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The first day of Wrestle Kingdom 14 saw a number of titles being defended. The show was headlined by the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match between Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi.
We also had IWGP United States Champion Vance Archer defending his title against AEW star Jon Moxley. Will Ospreay faced his arch-rival, Hiromu Takahashi, defending his IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship.
Jay White defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Tetsuya Naito. We also had a Tag-Team Championship match between G.O.D and the team of Juice Robinson and David Finlay, and the first of Jushin Thunder Liger's farewell matches.
The first day of Wrestle Kingdom did not disappoint and we had a number of Match of the Year contenders already. The main event itself was incredible as Okada and Ibushi tore the house down.
PRE-SHOW
Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura vs. Karl Fredericks, Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors and Henare
The first match of the pre-show pitted the two Dojos against each other. Connors and Uemura started the match which was evenly contested throughout. The LA dojo wrestlers were particularly impressive in the opening match and left the Tokyo Dome with the win. The finish saw Henare take out Yota Tsuji before pinning him for the win.
Karl Fredericks, Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors and Henare def. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura
Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi vs Hiroshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima
The NJPW veterans faced each other in the next pre-show match. The match was short but enjoyable. Nagata got his trademark spot with the chops at one point. The finish saw Kojima pin Nakanishi after hitting a double team cutter.
Hiroshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima def. Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi
MAIN CARD
Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke, and Tiger Mask vs Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takiawa, and Ryusuke Taguchi
The main card kicked off with the first of two farewell matches for the legendary Jushin Thunder Liger.
Liger and Naoki Sano started off the match for their respective teams, going back and forth in the opening exchanges. Sano flew out of the ring to hit an early suicide dive, rolling back the years.
Both men tagged out as the match continued, with members of both teams tagging in and out. The Great Sasuke came in and went for a Swanton Bomb but ended up crashing into the mat. Sano went for a double stomp at this point but missed.
Ryusuke Taguchi came in after this and cleared the ring. Taguchi and Liger were the only men left in the ring. Taguchi then hit Liger with a face plant to pin him and take the win for his team.
Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takiawa, and Ryusuke Taguchi def. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke, and Tiger Mask
Liger paid his respect to each of his 4 opponents after the match was over.
BUSHI, Shinko Takagi, EVIL, and SANADA vs Zack Sabre Jr, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado and Taichi
Both teams went at each other before the referee had a chance to call for the bell. The ensuing brawl saw only EVIL and Suzuki left in the ring. EVIL was on top early, going for an early pin attempt. Suzuki replied with an armbar draped over the top rope. He then went to ringside, took a chair and unloaded it on EVIL's back.
Suzuki rolled EVIL back in the ring and went for a sleeper hold. Suzuki looked to follow up with a Piledriver but was forced to tag in El Desperado. Takagi soon came into the ring and cleared it for his team. Taichi and Takagi were the legal men now as Taichi unloaded with kicks. Takagi replied with a running lariat before being taken out himself. Both men tagged out.
SANADA and ZSJ came in as the legal men and SANADA hit ZSJ with a dropkick. SANADA then tied up Desperado and hit a running dropkick. ZSJ used this opening to make a comeback as he tried to tie up SANADA in a modified Octopus Hold. Both men then traded roll-ups.
LIJ overpowered Zack Sabre Jr and isolated him, looking for the pin which was broken up. ZSJ wrenched BUSHI's arm back and locked in the Jim Breaks Armbar to pick up the submission win for his team.
Zack Sabre Jr, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado and Taichi def. BUSHI, Shinko Takagi, EVIL, and SANADA
ZSJ will defend the British Heavyweight Championship against SANADA on DAY 2.
YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano vs KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi
Toru Yano wanted to start the match for his team but almost had second thoughts when he saw Bad Luck Fale beginning for the Bullet Club. Yano immediately took off the padding from one of the turnbuckles before quickly tagging in YOSHI-HASHI. Chase Owens came in for his team at the same time.
