NJPW Hizen no Kuni notes: Loser leaves Bullet Club stipulation set for Dogpound match

  • Ian Carey
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Either the War Dogs or House of Torture will leave Bullet Club on the 12th anniversary of the faction’s formation at Wrestling Dontaku 2013.

The two subgroups will meet in a Dogpound steel cage match on night one of Wrestling Dontaku 2025 on May 3. EVIL cut a promo on today’s Hizen no Kuni show in Saga before the two teams met in a 10-man tag, telling the War Dogs that once they lose at Dontaku, they are officially out of Bullet Club.

“If I say you’re out of Bullet Club, you’re out. When you lose in the cage, you can never say the words Bullet Club again,” EVIL said, according to a translation.

After today’s match ended in a rare disqualification, David Finlay cut a promo on behalf of the War Dogs.

“Evil: As I understood you correctly, you want us to up the stakes of the Dogpound Steel Cage match. You want me to put it all on the line. You want to make it ‘Loser leaves Bullet Club.’ Well, as the one true leader of Bullet Club, I accept.”

El Phantasmo regains NJPW World TV title at Hizen no Kuni

El Phantasmo defeated Great-O-Khan to regain the NJPW World TV Championship on today’s show. O-Khan had beaten ELP for the belt via count-out at Sakura Genesis. He tried to win the same way on Tuesday, but ELP countered a powerbomb onto a stack of chairs and beat the count back in. Shortly after, he picked up a clean victory with two Thunder Kiss ’86 splashes.

After the match, ELP called out Konosuke Takeshita. ELP is set to challenge for Takeshita’s NEVER Openweight Championship at Resurgence on May 9. ELP said he’ll defend his newly won title at Wrestling Dontaku and then he’ll take Takeshita’s title at Resurgence.

“I have one thing that I want to say tonight. Takeshita-Chan, I don’t want to wait until Resurgence. Fukuoka, Dontaku, you are my first challenger, Konosuke Takeshita. And then, at Resurgence, we do it for your title, the NEVER title. And you will never beat me again.”

Takeshita defeated ELP in their only singles match thus far in last year’s G1.

Takeshita and Rocky Romero are currently scheduled to face ELP and a tag partner (Jado, Oleg Boltin) on both nights of Wrestling Dontaku.

YOH and Master Wato win IWGP Junior Tag Team titles at Hizen no Kuni

New IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions were also crowned on Tuesday when YOH and Master Wato defeated TMDK’s Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita, the Ichiban Sweet Boys. The match saw YOH and Wato break out a new double team move, named the Falconblow (a “Chasing the Dragon”-style move into a backbreaker) to win the belts.

It’s the second time Wato has held the IWGP Junior tag belts. His first reign took place in 2022 with Ryusuke Taguchi. YOH has now won the belts six times, his five previous reigns being with SHO.

El Desperado retains IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Templario pushed Desperado to the brink on Tuesday but in the end, the champion retained his title. Desperado picked up the win after delivering two Pinche Locos.

Today’s victory was Desperado’s 11th successful title defense spread out across his five reigns with the belt. He is now one title defense back of Tiger Mask for sixth all time. Jushin Liger holds the record with 30.

Full results from NJPW Hizen no Kuni are available below.

NJPW Hizen no Kuni – April 29 at the Saga Arena in Hizen, Saga, Japan:

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado defeated Templario
  • Master Wato & YOH defeated Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
  • El Phantasmo defeated Great-O-Khan to win the NJPW World TV Championship
  • House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SANADA, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. War Dogs (Clark Connors, David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori) – ended in a disqualification
  • Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino & Tomohiro Ishii defeated BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji
  • Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Katsuya Murashima, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Masatora Yasuda

The lineups for night one and two of Wrestling Dontaku are below:

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku – May 3 at the Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka, Japan

  • Dogpound Steel Cage Match: WAR Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Maloney, Clark Connors & Taiji Ishimori) vs. House of Torture (EVIL, SHO, SANADA, Ren Narita, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Shota Umino
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Jado & El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero
  • Ryusuke Taguchi, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs. Jakob Austin Young, Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman
  • TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii & Yuya Uemura vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji
  • Master Wato, YOH, Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano vs. Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa
  • Katsuya Murashima vs. Daiki Nagai

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku – May 4 at the Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka, Japan

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto defends against Callum Newman
  • IWGP Global Champion Yota Tsuji defends against Yuya Uemura
  • TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii & Shota Umino vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi
  • TAJIRI, Chikuzen Ryota, YOH, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.
  • El Phantasmo & Oleg Boltin vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero
  • Stardom showcase: Wrestlers from Stardom face each other
  • Master Wato & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jakob Austin Young & Great-O-Khan
  • Batten Burabura & Mentai Kid vs. Gedo & Taiji Ishimori
  • Katsuya Murashima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jet Wei & Hitamaru Sasaki