#6 Michael Elgin vs. Cody
Cody (Rhodes) continued his somewhat middling run in New Japan with a singles match against Michael Elgin. The misuse of Elgin over the past few months is somewhat frustrating, but fans must be hoping that #BigMike is gearing up for a great G1 Climax.
This was Cody’s best New Japan match to date, but the former WWE Intercontinental Champion still seems like an awkward fit in NJPW. This match was full of taunting, but it was Cody who had the last taunt after hitting Cross Rhodes for the win, giving Bullet Club its third straight victory
Result: Cody Rhodes def. Michael Elgin
#7 IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. KUSHIDA
Fresh off his win in the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors, KUSHIDA faced up to his biggest challenge once again. After being defeated and humiliated by Hiromu Takahashi, KUSHIDA finally found a way to defeat the Ticking Time Bomb.
He had to pull out all of the stops to do so, however, the Osaka crowd turning on him somewhat as the Timesplitter used a closed-fist and a series of Danielson stomps.
This was another thrilling chapter in what is fast becoming an all-time junior rivalry. KUSHIDA is the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, but this rivalry is far from over. BUSHI misted KUSHIDA after the match, setting up the probable next Junior Heavyweight Championship match.
Result: KUSHIDA def. Hiromu Takahashi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
#8 NEVER Openweight Championship Lumberjack Deathmatch: Minoru Suzuki [c] vs. Hirooki Goto
The lumberjacks amounted to members of CHAOS and Suzuki-gun around the ring, but the likelihood of the stipulation being adhered to was always pretty small. Suzuki dominated the majority of the match, but Goto managed to fight back and seemed to have the match won after hitting consecutive GTRs.
Taichi arrived out of nowhere to pull the referee out however, before hitting Goto over the head with a chair. From there the result was academic, and Suzuki hit the Gotch Piledriver for the victory. YOSHI-HASHI was set up as the next challenger for the NEVER Openweight Championship.
Result: Minoru Suzuki def. Hirooki Goto
#9 IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Naito continued his shameful treatment of the Intercontinental Championship before the bell, leading to Tanahashi going on the offensive early on. Naito soon got the advantage and targeted Tanahashi’s torn bicep, and the great rivals went on to put on yet another classic.
The closing stretch of this match was phenomenal – Naito hit Tana with a top rope Destino for an incredible 2.999, before Tanahashi came equally close to winning after a huge High Fly Flow.
With neither man able to win with their finishing move, Tanahashi went deep into his arsenal to pull out the victory. Naito found himself locked deep in the Texas Cloverleaf, and with no escape, Naito had no choice but to tap out.
Result: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP Intercontinental Champion
#10 IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Kenny Omega
How do you top one of the greatest matches in the history of professional wrestling? Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega were faced with that dilemma in the main event of Dominion, and they obviously decided that the best way to go about it was to bump like madmen and hit everything just that little bit harder.
Omega was on fire here, hitting a gorgeous moonsault to the outside along with one of the most impressive superplexes you will ever see.
The Rainmaker continued to become slightly more failible, the short lariat failing to get the three count for the champion. The slow decline of the move is one of New Japan’s most impressive storytelling moves in 2017. Okada kept up the attack however, giving Omega an elbow-drop through a table on the outside.
Bullet Club eventually ran in for the interference, allowing Omega to finally hit the One-Winged Angel on Okada. Remarkably, the Rainmaker was able to survive with a foot on the ropes.
Omega’s taunting led to a third Rainmaker from Okada, but it still wasn’t enough. The match was creeping towards the one-hour time limit when Omega came up with the most unlikely of counters. Another Rainmaker was coming his way, but Omega simply could not stand, crumbling and forcing Okada to throw himself at nothing in particular.
Time was fast running out, but Okada had time to hit one last Rainmaker. He couldn’t make the cover, however, and the match ended in a one hour draw. Okada/Omega III simply has to happen in Los Angeles.
Result: Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega went to a one hour draw.
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