YOSHI-HASHI was all over Owens, hitting him with a running neckbreaker. He went to hit the ropes again only for Takahashi to pull him out. Bullet Club used the opening to isolate YOSHI-HASHI and traded tags working on him.
KENTA and Goto soon came in as the legal men. Goto hit KENTA with a Bulldog and got a 2-count off a pin attempt. KENTA hit back with a DDT and tagged Takahashi in. The match broke down at this point as members of both teams battled inside the ring. The finish saw Goto hit Takahashi with the GTR for the win.
YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano def. KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi
Goto will face KENTA on DAY 2 to challenge for the NEVER Openweight Championship.
Guerrillas of Destiny (C) vs David Finlay and Juice Robinson (for the IWGP Tag-Team Championship)
G.O.D isolated Juice Robinson on the entrance ramp early on before Tanga Loa rolled him into the ring as the match officially started. Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga had Juice Robinson in their corner in the early stages of the match as they traded tags and worked on him. Juice hit back with a desperate DDT and tagged in David Finlay.
Finlay dished out some offense early on but soon got pegged back by Tama Tonga. G.O.D isolated Finlay in their corner and continued to wear him down. Finlay eventually exploded out of the corner, hitting Tanga Loa with a Spear.
Robinson followed it up with Spinebusters to both Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga. Robinson followed it up with a series of right jabs at Tanga Loa who replied with a German Suplex.
G.O.D almost finished Finlay off with a Powerbomb/Top rope splash combo but Robinson broke it up. They followed it up with a Magic Killer to Finlay and Robinson broke it up again. This was followed by a Magic Killer to Robinson.
Finlay fought back and looked to roll up Tama Tonga, only for Gedo to hit him with a kendo stick. Finlay still kicked out and hit Tama Tonga with a Stunner but it was broken up. Gedo got on the apron and tried to get involved again only for Robinson to knock him off with a right hand.
Juice followed this up with the Pulp Friction to Tanga Loa. David Finlay then hit Tama Tonga with his finisher to pick up the win for his team. David Finlay and Juice Robinson left the Tokyo Dome as the new IWGP Tag-Team Champions.
David Finlay and Juice Robinson def. Guerrillas of Destiny to win the IWGP Tag-Team Championship
Vance Archer (C) vs Jon Moxley (for the IWGP US Championship)
The match quickly spread out to ringside as Jon Moxley threw Archer into the barricades. The action headed back into the ring as Moxley took out a kendo stick. Archer ended up being the first man to use the kendo stick as he grabbed it from Moxley and went for his throat.
Archer continued to unload across Mox's back with the kendo stick. He eventually let go of the kendo stick and went to the top rope.
Moxley grabbed the kendo stick and smashed it repeatedly against the back of Archer's head and back. He then smashed Archer across the face with a trash can lid before suplexing him into two chairs he'd set up.
Archer was forced to roll out of the ring. Moxley looked to leap out of the ring at Archer but he was caught with a chokeslam into the apron. Archer then grabbed one of the Young Boys at ringside and choke slammed him into Moxley. This was followed by a dive over the top rope into Moxley and a bunch of Young Boys who'd gathered around him.
Moxley beat the count and rolled back into the ring. Archer set up a number of chairs and hit Moxley with a Blackout. Moxley looked to hit back and finish the match with the Death Rider but it was blocked.
Archer replied with the Derailed and followed it up with a chokeslam into a chair. Moxley beat the 10-count again and made it back to his feet. Archer booted Moxley in the face and took him down again. Archer then took out a plastic bag and tried to suffocate Moxley.
Archer followed this by driving the spike of his helmet onto Moxley's head. There were two tables set up at ringside and Moxley hit Archer with a Death Rider through them. Archer failed to beat the count and get back in the ring. This gave Moxley the win and his second IWGP United States Championship triumph.
Jon Moxley def. Vance Archer to win the IWGP US Championship
Will Ospreay (C) vs Hiromu Takahashi (for the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship)
Ospreay and Takahashi went toe-to-toe as the match began but Ospreay got the better of the opening exchanges and posed on the top turnbuckle. Both men traded strikes before speeding things up.
