NJPW has set up a few more major title shots for the coming weeks.
Top title fights in both the heavyweight and junior divisions were confirmed Monday as part of New Year Dash!!, the promotion’s annual follow-up to Wrestle Kingdom.
The event, which per usual tradition didn’t have a full lineup announced until the show started at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, saw IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. get challenged by next contender Hirooki Goto.
After Goto’s team prevailed over TMDK in the main event, he called for a match against the champ as part of New Beginning in Osaka on February 11. Goto mentioned his intentions while holding his contract for a title shot, which he earned by winning the pre-show Ranbo as part of Wrestle Kingdom 19.
The matchup will be the first singles meeting between Sabre Jr. and Goto in over a year, and only the third time they have met in one-on-one competition outside of a G1 Climax tournament.
Goto will be chasing his first non-tag title since his brief reign as NEVER Openweight Champion in 2020.
KUSHIDA, Taiji Ishimori earn title shots following tag win
A tag match earlier in the evening also produced two 11th-hour additions to NJPW’s Battle In The Valley card next weekend in San Jose, California.
Taiji Ishimori and KUSHIDA both called for title shots after their win on Monday. Ishimori wanted a shot against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado, and KUSHIDA called for a match across from NEVER Openweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita.
Later on Monday, both matchups were confirmed on social media for NJPW’s January 11 card in California.
Ishimori is coming off a win from Wrestle Dynasty, prevailing in a “Lucha Gauntlet” which also included Desperado. Earlier this week Desperado won his junior title against DOUKI in a match which unceremoniously ended due to injury after just five minutes.
For Takeshita, the upcoming match will be the first time he defends his NEVER belt since dethroning Shingo Takagi at Wrestle Kingdom 19.
Tetsuya Naito calls for tag title shot
Earlier in the night, Tetsuya Naito called for a tag match against IWGP Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks after teaming with Hiromu Takahashi to beat Ryusuke Taguchi and Alex Zayne.
Naito has carried NJPW’s top tag titles twice in his career, going on a run in 2021 with SANADA and previously also holding the belts back in 2010 with Yujiro Takahashi.
Other surprises on Monday’s show included a special clash between Josh Barnett and Boltin Oleg, plus Titan reuniting with his Los Ingobernables de Japon allies.
Here are the full results:
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata def. Daiki Nagai, Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato
- Josh Barnett vs. Boltin Oleg (Time Limit Draw)
- Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, TJP & Jakob Austin Young def. El Phantasmo, Jado, Master Wato, Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma
- Ren Narita, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe & Toru Yano
- Clark Connors & SANADA def. Taichi & TAKA Michinoku
- El Desperado & KUSHIDA def. KENTA & Taiji Ishimori
- BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Titan & Yota Tsuji def. David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Gedo
- Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito def. Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi
- Hirooki Goto, Rocky Romero, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI def. Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.
