DOMINION 6.9.2019:
THE LOOK BACK
By Jas Olan
New Japan Pro Wrestling has done it again with another fabulous show. DOMINION 6.9.2109 delivered the fast paced, hard hitting action fans love and then some. There were great matches and moments that left everyone in awe and may have even scared a few of us. From upset victories and unlikely bonds being formed to all out war in Osaka-jo Hall, it was a rock solid show through and through. As usual NJPW had fans gripped from beginning to end with this one. Even the camera work was top notch.
The opening match saw young lion, Shota Umino take on the new IWGP United States Champion, Jon Moxley. Although a relatively short encounter, this one still delivered. Fans got to see the continued growth of twenty-two year old Umino who once again brought his A game and even earned the respect of his opponent. Moxley remains on a major hot streak and continues to enjoy his post WWE freedom, declaring himself for the G1 CLIMAX tournament this summer. This could be the beginning of an unlikely bond as Moxley helped the battered young lion to the back and seems to have practically adopted him as he mentioned in his post match comments and many fans joked on social media.
In the next match Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Shingo Takagi went head to head with third generation legend, Satoshi Kojima. Both men brought it in this one with hard hitting exchanges and a well paced match. Takagi remains on a big upward trajectory after getting the win as well as being the next man to declare himself for the G1. In this match Kojima was able to prove he can still go with best.
The biggest upset of the night happened when Jyushin ‘Thunder’ Liger and YOSHIHASHI defeated Zack Sabre jr and Minoru Suzuki in a hotly contested tag team match. YOSHIHASHI seems to really be finding his footing lately and is looking great. After getting the pin on Zack Sabre jr, we could see him challenge for the British Heavyweight Championship. This match was another stop on the farewell tour for Liger who will be retiring at WRESTLE KINGDOM 14 in January.
There was also some great character work in the six man tag team match that saw the Ace Of The Universe, Hiroshi Tanahashi join forces with Juice Robinson and Ryusuke Taguchi to defeat Jay White, Taiji Ishimori, and Chase Owens. Although still not 100% after his loss at the BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS finals, the Ace managed to get the win for his team. Juice Robinson continues to undergo some big changes after his loss to Jon Moxley. He was pretty subdued in this match. This a far cry from his usual high energy demeanor. This could lead to some very interesting things for him in the near future.
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match saw the Guerillas of Destiny successfully defend the titles against EVIL and Sanada in another solid match. This rivalry is still as heated as ever. Both teams are doing a great job holding down the fort while the heavyweight tag team division is pretty short handed at the moment. Hopefully there will be some new blood coming in soon to help remedy that.
Will Ospreay and Dragon Lee had an absolute barn burner in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match. This is definitely a match of the night candidate. The two junior sensations are taking the wrestling world by storm right now, and the momentum doesn’t seem to be slowing down for either of them. Ospreay is truly on a roll right and getting better and better with each match. Former champion, Lee is also making a big impact within the junior division. It’s hard to believe that both men are only twenty-four and twenty-six years old respectively. This one was definitely a great viewing experience. Every exchange here was truly fantastic.
Without a doubt the most brutal bout on the card was the IWGP Intercontinental Championship match between defending champion, Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito. The rivalry between these two has been taken to almost frightening levels over the past couple of years, and it got downright scary in this one. Both men seem to have a thing for dangerous neck bumps, and it definitely showed here. One particularly dangerous spot resulted in a very close call for Ibushi due a miscued landing on the apron which is widely known as the hardest part of the ring. An errant headbutt also resulted in a black eye for the Golden Star. Still in all it was a great showing from two of New Japan’s finest.
Fans were also treated to a fabulous surprise when Katsuyori Shibata appeared for a special announcement, the return of long time friend and former tag team partner KENTA. The TAKEOVER reunion was a great thing to see as was the announcement that KENTA looks to the prestigious G1. He has been a major star in his home country for years, and this return could mean big things for him especially after a difficult run in WWE.
The main event saw the Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho. While not necessarily the kind of performance typical of the Rainmaker, it was a solid match that did what it needed to do in regards to story telling. This could easily be the most polarizing match on the card as there were many who weren’t keen on its WWE style booking. Over all it delivered and featured a good set up for a potential feud between Jericho and Hiroshi Tanahashi after Jericho’s post match beatdown on Okada. It’ll be fun to see where things go from here with all of that.
DOMINION 6.9.2019 is another great step forward in the second half of the year for New Japan Pro Wrestling. There wasn’t a single moment where the fans weren’t completely gripped. So many interesting things were set up as the road to G1 season comes to a close in the coming weeks. Fans were definitely left wanting more despite the show’s four hour run time. The rest of this year is shaping up to be another incredible one for NJPW. As the excitement continues to build, all there’s left to do now is just wait and see.
