Empyrean Heaven
Member
New Japan Pro-Wrestling presents one of their most stacked card of they year as they kick off the summer with DOMINION 6.19, live from Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. With many rivalries brewing to a fever pitch and six championships to be decided on road to the G1 Climax kicking off next month, expect plenty of change when New Japan invades Osaka for the second straight year. And while there will be no English-language commentary for this event (a fact some may see as a positive) you can still watch the event live as it happens on NJPWWorld.com for just 999 yen a month. Now that's Money in the Bank.
Pre-Show Match - Jay White Farewell Match
Manabu Nakanishi and TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan) vs. David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Jay White
After graduating New Japan's grueling Young Lion program, wrestlers traditionally go on a learning excursion outside of Japan to another promotion, usually one New Japan has a working relationship with, to further expand their personality and wrestling style. Such is the case for New Zealander Jay White, who made his NJPW in 2015 and has quickly risen to become one of the company's most popular stars despite his status, due to his tremendous wrestling skill that far exceeds his years. But before he heads to the United States to compete for Ring of Honor, he must compete in one more match, teaming with fellow YLs David Finlay (who came off a huge win in the Best of the Super Juniors over junior legend
and company booker
Match 1 - Six-Man Tag Team Match
Bullet Club Hunters (Captain New Japan and Yoshitatsu) and Togi Makabe vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, and Hangman Page)
On a recent tour of Ring of Honor, the Bullet Club, one of the most feared stables in NJPW, gained two new members to their group. One of them, Adam Page, one of the most gifted young talents in wrestling today, will make his NJPW debut in this six-man opener, with the new ring name of "Hangman Page", likely to not confuse fans with the other new member, former ROH World champion Adam Cole
(BAYBAYYYY)
Match 2 - Special Tag Team Match
CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI and Tomohiro Ishii) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI and SANADA)
The war between CHAOS and Los Ingobernables de Japon will continue to rage on at DOMINION, with three huge matches between the factions. Opening things up will be a match featuring one of the most surprising feuds between the two factions, with an ongoing issue between YOSHI-HASHI of CHAOS and SANADA of L-I-J brimming from SANADA picking up the win between the two in every encounter. However, YOSHI-HASHI, once considered the lowest member on the CHAOS totem pole, has been picking up several upset wins as of late, and is no fan of SANADA, who left New Japan early in his career while YOSHI-HASHI has been an NJPW lifer. With "Stone Pitbull" Tomohiro Ishii's strength and BUSHI's speed and quickness also at play in this match, expect absolute war in this one.
Match 3 - Special Singles Match
Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
The second match between CHAOS and L-I-J promises to be an absolute brawl as Hirooki Goto continues his quest to return to main event status. While joining CHAOS was supposed to be a career re-invention for him, it has been anything but, and a match between him and the "King of Darkness" EVIL ended with Goto counting the lights at Wrestling Dontaku. Now, Goto seeks revenge and to prove that he's no joke as he battles he with the wacky scythe and laser lights at DOMINION.
Match 4 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Four-Way Elimination Match
Matt Sydal and Ricochet (c) vs. reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) vs. Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero) vs. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson)
The championship matches of DOMINION kick off with what should be a wild conflict for one of the most unstable titles in New Japan today. The Jr. Heavyweight tag belts have changed hands at every major New Japan event this year, with all four of these teams holding the gold in 2016 - high-flyers and current champs Ricochet and Matt Sydal, technical powerhouses reDRagon, hard-hitting CHAOS members Roppongi Vice, and Bullet Club Elite members, NEVER Six-man champions, and superkick enthusiasts The Young Bucks. Now, to find out which of these teams is truly the best in the division, a four-way match has been signed for DOMINION. However, unlike the previous four-way between the teams back at Wrestle Kingdom 10, this match will be held under elimination rules with teams being eliminated by pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope, in order to once and for all find out who the best Jr. tag team is in New Japan.
