Four titles change hands at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022

Four titles changed hands during this morning’s NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022 event.

Hiroshi Tanahashi won the vacant IWGP United States title, while Taiji Ishimori won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens of the Bullet Club won the IWGP Tag Team titles, and Tama Tonga won the NEVER Openweight title.

Tanahashi won the United States title by defeating Tomohiro Ishii after two high fly flows. This is his second reign with the championship. After the match, Chase Owens came to the ring and distracted Tanahashi long enough for a hooded figure to come in and attack Tanahashi, eventually revealing himself to be Juice Robinson.

Ishimori won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title for a second time, defeating El Desperado after 176 days. The finish of the match had Desperado going for a second pinche loco, but Ishimori countered into his bone lock submission. Desperado submitted soon after.

Fale & Owens defeated Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan and Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI in a three-way match to win the IWGP Tag Team titles. The duo won the titles for the first time with their finisher, a rocket launcher elbow drop. This ends the United Empire’s reign with the titles after only 22 days, winning the titles back at NJPW Hyper Battle on April 9 over former champions Goto & YOSHI-HASHI.

Tonga defeated EVIL to win the NEVER Openweight title for the first time, picking up the win with the gun stun. Immediately after the match, The Good Brothers came out and attacked Tonga. Tanga Loa came to the ring in an attempt to make the save, but was also taken out. This ends EVIL’s reign with the NEVER Openweight title after 116 days, defeating Tomohiro Ishii at Wrestle Kingdom 16 on January 4.

Elsewhere on the card, Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato retained the IWGP Junior Tag Team titles, retaining over Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI. In the main event, Kazuchika Okada retained the IWGP World Heavyweight title over Tetsuya Naito.