Our NJPW Strong Style Evolved results for tonight include Mercedes Moné defending the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship against Hazuki. Plus, Gabe Kidd will defend the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship against Ryohei Oiwa. Konosuke Takeshita, Jack Perry, Zack Sabre Jr, and other stars will also compete.
- NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Hazuki
- Los Ingobernables De Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Jack Perry
- TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr, Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste) vs. Shota Umino, Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Ryohei Oiwa
- Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Titan) vs. United Empire (Templario & Jakob Austin Young)
- Lio Rush vs. Hechicero
- Clark Connors vs. KUSHIDA vs. Kosei Fujita vs. TJP
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) (c) vs. West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
- Mina Shirakawa vs. Johnnie Robbie
- Kickoff Match: STRONG Survivor: Matt Vandagriff vs. Zane Jay
NJPW Strong Style Evolved Results
Kickoff Match: STRONG Survivor: Matt Vandagriff vs. Zane Jay
Jay takes the fight to Vandagriff early on and takes control. Vandagriff rallies and sends Jay to the outside. He hits him with a dropkick. Back in the ring, Jay gains the upper hand again. Vandagriff hits him with a kick. He suplexes Jay. Jay fires up with a suplex. He keeps rolling with a flurry of offense. Jay sends Vandagriff to the outside with a dropkick. He vaults onto Jay Vandagriff with a slingshot splash.
Vandagriff responds with some kicks. Jay dumps him with a slam. Vandagriff sends Jay crashing off the top and down to the floor. He dives onto Jay at ringside. Vandagriff hits a frog splash for a two-count. He hits a buckle bomb and a running kick for another two-count. Jay rallies with a spinebuster and a diving elbow. Vandagriff superkicks him. Jay locks in a Boston Crab and makes Jay tap out.
Winner: Zane Jay
Vandagriff is clearly upset, but he shakes Jay’s hand.
Grade: B
Hard-fought match here, which helped the show begin with a strong start. This was a breakout showing for Jay, who previously faced Vandagriff at NJPW Windy City Riot.
The broadcast team previews the card.
Mina Shirakawa vs. Johnnie Robbie
Shirakawa and Robbie battle back and forth. Shirakawa gains the upper hand. Robbie responds with a suplex. Shirakawa locks in a Figure-Four, but Robbie reaches the ropes. She hits a diving Slingblade for a two-count. Robbie gets a two-count with a pin attempt.
Shirakawa rocks her with a shot to the face. She hits Robbie with the Glamorous Driver for the win.
Winner: Mina Shirakawa
Shirakawa briefly dances after the match.
Grade: B
Good showing for Shirakawa here. The outcome was never in doubt, as it seems likely that she’s getting built up for a title shot.
Grizzled Young Veterans Defend The Gold
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) (c) vs. West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
The two teams square off before the bell. Nelson and Drake start the match. They battle for positioning. West Coast Wrecking Crew double-team Drake. Gibson tags in and takes control. He trades blows with Nelson. Nelson locks in a crossface. Isaacs grounds Gibson. He suplexes Gibson and maintains the advantage, but Drake tags in, and the champions take control.
Drake grounds Isaacs. Gibson maintains the advantage, but Isaacs rallies with a German suplex. Nelson rallies with a Spear and keeps rolling with some chops. He hits a crossbody to Drake and Gibson. Isaacs fires up with some lariats. He clotheslines Gibson over the ropes. Grizzled Young Veterans double-team Isaacs. Drake locks in a Koji Clutch, and Gibson stomps him. Isaacs powers his way out and slams Drake into Gibson. The match resets as the two teams square off and trade blows. Isaacs and Nelson double-team Drake with a Falcon Arrow/Powerbomb.
Isaacs slams Drake onto Nelson’s knees. Gibson rolls Isaacs up for a two-count. Isaacs nails him with a Superman Punch. Drake grabs Isaacs with his scarf. He tags in, but Nelson breaks up Grit Your Teeth, and Isaacs pins Drake for the win.
Winners and new NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions: West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
Rocky Romero comes out after the bell. He congratulates the duo on their win and highlights their hard work to reach this point. Romero says he wants to be their first challenger, and he was a partner across the pond. He names YOH as his partner and challenges them to a title match at NJPW Battle in the Valley. Romero starts to leave, but Isaacs slams him. West Coast Wrecking Crew stand over Romero.
