NJPW 53rd Anniversary Event Results – March 6, 2025 – Hirooki Goto vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Results
Mar 6, 2025

March 6, 2025
Tokyo, Japan – Ota City General Gymnasium
English Commentary: Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton
Results via Corey Michaels of F4WOnline.com

Quick Match Results

  1. NJPW World Television Championship Open Challenge match – El Phantasmo (c) defeated Master Wato via Thunder Kiss ’86 (pinfall 14:06)
  2. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale defeated TMDK via Elbow Drop (pinfall 6:51)
  3. Six-Man Tag Team match – BULLET Club War Dogs defeated Just 4 Guys via Disqualification (8:01)
  4. BULLET CLUB War Dogs vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE went to a Double Countout (1:50)
  5. Eight-Man Tag Team match – Los Ingobernables De Japon defeated HOUSE OF TORTURE via Maximum The Holding (submission 10:17)
  6. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – El Desperado (c) defeated Akira Francesco via Numeros Dos (submission 24:37)
  7. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship – Hirooki Goto (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi via GTR (pinfall 20:16)

Walker Stewart greeted the English-speaking audiences tuning in, joined by the returning Chris Charlton, who hadn’t been seen on commentary since Wrestle Dynasty.

NJPW World Television Championship Open Challenge Match
Master Wato vs. El Phantasmo (c)

Wato and Phantasmo locked up, with the latter increasingly agitated. The pair traded high-flying and acrobatic maneuvers, mainly flying headscissor takedowns. Wato flipped over the top rope to Phantasmo on the outside. The Canadian clung as hard as he could to the match, but Wato spiked him on his head and cranked his neck. A well-placed dropkick swung the match in Phantasmo’s favor, capitalized by chops to the chest and a springboard crossbody. Phantasmo soared from the top rope, successfully landing a moonsault to the outside.

Wato mounted a comeback with an arm hold and a crucifix hold to ground Phantasmo, failing a rollup in the process. Seeking to disorient the champion, Wato rolled around while holding a pin to no avail. Phantasmo gained his momentum back, using a Burning Hammer for a nearfall. Wato’s Tsutenkaku resulted in the same outcome. Phantasmo landed a Thunderkiss ’86, beating the clock and gaining the win.

Winner: El Phantasmo via Pinfall to retain the NJPW World Television Championship.

TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa) vs. BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale)

Oiwa easily manhandled Owens, using his overall strength and control to keep him at bay. Owens followed this up by kicking Jackson into the blue steel barricades. Jackson at last collided with Fale, withstanding the latter’s stiffness. His attempt to fireman’s carry Fale went about as expected, with Owens interfering to rub further salt into the wound. Oiwa returned, delivering a gut wrench suplex to Owens but suffered another collision to the barricades. Fale concluded the match with a lariat after a sneak kick by Owens for the win.

Winner: Bullet Club via Pinfall.

Post-match: Owens and Oiwa had a verbal altercation, hinting at a future match between the two.

Just 4 Guys (TAKA Michinoku, Yuya Uemaru, & Taichi) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, & SANADA)

The War Dogs allowed no time before the bell to attack their opponents. SANADA quickly dispatched Uemura while Gedo patiently handled Michinoku. Ishimori and Gedo crushed Michinoku further as Taichi unwittingly distracted the referee in his attempt to help his partner. Michinoku continued to suffer further torment, with Gedo and Ishimori exposing the turnbuckle until he mounted a comeback and tagged Taichi in. Ishimori threw everything he had to Taichi, but he caught it and returned the offense in kind with an Axe Bomber.

Uemura made his hot tag, delivering justice to SANADA with the crowd in Ota City General Gymnasium fully in support. This babyface comeback was thwarted by Ishimori tripping Uemura. SANADA teased a guitar strike to Uemura, but instead tossed it to Uemura and feigned an injury. The referee played into his hand, ending the match in disqualification for Just 4 Guys and Uemura.

Winner: Bullet Club War Dogs via Disqualification.

