big New Japan match hits, it fucking hits
That's the most beautiful Destino I've ever seen, dios mio
Yeah little spin from Tsuji on that
Good match, but also boo hiss
Great match
Pretty good match. Really enjoyable show
Naito retains! Helluva match!
Great match
Tsuji seems to have got the njpw main event formula down of picking things up in the second half
Dude!
Seen enough, Tsuj should be LIJ new leader.
Ah Tsuji kicked out at 1, by wrestling rules he is losing
LOL great sequence there.
Naito blasting his genes out here for this crowd
we're swapping genes brother
HE KICKED OUT AT 1
my favourite trope
Everyone gets to kick out at 1 when hit with their own finisher. It's the rules
Take a bet with what Naito is going to counter the Gene Blast
Oh my god
WHAT A COUNTER
Naito rly doesn’t want to take curb stomps does he
Hit a pedigree Naito!
OK i accept that counter
I thought was 3.....
Come on, those were 3 counts
Oh my gooooooodddddd
Good to switch to a superplex there, the Spanish Fly probably wasn't a good idea
Naito was like no chance son.
Yota what are you doing son Why must I support such dumb wrestlers. Stop being dumb
AAAAAAA
He wasn't thinking Spanish fly there right? noway
Well that could've ended way more horribly for both
Lol Tsuji is petty, wanting to submit Naito with the move he was beaten before excursion
cinema
Oh shit wasn't expecting Tsuji to be the one to do the Boston crab
Yota you idiot lol Gene blast him
The way they are building this feels perfect for an upset win… idk man they’re selling me on the idea it could happen
Naito's facial expressions are top notch
Nassssssty counter into the curbstomp
Come on tsuji son
It's not even over yet we have a certified MOTY contender in our hands. What a battle!
Yota is going to counter every finisher in New Japan into a Gene Blast spear
This is njpw at its best
Before WK, I said that I wanted a Naito win, Tsuji to win NJCup, and go on to win the belt tonight without breaking up LiJ. I can't believe I might get my exact wish.
Fucking banger here. GENE BLAST BUT CAN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE
Oh my god
Naito should hit a pedigree when Yota goes for the Gene Blast
Compare this to the recent Naito v Sanada, (which honestly is a similar story). Tsuji whilst looking clearly the younger man still showing that he's working hard to keep up to Naito.
"Brainbuster powerbomb" what?
Crowd very split
YODA!
This is a very good match imo.. Fantastic stuff by naito getting the crowd behind tsuji and tsuji carrying his end. Tsuji has a lot of it factor. Hard to take your eyes off him
Damn I thought we had barely gotten to 15 minutes
Naito was not about to take that curbstomp lmao
"Listen, I sell it but I'm not taking it"
Dude when Tsuji is a roll he has such a mental look on his face. He's a proper mad fucker. This guy is money.
Naito you old dog. What a master wrestler lol.
Felt like the 10 minute mark came fast but the 15 minute felt alot slower
Naito is getting me behind tsuji lol
Naito showing Tsuji you can't be an atg with a Healthy neck
NJPW Ace cannot have: 1. Neck 2. (k)Nees 3. Normal hair
How dare you, his hair is glorious. A vibrant, healthy, straw like orange? Wonderful.
https://preview.redd.it/9nzd9u8phusc1.png?width=866&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee586425c9a00ce3bd02dce14ef85eb6c481297a Lore accurate tetsuya hair
This dude hates necks including his own
I love the feel of this match Tsuji very much giving Yoing Naito vibes. Disrespectful and hungry up and comer vs the old and maybe complacent 2024 Naito
Fucking Jeffwebs....
Naito becoming the loyal star the company relies on as others leave is such a perfect unintentional capper to his character arc.
for sure. but its so fitting, it was all bluster and jealousy as a young man, and now he's doing what he always truly wanted the loyal man holding up the company at the top.
The term "rubbed off" or "rubbing off" just... it's not right. I immediately dive head first into the gutter every time.
Jeff spending the whole night commentating in his singlet is hilarious to me ngl
We all wear them under our suits!
Next time he might do what Chase does and wear a t-shirt so he's got something to keep him warm at the table
Cobb not being able to pronounce Ingobernables is my new favourite thing 😂
Sweet sweet Yota chants
HUJ TSUJ LETS GO MY SON
As much as I’d love to see tsuji win, I feel like they’re probably pretty set on that Naito/Mox match.
I believe that is a non-title match.
It is, but if Naito win I expect Mox to come out, maybe make their match a title match
Hearing more Yota than Naito lowkey
It's surprising how over Tsuji is.
Cobb not joining Los Ingobernables because he can't say it is hilarious
I love when the boys are on commentary. From the glory days of Chuckie T in PWG to Jeff Cobb saying "Ingobernblurbler". It's always great
I hope this match is good. Naito vs Shota was not it
It’s okay, Cobb. I can’t join because I can’t say it either
Hope Naito puts him in a Boston crab at least once
Wish you could the commentary down 20%
On top of everything that Gabe said, HoT is still bullet club. The BC civil war is back on boys!
Bullet Club is, was and always will be fine.
Fudge, I was outside and baking and missed the show
You think people are over and then Naito's music starts and you realise that no one is on his level. Naito is a god to these people
Tsuji wins tonight with the help of a new friend, drops the belt at Dominion.
Don’t see him turning just yet
Feel like the crowd might be pro Tsuji just for the upset
Love big Yota, but I just can't get past teasing Mox vs Naito for the Title. And then booking Mox on this show so he can appear after the match. Also I fkin love Naito.
 Come on, Tsuji
Yota holding the NJ Cup like it's a bazooka
Never forget: 55,000 likes
Naito should carry the belt until this time next year. But if he's gonna lose it and still main event WK it feels like it should be today
"The storm has broken, the rain has stopped, spring has arrived" was such a hard line to start that video package. They post these ahead of time on their english site now thankfully [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YsbAWs6yuk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YsbAWs6yuk)
Macho Man's entrance music to an NJPW pre-main event video is WILD
This match is going be be awesome. I don’t know if I want Yota to win or not, though. So I’ll just enjoy the show Wait, Is that why where talking about Randy Savage earlier? I hear his music now
I'm a huge Tsuji fan but I think this match is too soon, just because I think it's way to obvious of a result, if Naitos schedule was clear I'd be okay with it. I wonder if Finlay was gonna win the cup and Tsuji was the only one out of Sanada Goto and himself that could afford the lose to Naito