Grade: B+
Competitive match and unexpected result here, as Grizzled Young Veterans only won the titles in November, and you’d figure that they would get a decent title run, especially heading into Wrestle Kingdom/Wrestle Dynasty. By beating GYV, West Coast Wrecking Crew established themselves even more than they already have, as they have been underrated for a while.
Four-Way Action At NJPW Strong Style Evolved
Clark Connors vs. KUSHIDA vs. Kosei Fujita vs. TJP
Connors gets a chair, but the other competitors gang up on him. Fujita and TJP go back and forth. Connors takes control. He drills TJP with some stiff shots. Connors sends TJP into the corner. He sends him to the corner again, and TJP spills to the outside. Connors grounds KUSHIDA. TJP rallies, and Connors goes for a slam, but TJP turns it into a pin attempt. Fujita slams Connors onto TJP.
Fujita hits a springboard dropkick. KUSHIDA dropkicks Connors. KUSHIDA keeps rolling with a DDT on the floor. TJP takes control. KUSHIDA gets a two-count with a pin attempt. Connors slams TJP. TJP traps Fujita and Clarks in a submission hold, but KUSHIDA breaks it up. Fujita goes for the Hoverboard Lock on KUSHIDA. All four men are down after lariats.
Connors sends Fujita to the outside. KUSHIDA locks in the Hoverboard Lock, but TJP breaks it up with a splash. TJP and Fujita both go for pins, but TJP’s pin gets counted, and he is declared the winner.
Winner: TJP
The four competitors square off after the bell as tensions are high ahead of their tag title match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19.
Grade: B+
Fun, fast-paced four-way match here. All four guys had a good showing. This was a good way to preview the upcoming four-way title match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19. The finish was creative, and it protected Fujita.
Lio Rush vs. Hechicero
Rush and Hechicero feel each other out early on. They’re evenly matched early on. Romero plays to the crowd, as does Hechicero. They go back and forth and trade fast-paced offense. Hechicero sends Rush to the outside with a kick. Strong goes for a takedown, but Hechicero lands on his feet. Hechicero kicks him. Rush responds with a kick of his own. Both men are down after they kick each other on the apron.
Hechicero dives off the top and gets a two-count on Rush. He locks in a submission, but Rush reaches the ropes. Hechicero continues to control the action. He drops Rush with a backbreaker. Rush rallies and dives onto Hechicero. Rush hits the Rebound.
Hechicero answers with an elbow drop. Rush stacks Hechicero up and gets a two-count. He gets another two-count with a pin attempt and kicks Hechicero. Hechicero rocks Rush with a kick and slams him for the win.
Winner: Hechicero
Grade: B+
This was one of the sleeper matches on the card, and it delivered. Rush and Hechicero both brought it. The fast-paced action heated up the crowd. A win for Rush would have really established him as a contender in NJPW, but the loss didn’t hurt him either.
Los Ingobernables De Japon Battles United Empire
Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Titan) vs. United Empire (Templario & Jakob Austin Young) (with TJP)
Templario and Young double-team Takahashi. Takahashi quickly fires up and hits some crossbodies at ringside. Titan maintains the upper hand and grounds Young. Templario continues to control the match and targets Takahashi’s leg. Young and Templario double-team Takahashi. Takahashi rallies with a Falcon Arrow.
Titan tags in and takes control with a flurry of offense. He sends Templario to the outside. Titan hits a springboard moonsault to the outside.
Templario drops Titan with a gut-buster. Takahashi rocks Templario with a superkick. LIJ double-team Templario. Takahashi slams Templario. Titan hits a splash. Templario rallies and pins Titan with a powerbomb backbreaker.
Winners: United Empire (Templario & Jakob Austin Young) (with TJP)
United Empire celebrates after the match.
Grade: B+
The exchanges between Templario and Titan were especially good, and they showcased the Lucha Libre style beautifully. Takahashi was solid has always, and Young held his own with the others. Templario’s addition to United Empire could help them gain momentum in 2025.
Gabe Kidd Defends The Gold At NJPW Strong Style Evolved
NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Ryohei Oiwa
Kidd rocks Oiwa with a shot to the face and chops him. He drills Oiwa with more chops. Oiwa takes Kidd to the mat and grounds him. The match spills to the outside, and Kidd drops Oiwa with a lariat. Oiwa gets back in the ring, and Kidd continues to control the action. Oiwa responds with a shot to the face. They trade blows. Oiwa dumps Kidd with a German suplex and plants him with another suplex. He gets a two-count with a bridging German suplex.
