By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “New Soul – Night 1”
June 18, 2025, in Aomori, Japan, at Aomori Martial Arts Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This show had Japanese-only commentary. The venue is probably a gym, but the lights are low, so it hides how small the building is. The ring is really well-lit, though. (This show is so ‘B-budget,’ they don’t even have the normal on-screen graphics. Good thing I know the names of the wrestlers!)
1. Zane Jay vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto. These are two new Young Lions. Zane is an American; he is now bald with a great physique. I’ve seen him in the LA Dojo shows and twice live at “Windy City Riot” events in Chicago these past two Aprils. (When I first saw him, he made me think of a young Jack Evans, but he’s put on so much size since then. Very basic mat reversals. Jay went to a cross-armbreaker. Tatsuya applied a Fujiwara Armbar. It’s clear these two are going to a time-limit draw. Zane finally applied a Boston Crab at 9:30, but Tatsuya held on until we had the bell. It doesn’t come more basic than this, but it was fine.
Zane Jay vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto went to a time-limit draw at 10:00.
2. Masatora Yasuda vs. Daiki Nagai. Injuries have sidelined Yasuda, so he has had far fewer matches than Nagai at this point. Yasuda has let his hair grow out, and it’s shaggy and messy, like Naito or Mao. He applied a Boston Crab, but Nagai reached the ropes at 4:30. Nagai hit a Spinebuster at 6:00, and he applied his own Boston Crab, and Yasuda tapped out.
Daiki Nagai defeated Masatora Yasuda at 6:27.
3. Yoh, Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Shoma Kato vs. “House of Torture” Sho, Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Ren Narita. I’ve seen so much negative feedback online since Sunday about Douki joining the HoT. The heels attacked at the bell, and all eight fought on the floor. Back in the ring, Yujiro stomped on Yano. The heels beat up Yoh on the floor. Narita struck Shoma Kato with a chair on the floor at 3:30. (The lights came up as they brawled on the floor, and it’s clear the crowd is 350 to 400. Yes, this is as small a venue as I’ve ever seen NJPW use. It is packed and I don’t doubt it is technically a sellout.)
Back in the ring, the HoT kept working over Wato. Yoh got a hot tag at 6:30, and he cleared the ring. He really airballed a flying punch on Narita; he wasn’t even close. Sho hit a spear on Yoh. Yoh hit a twisting neckbreaker on Douki. Douki slammed Kato’s knee on the mat, applied a Figure Four Leg Lock, and Kato tapped out. Basic but fine. Yano may have spent 30-40 seconds in the ring; that happens in these sorts of matches.
Sho, Douki, Yujiro Takahashi, and Ren Narita defeated Yoh, Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Katsuya Murashima at 8:47.
* Note that Bad Luck Fale has changed his name now to “Don Fale.”
4. “House of Torture” EVIL, Don Fale, Chase Owens, Sanada, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Togi Makabe, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma, and Katsuya Murashima. Ugh, a Makabe sighting. Why is Oleg in this mix; he just won a title and shouldn’t be in these lower-tier matches with all the guys no one cares about. All 10 brawled immediately. Yoshi-Hashi hit his running Headhunter on Chase Owens. Honma missed a Kokeshi falling headbutt on EVIL at 3:30.
Fale tagged in and hit some gut punches on Honma, and he gave him the Tongan Massage, standing on Honma’s back. Oleg got a hot tag at 6:00 and hit some shoulder tackles, and he flipped Kanemaru around in his arms. He did that to Chase, too, and he hit a gut-wrench suplex. (Such power!) Fale nailed a double shoulder tackle. Oleg hit a second-rope flying shoulder tackle that dropped Fale. Sanada entered for the first time.
Murashima got in and started bodyslamming each of the five heels. (I’ve said he’s the best of this group of Young Lions, not just for his size, but the charisma that shines through.) He hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Sanada! He tied him in a Boston Crab. Honma hit a Kokeshi on Sanada as he was still tied up. Sanada escaped, hit a Shining Wizard, and he tied Murashima in the Skull End, and Murashima tapped out.
