Jon Moxley defends the IWGP World Heavyweight title Saturday in Ontario, California.
The pay-per-view event will be headlined by Jon Moxley defending the IWGP World Heavyweight title against Shota Umino. Moxley took Umino under his wing when he started in the company as a young lion. Moxley has said that the final lesson for “Shooter” will take place Saturday.
Five other title matches will take place at Resurgence. Gabe Kidd will challenge Eddie Kingston for the Strong Openweight Championship, the final title Kingston holds that was part of the Continental Crown. Stephanie Vaquer, the Strong Women’s Champion, will defend against Alex Windsor. Shingo Takagi will defend the NEVER Openweight title against Yuya Uemura.
Other title matches have Jeff Cobb defending the NJPW World Television title against Lance Archer and TMDK defending the Strong Tag Team titles against Hikuleo and El Phantasmo. In a special singles match, Hiroshi Tanahashi will face Zack Sabre Jr.
Join us for live coverage starting at 10 pm ET.
Buy-In Results
Matt Vandagriff defeated Adrian Quest
Mustafa Ali defeated Lio Rush
House Of Torture (EVIL, Jack Perry & Ren Narita) defeated CHAOS (Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii) & The DKC
As the match began, Perry received some “CM Punk” chants. These were short-lived, especially as the babyfaces took control.
The early babyface lead came to an end once DKC became legal. HoT worked together, isolating DKC and eventually forcing the hot tag to Ishii. Ishii had a short rally against HoT, but they retook the lead by taking advantage of a distracted referee and a rope.
The babyfaces rallied again once Rocky tagged in, but again, HoT used weapons to keep ahead. This forced all of the babyfaces into the ring. In order to clear the ring, Perry choked Ishii with a cord while Narita held DKC back with his torture bar. Evil then hit Rocky with Everything is Evil to win the match.
The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs) defeated Dirty Work (Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor)
This match opened with a brawl on the floor. Once the match entered the ring, Lawlor tossed around Isaacs with towel-assisted drags.
Isaacs began to turn the match around once Rosser tagged in, utilizing strong throws and suplexes to establish a lead. From here, WCWC worked together to maintain this lead, isolating Rosser in the process.
A hot tag to Lawlor turned the match back around. He unloaded on Isaacs with punches before turning to kicks. A knee strike scored Lawlor a two-count before he tagged back to Rosser.
Again, as soon as Rosser was legal, WCWC retook the lead. Rosser survived the offense but was forced to take on both of his opponents. After hitting a double clothesline, Rosser tagged back to Lawlor.
Lawlor and Rosser hit tandem forearms. Rosser then Nelson into Lawlors knees, leaving Lawlor free to lock in a deep choke. Isaacs eventually broke up the hold, leading to a match breakdown.
WCWC emerged from the fog with momentum. They used their lead to unload on Rosser with tandem offense before throwing him to the floor. Isaacs then hit Lawlor with a piledriver, and Nelson followed up with a top rope elbow drop. Isaacs pinned Lawlor to win the match.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship: Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) defeated TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) (c)
Early on, TMDK worked together to ground Hikuleo. Once ELP tagged in, TMDK continued their tandem offense to maintain the advantage. After dropping ELP with a DDT to the floor, Haste and Nicholls easily maintained their lead.
A hot tag to Hikuleo allowed GoD to gain control over TMDK. Hikuleo grounded Nicholls, setting up a moonsault from ELP. Once Nicholls kicked out, Haste hit the ring, leading to a short breakdown.
TMDK dropped Hikuleo, forcing him to roll to the floor. ELP then rushed TMDK, only to eat the power bottom. ELP kicked out, but TMDK maintained their lead long enough to hit another tandem finish; this time, Hikuleo broke up the pin.
With Hikuleo’s help, ELP gained control in the ring. Hikuleo then choke-slammed Haste, setting up ELP’s assisted Thunder Kiss. ELP landed the splash and pinned Haste to win the match.
GoD are once again tag team champions.
NJPW STRONG Women’s championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) defeated Alex Windsor
This was a fantastic match. Every single time Vaquer is in a New Japan ring, it ends with me thinking she’s the best in the world.
The match opened with a back-and-forth grappling sequence; Vaquer managed to take control of this exchange. In an attempt to maintain her lead, Vaquer climbed to the rope, but Windsor pulled her legs from underneath, sending Vaquer crashing to the mat. This opened the door for a strong stent of Windsor control.
Vaquer fired back with a flurry of headbutts. She followed up with a suplex before quickly slamming Windsor’s head into the mat. Vaquer landed a leg drop for a nearfall.
Windsor answered Vaquer with headbutts of her own. She then hit a clothesline and a massive DDT to establish a lead. A dropkick from the top rope scored Windsor a two-count.
Windsor landed a slam before locking in a sharpshooter in the center of the ring. Vaquer escaped to the bottom rope but fell to another clothesline moments later.
