Tomohiro Ishii wins NEVER title at NJPW Battle in the Valley

Tomohiro Ishii is the new NEVER Openweight Champion.

Ishii defeated champion Jay White in a back and forth match. The finish came when both attempted to go for their finishers. Ishii connected with a dragon suplex, which allowed him to hit a lariat then pinned White with the vertical drop brainbuster for the win.

After the match, Ishii grabbed the title and left, opting not to cut the typical post-main event NJPW promo. The show ended with White being helped to the back, with White shoving down those helping him, leaving him to recover on his own on the ramp.

This marks Ishii’s sixth reign with the NEVER Openweight title. The stipulations for the match had been that if Ishii were unable to beat White tonight for the title, he would never be able to challenge for the title again. White had held the NEVER title for over 195 days, defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku on May 3, 2021 in Fukuoka, Japan.