New Japan Pro Wrestling 1/11/2025 Battle In The Valley 2025

New Japan Pro Wrestling 1/11/2025 Battle In The Valley 2025

NJPW STRONG Openweight Title Match - Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii

They lock up and Gabe chops him on the ropes. Gabe side headlocks him. They shoulder battle and run at each other several times. Gabe lariats him for 2. Gabe corner lariats Ishii then boots him in the head. Gabe hits chops on Ishii and shoulders him over for 2. Gabe hits chops on Ishii and Ishii goes down. Gabe poses on the buckles.

Ishii hits forearms. Gabe slaps him. Gabe hits forearms and Ishii forearms him over. Ishii shoulders Gabe over then hits chops and forearms in the corner. Ishii powerslams him for 2. Ishii kicks him in the back then Gabe slaps him down. Gabe hits chops in the corner then Ishii chops back. They trade more chops in the middle of the ring.

Gabe tells Ishii to come outside and fight him but Ishii refuses. More chops are traded. Gabe suplexes him then Ishii suplexes him. Gabe germans him and Ishii germans him back. They both then fall over.
Gabe hanging guillotine chokes him on the buckles. Gabe hits some headbutts then Ishii 2nd rope superplexes him. Ishii lariats him for 2. Ishii backdrops him for 2. They trade shots and Gabe lariats him. Gabe backdrops him.

Ishii back body drops him and they trade lariats. Gabe hits  a couple of lariats in a row. Gabe running knees him for 1. Ishii dragon suplexes him then lariats him over for 1. Ishii hits a headbutt and a lariat. Gabe brainbusters him.

They trade chops. They they headbutt battle. Both guys end up going down. They trade headbutts on their knees then get up and trade. They slap each other and Ishii enzugiri's him. Ishii sliding lariats him for 2. Ishii running lariats him for 2. 

Gabe gets a 2 count on Ishii then piledrivers him. Gabe rebound lariats him for 2. Gabe stomps on him and hits forearms. Gabe piledrivers him. Ishii forearms him over then brainbusters him. The time limit then expires.

Thoughts: It was obvious it was going to a time limit draw as the match went on and as time announcements were made. It was what you would expect and want with lots of stiff shots, lariats, suplexes and chops. I liked it but it would have been nice to get a match with a real finish.

Gabe gets on the mic after and says he wants an iron man match at the next show. They then butt heads and slap each other.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Match - The World Class Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs) (c) vs. Roppongi ReVice (Rocky Romero & YOH)

JN waistlocks takedowns Yoh and rides his back. JN wristlocks him. Yoh then gets his back and slaps him in the back of the head. JN wrstlocks him then Sho reverses it. JN gets his arm worked on by both opponents. JN is tripped into a basement dropkick and Royce takes a double dropkick. RR and Yoh do dives together. RR is caught and suplexed on the floor and Yoh gets dropped on the floor too.

Royce stomps and foot chokes RR in the corner. RR takes a neckbreaker + dominator combo. RR hits a ddt out of a pop-up powerbomb. RR then ddt's Royce. Yoh does a top rope double cannonball. Yoh slams JN. RR corner back elbows JN then Yoh jumps off of RN's back for an elbow in the corner.

JN is bridged on the ropes and RR top rope double stomps him. Yoh basement dropkicks JN for 2. RR hits corner lariats on both opponents. JN hits an os cutter on RR. He then puts him in a crossface. Royce sharpshooters Yoh at the same time. 

RR hits a sliced bread on Royce. JN stops a 3D. JN takes a double jumping knee. JN then takes a falcon arrow + powerbomb combo for 2. Yoh superkicks RR. Royce germans Yoh. JN os cutters Royce on accident. JN takes a 3D flatliner for 2. JN grabs a title belt and fights the ref for it. Royce is dropkicked out by RR. Royce hits RR with the title belt. JN pop-up powerbombs RR. RR takes an AA onto JN's knees and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was a decent match here with the four working well together. They kept up a good pace and this turned out well.

Eight Man Tag Team Elimination Match - Anna Jay, AZM, Johnnie Robbie & Trish Adora vs. Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO, Maika & Mina Shirakawa) & Viva Van

JR = Johnnie Robbie

Viva does Mina's entrance dance with her.