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd) vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

Two masked assailants surprised the House of Torture members, revealing themselves to be Moloney & Kidd. The match then went to the outside, with both Kidd handling Narita and Moloney grappling Kanemaru in the stands. Kidd threatened to toss Narita over an exit balcony, but instead let him escape. Both teams ventured closer to the ring again. Kanemaru eventually found freedom from Moloney, but was sent into the chairs by Kidd. Moloney aided Kidd in flattening Narita. Narita stalled for time, battling Kidd on the outside, hoping to earn a count-out. The referee’s count reached 20; the match was over but the war continued.

Winner: None.

Post match: Moloney ran interference on any Young Lion attempting to save the beatdown Narita faced by Kidd, involving several tosses into the crowd chairs.

Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, & Yota Tsuji) vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Dick Togo, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL)

Bedlam begat this 8-man tag, with Tsuji and EVIL colliding, the former emptying the ring of House of Torture interference. After Tsuji’s one-man wrecking crew performance, Naito and Takahashi unleashed their tag team fury. This momentum was temporary, as House of Torture carefully and strategically picked apart the LIJ members. Naito endured the brunt of the odds, long enough to send SHO’s head into Takahashi’s boots.

Takagi made his grand tag, unleashing a torrent of forearms to SHO. Singlehandedly clobbering several House of Torture members, Takagi struck SHO hard. Takahashi couldn’t follow up on this and inevitably suffered a Dick-to-Dick Contact. Takahashi submitted Togo with a leg hold for the win.

Winner: Los Ingobernables De Japon via Submission.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Akira Francesco vs. El Desperado (c)

Akira made an epic yet understated entrance, determined and confident. He and Desperado traded loud chops, but the challenger met the barricade and took a shot to the head by a smartphone. The young Italian overcame the champion’s offense, wrenching the neck in a hold ended by a rope break. Desperado targeted Akira’s knee, the hope visibly draining from his body. Following a moonsault to the outside, Akira took advantage of his prone opponent by following up with a nasty Tope Con Hilo. Using his core, Akira clung onto Desperado’s hold on him, transitioning into a Destroyer.

With the crowd clapping for him, Akira unleashed a Speedfire to no avail, yet remained in control. Desperado wrought a symphony of slams onto Akira, and it was unable to put him away. Desperado capitalized with the Numero Dos multiple times, but Akira powered out. Attempting a Fireball, Akira was seconds away from victory but Desperado kicked out. Akira followed with another Fireball, thwarted by a rope break. Following a Fireplex, Akira reached for another Fireball, leading to Desperado’s Numero Dos, narrowly escaped. Hoping once more for a Fireball, Akira’s knees gave out at the last second. The champion inched closer to victory with a Pinche Loco, but Akira kicked out of his pin. He held on as long as he could, but he ultimately tapped to a final Numero Dos by Desperado.

Winner: El Desperado via Submission to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto (c)

Goto struggled initially in his earlier lock-ups with Tanahashi after the bell, but eventually trapped The Ace’s head between his legs, squeezing and holding. Tanahashi regained control via a flying crossbody and targeting Goto’s left leg. Goto chased Tanahashi’s level, evading and enduring each strike, dropping him with a lariat. Tanahashi stole Goto’s Ushigoroshi and soon exploited this with a Slingblade. Goto briefly recovered, but aggravated his left knee after a well-executed Ushigoroshi.

A series of Dragon Screw Legwhips worsened Goto’s left leg, which Tanahashi capitalized with a Texas Cloverleaf. Failing to execute a straightjacket hold, Tanahashi opted for a Slingblade. When that didn’t work, he soared with a High-Fly Flow, but missed a second attempt when Goto rolled out of the way. Goto clutched the control of the match back in his favor, but couldn’t secure a pin via inside cradle. Wincing away a swat by the challenger, Goto crushed The Ace with a GTR. A Shouten Kai to Tanahashi at last switched the crowd’s applause from him to the champion. Goto at last, defeated Tanahashi with a Shouten to close the main event.

Winner: Hirooki Goto via Pinfall to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Post-match: Goto joked that if Tanahashi wrestled this type of match earlier in this career, he’d have been champion sooner. He then followed up by expressing deep gratitude for Tanahashi. The Ace beckoned the roster’s babyfaces as he responded that he leaves the fate of New Japan Pro-Wrestling in Goto’s hands, requesting he leads the promotion to new heights. Goto then addressed Yuji Nagata from commentary, challenging Blue Justice. Nagata accepted. Goto ended the night by stating that the Goto Revolution has just begun.

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