EVIL, Don Fale, Chase Owens, Sanada, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Yoshi-Hashi, Togi Makabe, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma, and Katsuya Murashima at 9:52.
5. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young vs. Taichi, Yuya Uemura, and Ryusuke Taguchi. Taichi and Callum shoved each other before the bell; Taguchi was a peacemaker and separated them. O-Khan and Taguchi opened. O-Khan applied an ankle lock. The action spilled to the floor. O-Khan rolled Taguchi into the ring and got a nearfall at 4:30. The UE worked over Taguchi in their corner. Taguchi hit a flying buttbump on Jakob. Taichi got a hot tag at 6:30 and hit a pump kick to Callum’s chest. They traded forearm strikes, and Callum hit a doublestomp to Taichi’s back.
Yuya tagged in for the first time at 9:00 and squared off with Callum. Young tagged in and hit some chops on Uemura. Yuya hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Taichi hit a running clothesline on Callum. Young got a rollup and a dropkick on Yuya. Yuya hit a belly-to-belly release suplex, then a top-rope crossbody block to pin Young. Solid match.
Taichi, Yuya Uemura, and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young at 12:12.
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tiger Mask, and Tomohiro Ishii vs. “Bullet Club” Gedo, Drilla Moloney, and Gabe Kidd. Gedo and Tiger Mask opened. Kidd and Hiroshi brawled on the floor and went past the guardrail at 2:00 to trade punches in the crowd. Back in the ring, the BC kept Tiger Mask in their corner and worked him over. Tanahashi tagged in and hit his second-rope somersault senton on Kidd at 6:00. Kidd backed Tanahashi into a corner and repeatedly chopped him, then hit a suplex for a nearfall.
Ishii and Moloney tagged in at 8:00 and brawled, with Ishii hitting a back suplex. Moloney hit a dropkick and was fired up. He hit a spinebuster, and they were both down. Tiger Mask dove through the ropes. In the ring, Tanahashi hit a sling blade on Gedo. Ishii hit a sliding clothesline and a brainbuster to pin Gedo. Kidd and Tanahashi pushed their foreheads together and kept jawing at each other after the match had ended.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tiger Mask, and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Gedo, Drilla Moloney, and Gabe Kidd at 11:20.
7. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa vs. Hirooki Goto, El Phantasmo, and Shota Umino (w/Jado). This should be good. ELP and Oiwa opened with some fast-paced mat reversals, and Phantasmo hit a huracanrana. Shota entered at 2:30. ELP and Shota hit stereo dropkicks on Oiwa. Sabre got in at 5:30 and unloaded some European Uppercuts on Shota, and he began twisting the left ankle.
Shota hit a dropkick on Oiwa, and they were both down at 7:30. Goto entered and clotheslined Oiwa, and he suplexed Sabre onto Oiwa. Goto hit a back suplex on Oiwa, and they traded forearm strikes. Sabre got back in and applied an ankle lock on Goto at 10:00, but Goto eventually reached the ropes. He got up and hit a hard clothesline on Sabre, and they were both down. Hartley got in and hit a running crossbody block. He nailed a Death Valley Driver on ELP for a nearfall.
Hartley set up for a piledriver, but Shota made the save, and Shota hit a tornado DDT. ELP hit a Lionsault on Hartley for a nearfall. Sabre hit a senton; Oiwa hit a senton; Hartley hit a massive senton. Goto’s team took turns hitting kicks on Hartley. Goto hit a clothesline. El Phantasmo hit a Thunderkiss 86 (springboard frogsplash) for the pin on Jackson. Easily the best action of the night.
Hirooki Goto, El Phantasmo, and Shota Umino defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa at 14:25.
Final Thoughts: As I watched this show, I couldn’t help but think about how a high percentage of the wrestlers here didn’t have a match on Dominion. Simply put, Dominion was an “A-Show” and this was a “B-show.” It had no English commentary, a smaller building, and not even regular on-screen graphics. The stars — the handful in action — had a scant few minutes of ring time. The main event was the only match I would rank as a “good match.” (To me, that means the equivalent of 2.75 stars to 3.25 stars if you are into those sort of star-based ratings.)
Be the first to comment