Trish and Hana shoulder battle. Thish and Hana avoid elimination. Hana drops Mina down onto Trish. Mina's team then poses. Hana facekicks Trish on the ropes. Hana stomps on Trish. Viva and Annga go at it. Anna basement dropkicks her. Viva spinning heel kicks her.

Hana slams Anna JR crucifixes Hana for 2. JR then rolls up Hana for 2. JR trips Hana then pump kicks her. Hana and JR trade forearms. JR knees her for 2.

Hana samoan drops JR then corner splashes her. JR's diving codebreaker is blocked and Hana suplexes her off of it. Hana torture rack drops JR and pins her. Johnnie Robbie is eliminated. 

AZM top rope dropkicks Hana. Hana blocks AZM's flying headscissors. Hana then knee drops AZM. AZM takes a double running boot for 2. AZM la mistica's Hana and pins her. Hanako is eliminated.

Viva top rope crossbodies AZM. Viva takes a double basement dropkick. Anna victory rolls Viva into a grounded sleeper. Viva taps out. Viva Van is eliminated.

Mina fights off a 2v1 then ddt's Anna while tying up AZM's legs. Trish and Mina trade forearms. Trish is dropkicked off the apron and is eliminated. Trish Adora is eliminated.

AZM rolls up Mina for 2. Anna hits a double headhunter and AZM gets a 2 count off of it. Mina is pushed off the 2nd rope. Mina kicks AZM off the ropes. Mina top rope diving slingblades AZM for 2. Mina stupidly victory rolls AZM off the apron and both get eliminated. Mina Shirakawa and AZM are eliminated.

Anna spinning heel kicks Maika in the corner. Maika takes a flatliner into the buckles for 2. Maika powerslams Anna for 2. Anna side kicks Maika then hits a backstabber. Maika 2nd rope superplexes Anna for 2. Anna gets on her back for a sleeper. Anna is put on the apron and Maika running lariats her. Maika spinning forearms her off of it and eliminates her. Maika wins the match for her team.

Thoughts: They had a lot of people and not a ton of time. They rushed through the first few eliminations and we really only got a segment of everyone in before it ended. It was just average. 

NJPW World Television Title Match - El Phantasmo (c) vs. Jeff Cobb

ELP side headlocks and takes a shoulder. They shoulder battle. Cobb knocks him over. ELP shoulders him over. ELP avoids a lariat. Cobb forearms him over. Cobb throws ELP then throws him off the suplex. Cobb surfs on ELP's back. ELP hits forearms.

Cobb flips him with a big lariat. ELP ddt's him off a powerslam attempt. ELP walks up the ropes, does rope tricks then diving headscissors Cobb. ELP asai moonsaults Cobb for 2. Cobb spin cycle backdrops ELP.

Cobb uranage's ELP. He goes for a standing moonsault but ELP gets his knees up. ELP headkicks him. ELP forearms him in the back of the head. ELP ufo neckbreakers him. ELP springboard splashes him for 2. Cobb then dropkicks him. ELP 2nd rope twisting crossbodies Cobb then topes him outside over the rail. ELP jumps off the post onto Cobb in the front row.

ELP superkicks Cobb. Cobb throws a ring boy at him and both get counted out.

Thoughts: It was a fun match with a bunch of ELP dives. It's a shame we didn't get a clean finish here. as this was going well. 

They want to fight more after but it doesn't happen.

I will not be covering the Sumie Sakai retirement/intergender match. Sumie got a ceremony after the match.

NEVER Openweight Title Match - Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. KUSHIDA

Kush clean breaks him in the corner. They do some wrestling. KT headlock takeovers him and is put in a headscissors. KT shoulders him over. Kush hits leg kicks then KT facekicks him. KT hits a flying lariat. KT sends him into the rails and chokes him on them. Kush armbars him on the apron.

Kush yanks back on the arm with his legs then single arm tornado ddt's him. Kush springboard knee drops KT's arm. KT slams him. Kush hits leg kicks then KT stomps him into the mat. Kush ankle locks him.

KT hits a big lariat. Kush hits kicks to arm then kicks to the leg. Kush pushes him then hits a pele kick. KT blue thunders Kush for 2. KT misses a top rope senton. Kush armbars him. KT hits a package tombstone for 2. 

KT runs into the post then is knocked face first down onto the apron. Kush bangs KT's knee off the mat and the floor. Kush figure fours him on the floor. Kush kicks KT as he gets back in. Kush top rope diving headscissors KT. Kush cradle suplexes KT for 2. KT forearms Kush over. Kush ankle locks him then kicks him in the arm.