Match 5 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
KUSHIDA (c) vs. Will Ospreay
After signing with New Japan Pro-Wrestling earlier this year, British high-flying sensation Will Ospreay immediately joined up with CHAOS and set his sights on Jr. Heavyweight ace KUSHIDA and the IWGP Jr. title. However, despite an incredible perfomance by the "Aerial Assassin", KUSHIDA regained the gold in a hard-fought victory.
However, Ospreay would battle back, and last month became the first British wrestler to win the coveted Best of the Super Juniors to earn another shot at the "Time Splitter". And now, at DOMINION, we could be in for the Match of the Year as Ospreay tries to make history once again by being the first Englishman to hold the Jr. title.
Match 6 - IWGP Tag Team Championship
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) (c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Mark and Jay Briscoe)
Since winning the belts from Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma back at Invasion Attack, the brother tag team of Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, representing Bullet Club, have put the New Japan tag division on notice, being true to their name and taking down every team in their path. However, now opposition will come from across the pond as they must defend against the greatest tag team in Ring of Honor history, the Briscoe Brothers.
Formerly eight-time ROH tag champions, Jay and Mark made their New Japan debuts earlier this year teaming with Toru Yano to become the inaugural NEVER Openweight Six-Man champions, but now look to stake their claim further as #DEMBOYS try to win the biggest tag team title in Japan from the G.O.D. Expect absolute warfare as these two sets of brother teams go for glory in Osaka.
Match 7 - NEVER Openweight Championship
Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
When "The Wrestler" Katsuyori Shibata captured the NEVER Openwight belt at Wrestle Kingdom 10 earlier this year, he decided to stake his claim against the veterans who felt he wronged New Japan when he left the company a decade ago. And while he was able to knock of Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, he finally met his match at Wrestling Dontaku when "Blue Justice" Yuji Nagata dethroned a cocky Shibata to claim his first singles title in 10 years.
Now, Shibata, angrier and more determined than ever, looks to get back the title from "Mr. Anti-Aging" in a match that promises to be all about New Japan's signature Strong Style. Can Shibata knock off the man he has never beaten? Or will Nagata finally teach Shibata respect by putting him in his place?
Match 8 - IWGP Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Kenny Omega (c) vs. Michael Elgin
Since becoming leader of Bullet Club, winning the IWGP Intercontinental title and becoming one-third of the NEVER six-man champs, Kenny Omega has vowed to clean up the garbage in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and bring true American-style to the promotion. However, he was quickly opposed by New Japan legend Hiroshi Tanahashi, who challenged Omega to a match for the title. After weeks of ducking the challenge, Omega accepted on one condition - the match would be the first ever Ladder Match in New Japan history, a match that defines American pro-wrestling.
However, a beat-down from the Bullet Club caused Tanahashi to suffer a separated shoulder, which saw "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin to take up the challenge against "The Cleaner". While Omega once again ducked Elgin since he had beaten him in a title defense last month, a win by Elgin in a tag match meant Omega could ignore him no longer. Expect a unique battle when history is made in Osaka where climbing a ladder to capture the gold is all that stands between these two men and victory.
Match 9 - IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
Using seemingly every underhanded tactic in the book and with the crowd in Ryogoku Sumo Hall amazingly behind him, Tetsuya Naito captured New Japan's greatest prize at Invasion Attack, and cemented Los Ingobernables de Japon as the dominant faction in NJPW over Kazuchika Okada and CHAOS. Since then, Naito's popularity has only continued to grow in Japan and the United States, as he has declared war on the company that he believes never was behind him, and even company leadership that he believes his trying to hold him back while giving every opportunity to their golden boy in "The Rainmaker".
Now, in a match where the rest of L-I-J is banned from ringside, Naito must go it alone against the man who has become the new ace of New Japan, as he continues to ride the wave of his anarchistic popularity. Can Okada win back the title for a fourth time and continue his amazing career? Or will Naito once again bring chaos to CHAOS? You want to know? TRANQUILO! Just..calm...down!
