NJPW's Dominion: 14 Biggest Stories Ahead Of The G1 Climax And More
3. New Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito Injures Kota Ibushi
Tetsuya Naito previously stated his intention to hold both the Intercontinental and IWGP Championships simultaneously. He took one step closer to achieving that goal by defeating Kota Ibushi at Dominion and has now fixed his aim on the IWGP belt.
However, it was no easy victory as the two fought in a hellacious match that saw each come closer than ever to serious injury. Most frightening was a moment that saw Ibushi's head crack the ring apron thanks to a German suplex from Naito. Eventually, a flurry of moves - a spinning reverse DDT, a poison-rana, and a Destino - was enough to put Ibushi down for the count.
Naito then added insult to injury by stepping on the Golden Star’s head as he posed with his newly won Intercontinental belt. During his post-match comments, Naito reiterated that while he hates Ibushi as a person, he'll welcome a challenge from the former champion anytime.
Perhaps fortunately, a rematch may not be happening anytime soon as Dave Meltzer on his Wrestling Observer Radio stated that Ibushi was hurt. Kota subsequently tweeted a photo of his massive black eye, attributing it to Naito's headbutt. However, it's unclear if that was the only injury Ibushi sustained at Dominion.