Vaquer fought her way back into the match with a sudden dragonscrew. She then landed a running knee strike and dropped Windsor across her knee to win the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) defeated BULLET CLUB (David Finlay & KENTA)
The match kicked off with the LIJ pair working together to isolate Finlay. This prompted KENTA to get involved, turning the match around for BC after a short beatdown outside the ring. From here, BC would continue to cheat to maintain control of the match.
Tsuji tagged into the match and tried to turn the match around for LIJ. This led to a back-and-forth exchange between himself and Finlay, in which Tsuji used to take the lead momentarily. Finlay caught Tsuji with a lariat to reset the match.
KENTA and Naito rejoined the match, leading to another back and forth. KENTA managed to take control, prompting Finlay to join him in the ring. Together, Finlay and KENTA floored Naito. Tsuji joined the scramble, dropping Finlay with a stomp. KENTA was able to clear Finlay from the ring, but this gave Naito enough recovery time to land the DDT.
Naito tried for Destino, but KENTA avoided the finish. Looking to bring the match to an end, Tsuji hit KENTA with a knee strike and tossed him back to Naito. Naito attempted Destino again, and this time it connected. Naito then pinned KENTA to win the match.
Fantastica-Mania 2024 Lucha Libre USA
A short video package played to announce Fantastica-Mania would be coming to San Jose later this summer. On July 13th, CMLL and NJPW will run a joint show at San Jose Civic Auditorium.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
The opening feeling-out sequence saw Tanahashi take control of the match with a crossbody. Once he stopped to play to the crowd, ZSJ attacked the leg, flipping the match on its head. ZSJ then brutalized the leg, taking the lead while keeping Tanahashi grounded.
ZSJ maintained control for quite a while, locking Tanahashi in a variety of holds. Eventually Tanahashi landed a dropkick to the leg, opening the door for a rally. Tanahashi landed a sling blade and a standing High Fly Flow. ZSJ rolled through and dropped Tanahashi with a PK to reset the match.
A rapid sequence of back-and-forth pins nearly ended the match. ZSJ landed a sling blade and a neck crank to ground Tanahashi once more. ZSJ then picked up Tanahashi, landed the Zack Driver, and pinned him to win the match.
NJPW World Television Championship: Jeff Cobb (c) defeated Lance Archer
The match opened with a sudden Spanish fly from Cobb. He tried to follow up with Tour of the Islands, but Archer escaped. Cobb kept up the pace, however, landing a suplex that forced Archer to the floor.
Archer used the ring crew to slow down Cobb, leading to a scrap on the outside. Archer landed a chokeslam against the apron to secure control.
Cobb eventually hit a suplex to reset the match. A back-and-forth strike exchange followed, ending with a standing moonsault from Cobb. After kicking out, Archer tried for the EBD claw, but Cobb escaped. Archer still managed to hit a slam, which he followed with Blackout for a convincing nearfall.
Jeff Cobb landed a spin cycle to put Archer back on the backfoot. Archer tried to answer with his ropewalk dive. Cobb pulled him down and into the Tour of the Islands to win the match.
After Cobb won, Tomohiro Ishii walked to the ring to challenge Cobb.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) defeated Yuya Uemura
I was not a fan of this match at all. Shingo tried, but all of Uemura’s work felt uninspired and completely lacked urgency.
This match opened with some basic grappling. Shingo won out before taking the fight to the floor. He dropped Uemura on the concrete before returning to the ring. Back inside, Takagi maintained his lead, wearing down Uemura with basic offense.
Uemura eventually hit a suplex to reset the match. He established a small lead of his own before Shingo met him on the top rope. Uemura managed to fight Shingo off and land a high cross body for a two count.
Shingo dropped Uemura on his face to retake control. He then threw Uemura into the corner before taking his head off with a quick lariat. The follow-up elbow drop and powerbomb scored a nearfall. A massive superplex from Shingo scored another.
A striking battle allowed Uemura to regain some footing. After a Euranage, Uemura managed to set up the deadbolt suplex. Shingo avoided the finish, reversing into a drop to reset the match once again. Shingo landed Made in Japan for a convincing nearfall.
Shingo hit another lariat, but Uemura reversed the Last of the Dragon into a Deadbolt suplex for a nearfall. A frog splash from Uemura resulted in another. Uemura avoided a pumping bomber, which he followed with a quick pin to achieve a more convincing false finish.
In the end, Shingo would go for a final pumping bomber. Uemura ducked, and both men ran at each other once more. This time, Shingo hit a partial lariat and fell into the cover, earning Shingo the pinfall victory.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship No Rope Last Man Standing Match: Gabe Kidd defeated Eddie Kingston (c)
This. Was. Wild.
Without any exaggeration, Gabe Kidd and Eddie Kingston are the two best wrestlers in the world today when it comes to having a hate-filled match. It really felt as if these men loathe each other’s existence.
Kidd started the match with an immediate flying knee. Eddie fired back with strikes. Kidd answered with some of his own, leading to a brief chop exchange.