They continued to avoid each other's offense before Takahashi hit a hurricanrana. He looked to follow it up with a sunset powerbomb from the apron to the floor but had to settle for an apron bomb after Ospreay blocked the initial attempt.
The action spilled out to ringside once again as Ospreay hit a neckbreaker to the floor. Back in the ring, Ospreay locked in a submission hold. Both men went back and forth again before the action spilled out to ringside again. Ospreay charged at Takahashi who went for a Belly-To-Belly. Ospreay used the momentum to roll into the ring and followed it up with a Sasuke Special.
Back in the ring, Takahashi bought himself some time with a shotgun dropkick. Ospreay replied with a 619 and followed it up with a double stomp on the apron, leaping over one of the turnbuckles to do so.
After rolling Takahashi back in, Ospreay hit a dropkick to the back of the head from the top rope for a nearfall. Takahashi tried to crawl back to his feet as Ospreay booted him across the face and followed it up with the Cheeky Nandos in the corner.
Takahashi hit back with a Dynamite Plunger for a nearfall. Ospreay tried to reply with the Oz Cutter but Takahashi caught him in midair and blocked it. Ospreay maneuvered out and hit the Made In Japan for another nearfall. He headed to the top rope and followed it up with a Shooting Star Press but it was just another nearfall.
Unperturbed, Ospreay followed it up with an Oz Cutter but Takahashi kicked out again. Takahashi replied with a sitout powerbomb to buy himself some time.
Both Ospreay and Takahashi made it back to their feet at the same time and started trading forearms and strikes. Takahashi then caught Ospreay in midair and hit an elevated German Suplex. He followed it up with an incredible Canadian Destroyer to get a nearfall himself.
Ospreay tried to reply with a Storm Breaker but Takahashi broke free. Ospreay tried a Spanish Fly instead and hit Takahashi across the back of the head with the Hidden Blade. The champ went for the Storm Breaker one more time but Takahashi countered it again, this time with a Canadian Destroyer for another nearfall.
Takahashi looked like he had Ospreay in his crosshairs and hit the Time Bomb but it still couldn't keep Ospreay down for 3. Takahashi followed it up with a modified version of the Time Bomb to finally pin Ospreay and win the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship.
Hiromu Takahashi def. Will Ospreay to win the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship
Jay White (C) vs Tetsuya Naito (for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
Both men felt each other out before Naito rolled out of the ring and went after Gedo. Naito then got back into the ring, this time tossing Jay White out of the ring before it was time for his Tranquilo pose in the center as he taunted the champion.
When Jay White finally got back in the ring, Naito dragged him out to the apron and hit him with a neckbreaker to the floor. Naito then tossed the champ into the barricade before grabbing him by the hair and dragging him back into the ring.
Gedo did his part to distract Naito and Jay White used the opening to fight back. Naito almost immediately turned it back around but Gedo grabbed him as White knocked him off the apron. White then had the referee distracted as Gedo smashed a steel chair into Naito's knee. The champion then tossed Naito into the barricade before tossing him into the ring.
Jay White went to work on Naito's knee. The champion continued his dominance until Naito hit back with a hurricanrana. Naito was back on top as he put pressure on the champion with a sliding dropkick and a neckbreaker.
Jay White got back into the match soon after this and continued to go after Naito's leg. He drove his knees into the midsection before taking Naito down by the hair. Naito reversed a suplex but his knee gave out on him. He fought back with elbow strikes before taking White down with a flying forearm. The champ replied with a German Suplex as both men stayed down.
Both men made their way back up to their feet and Naito headed to the top rope. White pulled his feet out from under him and Naito crashed face-first into the corner pad. White went for the knee again and hit a Dragon Screw into the middle rope. The champ went to whip Naito into the ropes but Naito couldn't even stay on his feet.
White pulled Naito to his feet and hit a Uranage for a 2-count. The champ followed it with a Saito Suplex over the rope and into the apron. White continued his dominance, beginning to wear down the challenger. He then locked in a modified leg lock as Naito slowly crawled to the bottom rope.