Kidd levels Oiwa with a rebound lariat. He drops Oiwa with a Brainbuster. They trade lariats and shots to the face. Oiwa gets a two-count with a pin attempt. Oiwa catches Kidd with a Doctor Bomb. Clark Connors pulls the referee out of the ring to break up the pin. Connors gets a chair and hits Oiwa. Kosei Fujita runs in and dropkicks Connors. They brawl to the back. Kidd and Oiwa hit each other with lariats. Kidd tosses Oiwa with a back-drop. Oiwa answers with a lariat.
Kidd drops Oiwa with a shot to the face and spikes him with a piledriver for a two-count. He hits the Mad Man Bomb for the win.
Winner and still NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion: Gabe Kidd
Kidd celebrates after the bell. He gets a microphone and says “f*ck you” to anyone who’s booing him. He continues to insult the crowd. Kidd turns his attention to his match with Kenny Omega at NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty. He notes that Omega is a “little bitch” who took a year off for a stomach illness. Kidd says Omega will wish diverticulitis killed him when he’s done with him. He says “f*ck all them AEW p*ssies”. He says he will retire Kenny Omega and challenges Tomohiro Ishii to face him at NJPW Battle in the Valley.
Grade: A
This was one of the best matches on the card. A loss for Kidd seemed unlikely, given his upcoming match with Kenny Omega, but this was a star-making performance for Oiwa. This felt like what strong style is all about. Kidd is one of the most underrated promos in the business, and his post-match message helped build buzz for his match with Omega.
TMDK Competes In Six-Man Action
TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr, Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste) vs. Shota Umino, Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor
Sabre Jr. and Umino start the match. They trade blows, and they go back and forth. The two competitors trade counters. Lawlor and Haste tag in. They battle for positioning. Tito and Rosser tag in and trade shoulder blocks. Lawlor and Rosser double-team Tito. Umino, Rosser, and Lawlor maintain the advantage. Tito slams Rosser. Tito, Haste, and Sabre Jr. isolate Rosser and keep him grounded. Hast drills Rosser with a kick. Sabre Jr. wrenches Umino in a Cobra Twist at ringside.
Rosser rallies and drops Haste with a Gut Check. Umino tags in and clears house. He catches Haste with a dropkick. Haste responds with a dropkick of his own. Sabre Jr. tags in, and TMDK gangs up on Umino. Sabre Jr. wrenches Umino in an arm-bar, but Rosser breaks it up. Umino rallies and slams Sabre Jr. He hits Sabre Jr. with a tornado DDT. Lawlor and Tito trade strikes. Rosser slams Tito. Lawlor hits a diving fist drop. Tito answers with an F5. Umino dropkicks Haste.
Haste and Rosser go tumbling to the floor. Sabre Jr. slams Umino. Lawlor and Tito keep battling. Tito spikes Lawlor with a piledriver for the win.
Winners: TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr, Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste)
TMDK celebrates. Sabre Jr. gets in Umino’s face, talks some trash, and raises his title. He dares Umino to hit him, and Umino walks away. Sabre Jr. keeps talking trash, and they get into a heated confrontation. Umino again refuses to hit Sabre Jr. and walks away.
Grade: B
Something was missing here. It felt like the match never quite got to the next level that you would expect, given the talent involved. This was an effective preview of Sabre Jr.’s upcoming match with Umino, but the match itself fell short of the bar. On the plus side, the exchanges between Tito and Lawlor were fun hoss fights.
Konosuke Takeshita Teams Up With Jack Perry
Los Ingobernables De Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Jack Perry
Perry and Tsuji start the bout. Perry plays some mind games by heading to the outside before he tags in Takeshita. Takagi tags in as well. They go back and forth, and they trade shoulder blocks. Perry continues to avoid Tsuji. Takagi and Tsuji double-team Takeshita. Perry takes the fight to Tsuji at ringside. Back in the ring, Takeshita grounds Tsuji. Perry tags himself in, and Takeshita argues with him.
