NJPW's Dominion: 14 Biggest Stories Ahead Of The G1 Climax And More
9. Tomohiro Ishii Wins Record Fifth NEVER Openweight Title
Reigning NEVER Openweight Champion Taichi and challenger Tomohiro Ishii had met in various multi-man matches during the Best of the Super Juniors tour - with both getting the better of each other depending on the night. However, while their match at Dominion saw Taichi hold his own, he was ultimately unable to quell “The Stone Pitbull” in one-on-one action.
To start, Taichi repeatedly retreated to the outside, causing a frustrated Ishii to lay down in the middle of the ring in an attempt to goad the defending champion into finally attacking. Later, Taichi seemed to have things well in hand with Ishii ready to pass out while locked in a submission, but he released the hold in order to attempt a Black Mephisto which ultimately backfired. Finally, Ishii managed to hoist Taichi up for his patented brainbuster and scored the pin.
With his victory on Sunday, Ishii embarks on his record fifth reign with the NEVER belt. After the match, he said that if Taichi "can admit that losing to me is truly frustrating, then there’s still hope for you.” It will be interesting to see what will happen if their paths again cross as part of the upcoming G1 tournament.