10 Biggest Stories From New Japan’s Dominion And What They Mean Going Forward

Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega and others win New Japan gold; plus, a new faction comes together.

Dominion 6.9 Okada Omega
www.njpw1972.com

Friday's Dominion event at Osaka-jō Hall further cemented New Japan Pro Wrestling's place as one of the world's top wrestling promotions. For year's now, fans and critics alike have heaped acclaim on the Japanese company and its roster for their stunning in-ring showcases. Dominion proved much the same, with viewers already claiming it to be the wrestling event of the year. And while hyperbole runs rampant in online communities, New Japan's latest event may have exceeded the hype.

The dual main events -- Chris Jericho's pursuit of the Intercontinental title and Kenny Omega's latest encounter with Kazuchika Okada -- are what drew most of the nearly 12,000 fans in attendance. Still, Dominion's entire card helped pack the arena and draw worldwide attention, as New Japan and its stars spent the night among the top trends on Google and Twitter.

Beyond the lauded in-ring competition, the evening's results have quickly proven historic and may lead New Japan down an improved path of continued international growth. Founded in 1972 by Antonio Inoki, the promotion has traditionally focused on homegrown Japanese stars, but instead, Dominion saw new trailblazers for worldwide expansion christened. Nearly every major title was captured by a non-native competitor and many other international stars took the focus.

With that, let's look at who exactly came away from Dominion with gold, as well as some of the night's other big tales, and what it all means for the company's future.

10. The Company's New President Makes A Statement

Harold George Meij is the first non-Japanese President of New Japan in the company’s 46-year history. Despite this, he is no stranger to the land of Japan -- of Dutch descent, Meij learned both Japanese and English after moving to the country at a young age. Since, he has built a reputation within the business world, primarily due to his success in tripling the once-failing Takara Tomy's stock since 2014. Prior to his position with the toy company, he was also the Senior Vice President of Coca-Cola Japan.

Meij appeared in the ring where he posed for photos and accepted a New Japan jacket from Tikaaki Kidani, the founder of Bushiroad -- the parent company of the promotion. Before that, NJPW’s new leader made an impassioned pledge to the fans in attendance and those watching on NJPWWorld.com. In Japanese then English, Meij said that he wanted to “take New Japan to the next level” and that he felt the promotion had what it took. He further promised to give his “everything to make that dream come true.”

While Meij’s ultimate strategies are not known, the rest of Dominion’s night did provide some potential insight into the new president’s ideas. Not only did Meij’s presence lend itself to a new international feel, but so too did the rest of Dominion which had a decidedly non-Japanese focus by night’s end.

Contributor

Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.