A strike across the face sent Kidd crashing to the floor. Eddie tried to follow him only to eat a chair shot for trying to pursue Eddie. This busted Eddie open, only furthering Kidd’s excitement.
Kidd dropped Kingston with a forearm wrapped in chain. As Eddie tried to return to his feet, Kidd unloaded on him before attacking him with the hook attached to the turnbuckle.
Kidd tried for a suplex, but Eddie reversed, shoving Kidd into the post while busting him open. Eddie then grabbed the chain used by Kidd earlier, which he used to strangle Kidd. Eddie followed up by using a variety of weapons, from trashcans to stop signs.
Kingston tried for a suplex against the trashcan, but Kidd reversed into one of his own. Kidd then filled the ring with more furniture, from chairs to a ladder. Kidd then grabbed a barbed wire-wrapped chair which he piledrove Kingston on to.
With the match won, Kidd pulled Kingston to his knees to break the referee’s count. Kingston fired back with chops that sent Kidd into a barbed wire chair. Kingston followed up with a curb stomp and a ladder-based attack.
Kidd barley beat the count after being suplexed onto a ladder. Eddie then went to the floor, where he grabbed a table. Eddie destroyed the ringside area to set up his table. He then dropped Kidd with a pair of back fists but stopped the referee from counting to ten.
Eddie went to the floor, where he grabbed a pair of handcuffs. Eddie then handcuffed himself to Kidd and launched into an intense striking battle. Kidd then landed a horrific suplex through a table and into the barricade. Kidd beat the count to win the match.
Gabe Kidd, for the first time in his career, is a singles champion in New Japan.
After the match, Eddie struggled to return to his feet. He reached for his leg, which impacted the barricade.
Eddie eventually hobbled his way into the ring. With the ramp in shot, Jack Perry walked out. This distracted Kingston, allowing the AEW World Tag team champions, The Young Bucks, to attack Eddie.
For the first time in five years, The Young Bucks are in New Japan.
Matt Jackson cut a promo over Eddie before dropping him with an EVP trigger.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley (c) defeated Shota Umino
I was pretty excited for this match going in, but I think it under delivered. The pacing was quite sluggish after the opening sequence, and they repeatedly played into strange tropes but were never really dedicated to them. Not great.
Umino attacked Moxley ahead of the opening bell, leading to a dive moments into the match. In the ring, Umino kept up the pace, connecting with a slew of strikes in the corner.
The match worked its way to the floor, where Moxley drove Umino into the ramp. Back in the ring, Umino fired back, swearing at Moxley before dropping him with a forearm. Umino then hammered Moxley with the BCC’s signature elbows.
The pair fought into the corner. Moxley climbed to the top, but Umino caught him with a pair of kicks, one to the head and one to the right leg. Umino then began to work on Moxley’s leg on the outside. After landing a dropkick to the knee into the barricade, Umino pulled Moxley inside and worked over the limb on the mat.
In an attempt to fight back into the match, Moxley hit a tope that sent Umino crashing into the barricade. Moxley then launched into an attack on the outside, slamming Umino into the corner post and the barricade. It became clear here that Moxley would focus on Umino’s arm in response to Umino’s leg work.
Moxley worked Umino’s arm in the ring for quite a while before hitting a piledriver for a nearfall. Moxley then went to the outside and grabbed a table. Back inside, Umino hit a dropkick before driving Moxley into the apron. Moxley rolled onto the table to retreat. This left Umino free to land an elbow drop from the top rope through the table on the floor.
Moxley barely beat the count, only to eat a top rope drop kick and a suplex as soon as he entered the ring. Umino followed up with a number of his signatures, but Moxley held on, landing a cutter in response.
Moxley tried for a choke, but Umino reversed into an STF. Moxley and Umino continued to go back and forth like this for a while before Umino hoisted Moxley to the top rope. Umino dropped Moxley with an avalanche driver but missed the blaze blade. Moxley responded with a DDT, but Umino followed with a forearm, knocking down both men.
Umino began to unload on Moxley with a barrage of strikes. Moxley fought back, leading to an intense back and forth, ending with a Moxley lariat right at the 30-minute mark. Moxley then hit a Death Rider, but Umino kicked out at two.
Umino began to fight back, hitting a satellite DDT and a brainbuster for a nearfall of his own. Umino then hit his own Death Rider for a convincing nearfall. Umino landed a Blaze Blade and pulled Moxley to his feet for another Death Rider of his own.
Moxley avoided Umino’s attempt for Death Rider, reversing into a curb stomp. He followed up with another Death Rider, which, this time, was enough to win the match.
After the match, EVIL and Ren Narita of House of Torture attacked Moxley and Umino. EVIL then challenged Moxley to a title match. EVIL then changed his mind, calling himself the real champion and Moxley would need to challenge him. EVIL then spray painted the IWGP belt black and stood over Moxley.
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