Jay White tried to set up the Blade Runner but Naito hit the spinning DDT instead but still couldn't put the champ away. Naito tried to set up the Destino but Jay White just sat down. Naito replied with a dropkick but crashed into the referee after this, taking him out. Gedo tried to intervene with a steel chair but Naito booted him away. White hit Naito with a low blow before throwing a steel chair into his face.
White hit a Sleeper Suplex but Naito immediately replied with a Destino as both men stayed down again. Naito managed to follow it up with a poison-rana before hitting another Destino but only for a nearfall.
Naito tried to follow it up with a second Destino but White blocked it, forcing him to hit a brainbuster instead. Naito then hit his second Destino to pin White and win the Intercontinental Championship.
Tetsuya Naito def. Jay White to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Kazuchika Okada (C) vs Kota Ibushi (for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship)
The match started off slowly as champion and challenger felt each other out. Both men traded hammerlocks and headlocks to try and wear each other down. Okada took Ibushi down with a shoulder tackle but the challenger got back to his feet with a kip up. Ibushi replied with strikes and kicks before taking Okada down and locking in a modified Camel Clutch.
After more back and forth, the action spilled out to ringside. Okada hit Ibushi with a draping DDT from the barricade to take back control of the match.
Back in the ring, Ibushi and Okada traded strikes and kicks before the champion planted the challenger with a DDT. Ibushi didn't stay down for too long and started to show more intensity at this point.
He went to the top rope but Okada hit him with a dropkick that sent him crashing to ringside. The champion followed Ibushi out of the ring and booted him over the barricade. Okada then launched himself over the barricade and into the challenger, wiping him out.
Back in the ring, Okada continued to methodically break down Ibushi. Ibushi finally hit back with a double stomp into Okada's chest, forcing him to retreat out of the ring. Ibushi immediately followed it up with the Moonsault out to the floor.
Back inside the ring, Ibushi reversed an Alabama Slam and hit Okada with a sitout powerbomb. Ibushi looked to follow up with the Bomaye Knee but Okada caught him with a dropkick before following it up with a Tombstone.
Okada followed up with uppercuts but Ibushi didn't go down and barely flinched. He hit back with a nasty palm strike. Okada followed it up with a dropkick but Ibushi got straight back up. Ibushi started to hit Okada with a series of nasty strikes that sent him crashing to the mat. Ibushi continued to boot Okada and strike him in the head and the referee was forced to pull him away.
Okada replied with a Tombstone right onto the apron to buy himself a bit of time. The referee checked on both men and started the 20-count. Ibushi barely managed to beat the count.
Okada didn't waste any time and immediately hit Ibushi with a neckbreaker and then the Heavy Rain. The champ went for the Rainmaker clotherline but Ibushi dodged and hit a lariat of his own. Ibushi followed it up with the German Suplex from the middle rope for another nearfall.
Okada didn't stay down for long and hit back with Tombstone Piledriver. He tried to set up the Rainmaker again but Ibushi nearly decapitated him with another lariat. Ibushi managed to hit the Kamigoye Knee but Okada kicked out at 2 and a half, following it up with a dropkick as both men went down once again.
Both men got back on their feet and traded strikes. Ibushi got the better of the exchange, hitting Okada with a series of nasty kicks to the head before collapsing himself. Both men were perched precariously on the top rope after this but Okada managed to take Ibushi down with a series of strikes. Okada leapt off the top rope but Ibushi countered it with a powerbomb but couldn't finish Okada off.
Okada then pulled out two Rainmaker clotheslines out of nowhere but this wasn't enough to put Ibushi away. The champ dragged Ibushi back to his feet to follow it up with two more Rainmaker Clotheslines. Okada tried to follow it up with a third but Ibushi dodged it and hit a V-Trigger.
Okada replied with a Tombstone and one last Rainmaker Clothesline to finally pin Kota Ibushi after an epic battle.
Okada will now face IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito on Day 2, with the winner leaving with both titles. This will be the first time anyone has held these 2 titles at the same time.
Kazuchika Okada def. Kota Ibushi
