NJPW Battle in the Valley 2025 results: El Desperado retains IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title in main event

January 12, 2025 Neal Flanagan NEWS, Show Reports
Image Courtesy: NJPW

Match results

  • Pre-show – STRONG Survivor Match: Zane Jay def. Viento
  • Pre-show: Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito def. Fred Rosser & Matt Vandagriff
  • STRONG Openweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii — Time-limit draw
  • STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: World Class Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson) (c) def. Roppongi ReVice (Rocky Romero & YOH)
  • Elimination Match: Maika, Viva Van, Hanako & Mina Shirakawa def. Anna Jay, Trish Adora, AZM, & Johnnie Robbie
  • NJPW World TV Championship: El Phantasmo (c) vs. Jeff Cobb — Double count-out
  • Sumie Sakai Retirement Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki def. Sumie Sakai, EVIL & SHO 
  • NEVER Openweight Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) def. KUSHIDA
  • Zack Sabre Jr. def. Hechicero
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) def. Taiji Ishimori

Walker Stewart and Veda Scott were on English-language commentary at the San Jose Civic Center in California.

STRONG Openweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii

To the surprise of some, the match between STRONG Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd and Tomohiro Ishii opened the main card. This went to an excellent time-limit draw and paved the way for an Iron Match between the two at Windy City Riot in April.

STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: World Class Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson) (c) vs. Roppongi ReVice (Rocky Romero & YOH)

Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson retained their STRONG Openweight Tag Titles against Roppongi ReVice after Isaacs hit Rocky Romero with a belt shot, allowing an emphatic finish to what had been a competitive match.

Elimination Match: Maika, Viva Van, Hanako & Mina Shirakawa vs. Anna Jay, Trish Adora, AZM, & Johnnie Robbie

The eight-woman elimination tag match was up next. Johnnie Robbie was eliminated first after being pinned by Hanako. Hanako was next out after taking a pin from AZM. Then out was Viva Van, submitted by Anna Jay.

Trish Adora was then eliminated by being tossed over the top rope.

AZM and Mina Shirakawa both then spilled over the rope and to the outside, leaving only Anna Jay and Maika in the match. Maika would prevail with the over-the-top elimination of Jay.

NJPW World TV Championship: El Phantasmo (c) vs. Jeff Cobb

A double count-out meant that El Phantasmo retained his TV Title. Cobb had already been sent into the crowd and had no chance of getting back in the ring by the count of 20. As ELP was about to beat the count, Cobb threw a young lion directly at him, stopping him from making it back into the ring before the count.

Sumie Sakai’s Retirement Match: Sumie Sakai, EVIL & SHO vs. Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki

This match was a lot of fun but was more about the aftermath and an emotional farewell to Sakai after an influential 27-year career.

NEVER Openweight Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. KUSHIDA

It could have been a clash of styles between career junior heavyweight KUSHIDA and the significantly bigger Takeshita. However, Takeshita showcased his athleticism numerous times in the match against the high-flyer. Conversely, KUSHIDA would slow the pace and concentrate on limb work to weaken his opponent.

The match was very competitive and included a dubious beating of the 20-count by the champion. Takeshita would eventually win with the Raging Fire. He then challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for his last match on US soil at NJPW Windy City Riot in Chicago on April 11.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hechicero

Unsurprisingly, this was a highly technical affair, with plenty of grappling and submission attempts. In fact, the first attempt at a pinfall didn’t come until around 10 minutes into the match.

After a Hechicero victory in Mexico and a ZSJ win in London, the rubber match on neutral ground eventually went to Sabre Jr. The Englishman got the win with a quick jackknife for the pin.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) def. Taiji Ishimori

El Desperado won the Jr. Heavyweight Title only a week previously when his match with then-champion DOUKI was stopped at Wrestle Kingdom. DOUKI suffered a dislocated elbow the title changed hands after he could not continue. Taiji Ishimori bagged the challenger spot after winning the Lucha Gauntlet match at Wrestle Dynasty. The pair are no strangers and this was their sixth singles encounter. 

Ishimori wasted no time in employing heel tactics by pulling off the turnbuckle padding before blasting Desperado into the corner. Desperado would even things up with relentless attacks on his opponent’s left knee.

After a series of near-falls, Desperado eventually retained with a spin-out Pinche Loco.

About Neal Flanagan 1134 Articles
Based in Northern Ireland, Neal Flanagan is a former newspaper journalist and copy editor. In addition to reporting for POST Wrestling, he co-hosts The Wellness Policy podcast with Wai Ting and Jordan Goodman.
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