Kush shotei's KT then hits a big slap. Kush lariats him over for 1. KT forearms Kush over then hits a raging fire for the win.

Thoughts: I didn't care for this. Kush worked the arm then the leg. KT then quickly made his comeback and won. It wasn't that smart of a match and didn't get enough time or a good enough finishing stretch. 

KT says he wants to face Tanahashi on 4/11 after.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hechicero

Zack wristlocks him. Hech trips him then Zack puts his leg around Hech's neck. Hech drops down on Zack's leg then twists the foot. Zack ties up his legs and pulls. Hech tries to get a pin off of it then lifts him in the air with Zack's legs tied up. Zack armbars him. Hech takes him down by the leg then headscissors him while pulling on the arm.

Zack twists Hech's neck with his feet. Hech ties up the legs and pulls back on the arm. Hech ties up Zack and holds him on his neck. Zack then grabs the arms and Hech ropebreaks. Hech pulls on the arms. They each grab the other's foot. They then slap each other while doing it. 

Hech hits chops. Zack hits euros. Zack ties up Hech's arms on the ropes then Hech pushes down on Zack's legs on the ropes. Hech tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Zack does an octopus then Hech drops him on his face and chest off of it. Zack surfboards Hech. Hech does a figure four on Zack.

Hech crossbodies Zack on the ropes. Hech flips Zack backwards by his feet. Zack sleepers Hech while on the buckles. Zack does an octopus on the buckles. Hech walks up the buckles and hurricanrana's him. Zack PK's Hech. 

Hech chops Zack. Hech knees Zack in the face. Hech springboard elbows Zack for 2. Zack michinoku drivers Hech then armbars him. Zack stomps Hech. Hech springboard dropkicks Zack then step up knees him in the corner for 2. Hech swinging hammerlock backbreakers Zack. Hech gori specials Zack then elbows the back. They basement dropkick each other.

They boot each other at the same time. Zack does a bridge for a 2 count. Hech rolls him up for 2 and Zack la magistrals him. Zack then pins him with a jack knife pin.

Thoughts: These two traded various holds and did mat wrestling the whole time. There wasn't a specific focus on any body part though and at times, it kind of was a bit of Zach's usual submission exhibition style though. I did like this one and though they had a strong submission based match.

Zach seems to want another match after. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match - El Desperado (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori

Despy wristlocks him then uses the ropes to escape TI's hammerlock. TI side headlocks him then armdrags him. TI side headlocks him. Despy flips TI to escape a cravate and shoulders him over. TI goes to springboard and is hit. Despy goes to dive and is met with a kick. TI throws him by the arm and yanks on the arm.

TI wraps Desy's arm around the ropes then armbars him. TI hammerlocks him and Despy ropebreaks. TI kimura takedowns Despy and Despy ropebreaks. TI sends Despy into the exposed buckle. TI then hammerlock shoulderbreakers him.

TI handsprings and is caught in a backdrop. Despy brainbusters him. Despy dragon screws TI then kneebreakers him. Despy dragon screws him then indian deathlocks him. TI sliding germans Despy while he's on the 2nd rope. 

TI pulls Despy's arm down on the apron. TI legdrops the arm. TI drops Despy face first onto his knees. Despy legsweeps the legthen goes for a stretch muffler. TI turns it into a border city stretch.

They trade forearms. TI jumping knees him. Despy sitout pedigrees him. TI does another border city stretch. TI is rammed into the exposed buckle. Despy does a sitout drop on him for 2. TI does another border city stretch but Despy turns it into a stretch muffler. Despy hits a b-driver for 2. Despy jay drillers him then hits an angel's wings for the win.

Thoughts: Despy worked TI's knee and TI worked the arm. Unfortunately, Despy's finish didn't have anything to do with the knee work which brought it down. It still was an okay match though based around limbwork.

Despy gets on the mic and thanks the fans. He says Suzuki-gun is over but says it's ichiban. He tyeh says NJPW is ichiban.

Overall thoughts: It was a longer show as usual wit hthese shows. The main was okay. Zack/Hech and Gabe/Ishii were the best matches on the show. Cobb/ELP was okay and the tag title match was okay. I thought it was a good show overall and would give it a 7 out of 10 with the two matches people wanted to see delivering.