NJPW Dominion 2019: Results, Grades, and Analysis

After an excellent Best of the Super Juniors final, NJPW returns with Dominion, their second biggest show of the year. The main event sees Chris Jericho challenging Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in what can only be described as a dream match.

Also, on the card is Will Ospreay vs. Dragon Lee for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Ospreay wants to be the first man to win both the BOSJ and G1 Climax and Naito wants to be the first person to hold both the IC and Heavyweight Championships. NJPW is shaping up to have a great card here, and they usually deliver on the big stage.

Shota Umino vs. Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley made his way to the ring as the brand new IWGP US Champion and as he got to ringside, Shota Umino immediately attacked with a tope con giro. Shota followed up with a flying dropkick, but Moxley killed him with a lariat and started to work him over with brutal strikes. Moxley hit a huge backdrop, and an elbow.

Kevin Kelly informed us that Moxley was the first person to win a title in NJPW in their debut match since AJ Styles, which is putting him in elite company. Moxley fish hooked Umino in an STF, but Umino made the ropes. They exchanged strikes, and Umino hit a German suplex. Moxley escaped and hit a flipping vertical suplex. Moxley picked up the win with his Double Arm DDT, planting Umino for the pinfall. Fun opening match. Moxley worked very hard for such a short match, and gave Umino plenty to make him look good too.

Result: Jon Moxley

Rating: **1/4 (2.25 stars out of 5)

After the match, Moxley announced that he wanted to be in the G1 Climax and it looks like we know the first competitor in this year’s tournament! Moxley then picked up Umino and carried him to the back.

Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi

Shingo requested this match because he thought he lost the BOSJ finals to Ospreay because Ospreay had more recent experience wrestling heavyweights. Who better than Satoshi Kojima to challenge him? Shingo isn’t much smaller than Kojima, as he’s a rather large Junior Heavyweight as it is. Shingo clearly weights a little bit less, but he’s right there with Kojima in the early parts with power strikes.

Kojima hit a tope, which is amazing for a man his age, showing that he hasn’t really slowed down at all. Kojima and Shingo exchanged a series of hard blows on the outside of the ring, refusing to give each other an inch. Both men made it back in by the count of 18. Shingo hit a cravat and then elbowed Kojima. Shingo hit a series of punches and chops in the corner, sent Kojima to the opposite corner and ran at him. Kojima dodged and hit his series of unending chops.

Both men end up on the apron, and Shingo managed to hit a Death Valley Driver on the apron! As Shingo taunted the crowd from the apron, Kojima clotheslined Shingo’s leg, sending him crashing to the mat. Kojima hit a DDT on the apron and suddenly Shingo was no longer in charge of the pace of the match.

Kojima’s advantage didn’t last long, as Shingo hit a massive lariat and sent Kojima to the mat. Shingo hit a vertical suplex and followed up with a backslide attempt, but Kojima fought out. Shingo went for another lariat, but Kojima blocked it. Kojima went for one of his own, but Shingo blocked that, so Kojima hit a spinning one instead and followed it up with a suplex, but Shingo kicked out.

Kojima sent Shingo to the ropes, but Shingo collapsed. Kojima went for another lariat, and Shingo blocked it and hit a DDT. Shingo hit a hard lariat in the corner, and another off the ropes, but Kojima just stood there and ate it. He ate another. Shingo hit the ropes again, and Kojima and Shingo both hit lariats, but Shingo went down! Kojima went for his own, but Shingo nailed him and Kojima kicked out at one!

Kojima and Shingo started to exchange forearms and elbows, but Shingo grabbed him and hit Made in Japan, but Kojima kicked out. Shingo killed him with another lariat and hit Last of the Dragon and scored the pinfall! Huge with for Shingo, as he defeated the heavyweight, Satoshi Kojima. There is an argument that Shingo should be in the G1 Climax.

Result: Shingo Takagi

Rating: ***1/4 (3.25 stars out of 5)

Shingo cut a promo after the match, declaring that he wanted to be in the G1 Climax too, so it looks like we have our first two competitors in the G1!