Perry suplexes Tsuji. Tsuji drops Perry with a back-breaker. Takagi tags in and rallies. He drops Perry with a lariat. Takeshita nails Takagi with a stiff shot to the face. Takeshita tags himself in with a stiff slap to Perry. He keeps Takagi grounded. Takagi fires up with a Dragon Screw. Perry tags himself in and maintains the advantage. Takagi rallies and tags Tsuji, who takes control. Perry drops him with a neckbreaker. Takeshita tags in and kicks Tsuji. Takagi hits Takeshita with a series of strikes. He drops Takeshita with a suplex. They battle back and forth.
Takeshita floors Takagi with a German suplex. He hits a Blue Thunder Bomb. Takagi and Takeshia keep battling. Takeshita spikes Takagi with a Poisonrana and hits him with a knee. Perry and Tsuji tag in. Tsuji headbutts Perry. Perry hits Tsuji below the belt and hits a running knee for the win.
Winners: Konosuke Takeshita & Jack Perry
Takagi attacks Perry after the bell. Takehsita and Takagi brawl. Perry blindsides Takagi. Hiromu Takahashi makes the save and clears the ring. The Young Bucks run in and superkick Takahashi. They hit him with the EVP Trigger. The Young Bucks stand tall. They help Perry up, but Perry isn’t happy to see them. Perry walks away, leaving The Young Bucks on their own. The Young Bucks grab a microphone. Matthew Jackson hypes up their success. He brings up Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega and wonders what happened to “those two assholes.”
Nicholas Jackson says they came back to NJPW to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship once more before they retire. They pose and play to the crowd.
Grade: A
Takeshita has been presented like a beast in NJPW, and that continued here. His stiff shots stand out, even on an NJPW show. Perry picking up the win gives him needed momentum ahead of his match at NJPW x AEW Wrestle Kingdom 19, and the low blow protected Tsuji. The Young Bucks making an appearance was a good surprise, and the teased tension with Perry is something to keep an eye on going forward.
Mercedes Moné Defends The Gold At NJPW Strong Style Evolved
NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Hazuki
Moné and Hazuki battle it out early on. Moné takes Hazuki down and locks in the Statement Maker, but Hazuki escapes. Hazuki gains the upper hand. Moné gains the upper hand and drills Hazuki with some strikes. Hazuki drops her with a DDT. Hazuki continues to control the action. Moné hits Hazuki with some knees and a Meteora. Hazuki spikes her with a DDT on the apron. She dives onto Moné at ringside. The challenger hits another dive.
Hazuki locks in a crossface. Moné transitions into a Statement Maker, but Hazuki turns it into a crossface until Mercedes reaches the ropes. Moné and Hazuki trade blows. They keep battling. Moné hits Hazuki with three suplexes in a tribute to Eddie Guerrero.
She gets a two-count with a frog splash. Moné locks in the Statement Maker, but Hazuki escapes. Hazuki drops Moné with an avalanche Brainbuster and locks in a crossface. Moné escapes and hits a sunset flip.
Moné hits a Meteora in the corner. Hazuki rallies with a Codebreaker and a senton. She hits another Codebreaker. Moné answers with a Backstabber. She hits another two Backstabbers. Moné gets a two-count with the Moné Maker. Hazuki gets a two-count with a pin attempt. Moné catches Hazuki with the Moné Maker for the win.
Winner and still NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion: Mercedes Moné
Moné gets a microphone after the bell. She looks back on suffering an injury at NJPW Resurgence. Moné comments on her current run. She says she wants to go to the Tokyo Dome for NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty. Moné issues an open challenge.
Mina Shirakawa answers the challenge. She notes that Moné wants money, fame, and titles, but she says she wants Mercedes’ title. Shirakawa challenges Moné to face her at NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty. Moné tells her to put her RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship on the line and accepts her challenge. Moné and Shirakawa dance and raise their titles.
Moné celebrates with the fans as the show comes to an end.
Grade: A
Moné and Hazuki got the main event spot, and they delivered. This was a great main event, one of Moné’s better matches in recent memory. Shirakawa seemed set for a title match, and her answering Moné’s challenge confirmed that to be the case. That will be one of the more buzzworthy matches on the NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty card.
NJPW Strong Style Evolved Grade: A
The main event, the Takeshita/Perry tag, and the Gabe Kidd title match were all worth the proverbial price of admission. No matches were duds, but the outstanding bouts shined brighter than others. This was a solid stop on the road to Wrestle Kingdom/Wrestle Dynasty.
