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

A few months back at Road to Wrestling Dontaku, Hirooki Goto successfully defended his NEVER title against Juice Robinson. Following the contest, Michael Elgin made his way to the ring to challenge for Goto’s belt but was interrupted by Taichi. That interaction led to Dominion’s three-way bout for the Openweight title.

Goto has held the NEVER belt for nearly five months, having defended successfully on three prior occasions, but he couldn’t retain against Michael Elgin on this night. Taichi also proved a formidable challenger, but the real showdown was between the reigning champ and Big Mike. Despite his bulky heavyweight frame, Elgin took to the sky -- sailing over the top rope to the floor with a perfectly executed somersault dive on both opponents. In the end, Elgin hurled Taichi into Goto to quell the champion’s advances. He then cut down his fellow challenger with a powerbomb to claim Goto's NEVER Openweight title.

The “Unbreakable” Elgin becomes the first-ever non-Japanese holder of the prestigious belt. With the NEVER Openweight division being known for its hard-hitting style and often bulkier competitors, Elgin should have no problem fitting right in. While he is unproven as the Openweight champ, the Canadian star is a former one-time holder of New Japan’s Intercontinental title. Furthermore, his frequent use of strong strikes and behemoth power moves makes him an ideal champ to lead the division.