Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s live coverage for Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, 2025, coming to you live from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan at a special start time of 11 PM ET on January 4, featuring stars from AEW, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ring of Honor, Stardom, and CMLL!
Kenny Omega will be competing in his first match since defeating Ethan Page on the December 9, 2023 episode of "AEW Collision" as he goes one-on-one with Gabe Kidd. The issues between the former AEW World Champion and the current NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion have meteorically been on the rise over the course of the past several weeks, culminating on January 3 when they met in a tense confrontation with each other at the Wrestle Dynasty press conference.
One night after successfully retaining the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Shota Umino at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19, Zack Sabre Jr. will be putting his title on the line once again tonight as he defends against Ricochet. Sabre Jr. has held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for over 80 days, dethroning Tetsuya Naito at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling on October 14 to become the titleholder.
New IWGP Tag Team Champions are set to be crowned tonight, as AEW stars Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson will be competing in their first match since the October 30 episode of "Dynamite" when they take on United Empire's Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan, and Hiromu Takahashi and the aforementioned Naito of Los Ingobernables de Japon in a Three-Way Match. Great-O-Khan previously held the IWGP Tag Team Championship with HENARE, but were forced to relinquish the title after the latter suffered an injury last month.
Konosuke Takeshita will be putting both the AEW International Championship and NEVER Openweight Championships on the line against Tomohiro Ishii. Takeshita both retained his International Championship against Shingo Takagi and dethroned him as NEVER Openweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom 19. Another multi-reigning champion will also be crowned tonight, as Mercedes Mone and Mina Shirakawa put their respective NJPW STRONG Women's Championship and RevPro Undisputed British Women's Championship on the line in a Winner Take All Match.
Another title will also be up for grabs tonight, as Jack Perry challenges Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in the latter's first defense since he dethroned David Finlay as titleholder at Wrestle Kingdom 19. Elsewhere, an Eight Man Gauntlet Match is also set for tonight as four stars from NJPW and four stars from CMLL are set to take part in it. The first competitor in the match to pin one of their opponents will emerge victorious in the match, each entering one minute apart from each other. Hiroshi Tanashi will also be going head-to-head with Katsuyori Shibata in a Grappling Match, while Claudio Castagnoli of The Death Riders squares off with the aforementioned Umino, and House of Black's Brody King collides with Finlay.
Additionally, Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes of The Sons of Texas will be defending the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the first time since retaining against The Righteous at ROH Final Battle on December 20 as they square off with House of Torture's Yoshinobu Kanemaru and SHO on the pre-show beginning at 10 PM ET on January 4. Willow Nightingale of AEW will also be taking on Stardom's Momo Wantanabe, ROH's Athena, and Persephone of CMLL in a Four-Way Match for the International Women's Cup on the pre-show. The winner will receive a shot at any women's championship in the four different companies of their choosing.
We are live on the pre-show! Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton greet audiences at home as Momo Wantanabe, Thekla, Willow Nightingale, Persephone, and Athena all make their way out to the ring.
The bell rings and the four women begin to brawl with one another. Wantanabe goes after Nightingale, but Nightingale delivers a Hip Attack to her in the corner and levels her with a boot. Persephone lands a Fallaway Slam on Nightingale, but Athena levels Persephone with a suplex and follows it up with a handspring forearm to her in the corner. She connects with a kick on her chest, and delivers a superkick to Nightingale. Nightingale gets Athena up for a delayed vertical suplex, but levels Persephone and Wantanabe with kicks to their chest. This opens the door for Athena to escape.
Nightingale levels Persephone and Watanabe with double suplexes and pins then, but Athena breaks the fall. Athena then flies off the apron to level Nightingale and Wantanabe on the outside. Nightingale and Persephone get back inside the ring and Nightingale looks to land a cannonball on Persephone in the corner, but Persephone avoids the maneuver and delivers a Tope Con Hilo on Nightingale on the outside. She lands a Northern Lights suplex on her back in the ring.
Wantanabe pins Nightingale, but Athena breaks the fall. Athena and Wantanabe then shove each other before Nightingale brawls with Athena as Persephone goes after Wantanabe. Nightingale levels Wantanabe with a spinebuster, but Athena levels Nightingale and Persephone with a double dropkick off the ropes. Nightingale runs Athena over with a shoulder pounce, then connects with forearms on Persephone and Wantanabe.
Persephone delivers another Northern Lights suplex to Nightingale and pins her, but Nightingale kicks out. Persephone rains down forearms on Nightingale, but Athena sends Persephone crashing into the apron spine first. Nightingale then gets Wantanabe up on her shoulders and sends her crashing into the corner with a Death Valley Driver, but Athena levels Nightingale with The Eclipse. She goes for a pin, but Thekla pulls the referee out of the ring. As the referee is distracted by Thekla, Wantanabe hits Athena with a bat and pins her for the win.
Winner: Momo Wantanabe
House of Torture then make their way down to the ring. The Sons of Texas follow.
Dustin Rhodes and SHO begin the action. The bell rings and Yoshinobu Kanemaru blindsides Rhodes from behind. SHO and Kanemaru double team on Rhodes, but Rhodes levels both of them and tags in Sammy Guevara. Guevara delivers a chop to SHO in the corner, then connects with a double suplex on him with Rhodes and follows it up with a standing moonsault. Rhodes then delivers a sliding kick to SHO. Guevara ascends to the top rope and delivers a crossbody to SHO, then low bridges an interfering Kanemaru out of the ring.
Guevara lands an enzuigiri on SHO from the apron, then flies off it to level Kanemaru on the outside with a moonsault. SHO dumps Guevara over the top rope, and Kanemaru sends Guevara crashing into the barricade. SHO exposes the turnbuckles while the referee is distracted, then sends Rhodes crashing into it with Kanemaru and levels Guevara with a back body drop.
Kanemaru takes down Guevara with a suplex, then follows it up with a bodyslam and tags SHO back in. SHO then pins Guevara twice, but Guevara kicks out both times. He whips Guevara into the exposed turnbuckle, then tags in Kanemaru. Kanemaru locks in a Boston Crab on Guevara, but Guevara makes it to the bottom rope to break the hold. SHO tags in and stomps on one of the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship belts. Guevara levels him with an enzuigiri and clocks Kanemaru on the apron, then low bridges SHO out of the ring over the top rope.
Rhodes tags in and levels SHO with a pair of clotheslines. SHO responds with a spear to Rhodes and tags Kanemaru back in. Kanemaru looks to spit hisSuntory Toki in Rhodes' face, but Rhodes avoids it. Kanemaru then spits his Suntory Toki in Rhodes' face when looking to do so a second time, but Rhodes takes a swig of it and spits it in Kanemaru's face. Guevara rocks Kanemaru with a superkick, and Rhodes follows it up with The Final Reckoning. Guevara then flies off the top rope, and Rhodes pins Kanemaru for the win.
Winners (and still): The Sons of Texas
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