13 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Dominion 6.9 2019
Okada, Jericho, Naito, and Ibushi pushed NJPW back to wrestling's forefront.
The months leading up to this week of shows had left New Japan Pro Wrestling lost in the sport's increasingly chaotic shuffle.
All Elite Wrestling's continued growth, Double Or Nothing's buzz, NXT TakeOver's enduring quality, and a general feeling of post-Elite staleness had left a company long considered the sport's vanguard promotion struggling to keep the pace. Fortunately, the past four days have put all that in the rearview.
A blistering Best of the Super Juniors finals yielded Jon Moxley's gloriously violent debut and a bonafide Match of the Year contender in Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay, making it the perfect appetiser for Dominion 6.9's entree. Traditionally one of the best wrestling shows of the year, today's event in Osaka-Jo Hall was crammed with stunning highs that popped the audience, scratched any and all creative itches, and pushed NJPW back into the headlines.
Chris Jericho and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada met in the main event, Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi continued their high-risk Intercontinental Title Series, and BOSJ winner Will Ospreay challenge Jr. Heavyweight Champion Dragon Lee. Elsewhere, three wrestlers declared themselves for the G1 Climax, Katsuyori Shibata introduced New Japan's latest signing, and Jon Moxley's puroresu voyage continued against Shota Umino.
Let's dive into it.