New Japan Pro Wrestling 1/19/2025 Wrestling Life 40th Anniversary Yuji Nagata Blue Justice XV

New Japan Pro Wrestling 1/19/2025 Wrestling Life 40th Anniversary Yuji Nagata Blue Justice XV

Katsuya Murashima, Shoma Kato & Shota Umino vs. United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)

Kato and Jake go at it. They trade waistlocks and Kato armrags him. Kato shoulders him over. KM then Kato wristlock Jake. Kato slams Jake for 2. Jake hits a 2nd rope dropkick. Akira slams Kato then basement dropkicks him in the back for 2. Akira does an abdominal stretch variation on Kato. Jake comes back in and hits euros on Kato.

Khan hits double chops on Kato then uppercuts him. Khan sits on Kato's neck in the corner. Khan then double chops him. Kato flying forearms Khan. Shota comes in and hits forearms on Khan. Shota dropicks Khan in the knee. Shota shoulders over Akira. Shota then fisherman suplexes Khan for 2.

Khan monkey flips Shota then shoulder throws him for 2. Khan double chops Shota hten Shota exploders him. KM and Akira go at it. Akira kicks him in the gut then KM flying forearms him. KM powerslams him for 2. Akira takes a double dropkick then KM crabs him. Shota ends up hitting  tornado ddt on Khan then KM rolls up Akira for 2. Akira superkicks KM then buzzsaw kicks him for 2. Akira meteora's KM from behind and wins.

Khan and Shota stare each other down after.

Thoughts: It wasn't much of note and it went a little longer than it needed to. The young lions were in this one for most of it.

El Desperado, Tomoaki Honma & YOH vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles & Ryohei Oiwa)

Despy side headlock takeovers Kosei and Kosei headscissors him. Despy and Kosei do some mat wrestler then Kosei side headlocks him. Oiwa falling splashes Despy for 2 then armlocks him. Oiwa armdrags Despy and armlocks him.

Rob comes in and gets slammed by Despy. Yoh hits slams on Rob. HOnma tries a falling headbutt but misses. Honma then gets tripped into one on his own partner Yoh.

Rob slams Yoh for 2. Kosei slams Yoh for 2. Oiwa does an abdominal stretch on Yoh. Rob kicks Yoh in the back. Yoh jumping knees Rob then Rob hits kicks on him. Yoh then dragon screws him. Kosei and Despy come in and trade chops for a bit. Kosei chops Despy then Despy spinebusters him. Kosei kicks Despy in the back and they trade chops again.

Kosei flying kicks Despy for 2. Despy takes corner attacks then a double kick. Oiwa flying euros Despy for 2. Despy euros Oiwa then Honma gets in. Honma  hits a faltliner + ddt combo on Kosei and Rob. Yoh jumps off Honma's back into an elbow on Oiwa. Oiwa then takes a double suplex. Honma falling headbutts Oiwa.

Oiwa and Honma trade lariats. Oiwa gutwrench suplexes him. Oiwa hits a running lariat. Oiwa spinning lariats Honma and wins.

Thoughts: Kosei and Despy tried to put some aggression into this and they definitely built towards a match with them. It was an average match here but it was better than the opener.

Rob and Yoh tug over a title after.

TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito)

Koji takes a 2v1 to start. He double shoulders over his opponents. HT takes mongolian chops from his opponents and Tenzan headbutt drops him. Tezan chokes HT then does a buffalo sleeper.

Koji beats up on HT. Naito trips Koji from the outside and HT baseball slides Koji. Naito neckbreakers Koji. HT double axe handles Koji off the buckles. HT dropkicks Koji in the knee then hits a corner lariat and basement dropkick. Koji and Naito hit some forearms.

Naito teases doing a mongolian chop then he gets ddt'd. Tenzan gets in and shoulders over both opponents. Tenzan hits mongolian chops to Naito and hits headbutts. Tenzan corner splashes Naito then suplexes him for 2.

Tenzan and Naito trade. Koji hits a machine gun chop flurry on Naito in the corner. Koji corner forearms him then is caught up top. Naito mongolian chops him there and throws him down. Koji takes a double basement dropkick for 2.

Naito cutters HT. Koji takes a spinebuster then a death valley driver from HT for 2. HT takes a bad 3D then Koji brainbusters HT for 2. HT superkicks Koji. HT tries to lariat him but Koji knocks him down with his own. Koji takes a step up enzugiri then HT rolls up Koji for the win.

Thoughts: There was some comedy here with Naito and HT trying to do mongolian chops. Koji did what he could and Tenzan really can't move all that well in 2025. It was another average and forgettable match.

Tenzan makes motions at Naito after and seems to want some.

BULLET CLUB (SANADA & Taiji Ishimori) vs. Just 4 Guys (Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)

TI = Taiji Ishimori

Sanada may have the worst shirt on in the history of wrestling as it says, "F**k Just 4 Guys".

The fight starts before the bell and they all go out to fight. Sanada throws Tai into the seats then chairs him in the gut. Sanada hits Tai with a water bottle. The bell finally rings as Sanada walks Tai through the seats. 

TI face rakes Taka. TI eye rakes Taka then fist drops him. Sanada chokes Taka with tape. Taka is thrown into the exposed buckle. TI works Taka's arm then hits shots on him. Taka pump kicks him. Tai hits Kawada kicks on Sanada and doesa coconut crush. Tai corner facekicks him then side kicks him for 2.

Sanada plancha's Tai outside. Sanada then hits a magic screw on him. Sanada facekicks Tai then tai hits a running lariats on him. Taka step up knees Sanada in the corner then running facekicks him. Taka does just facelock and ends up doing a roll up on Sanada for 2. Sanada goes for skull end then low blows Taka. Sanada shining wizards Taka then taps him out with skull end.

Thoughts: It was short and not much. We got the usual cheating by the heels and Taka lost as he almost always does.

Sanada stomps TI in the crotch after and Tai comes after Sanada with a chair. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd)

Drilla and Shingo go at it. Drilla shoves him and they do a double knuckle lock. Drilla side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. They trade forearms. Shingo hits punches then Clark kicks Shingo from the apron. Shingo thwarts the heels. Drilla back elbows him then enzugiri's him in the corner. Shingo armdrags him then hits a ddt.

Drilla takes a double shoulderblock. Yota splashes Drilla for 2. Drilla pulls Yota down by the arm. Gabe hits boots on Yota. Yota and Gabe trade chest chops. Gabe shoulders over Yota. Yota armdrags him and shoulders him over.

Yota and Gabe trade chops. Yota hits a knee and a front kick. Gabe leapfrogs a spear and they hit each other at the same time. Yota headbutts him. Yota hits his curbstomp combo on Gabe. Yota hurricanrana's Gabe. Gabe then running knees Yota. Yota cutters Gabe out of a suplex attempt. Clark and Bushi fight. Clark uppercuts him and is pulled over the top. Bushi then topes Clark outside. Clark pounces Bushi. Clark pulls on Bushi's mask as does Drilla.

Drilla superkicks Bushi for 2. Everyone starts coming in to do a move. Bushi takes an over the shoulder piledriver when Drilla blocks his hurricanrana. Drilla then pins him.

Thoughts: It was normal stuff here. The heels mostly stuck to strikes. The faces got some of their usual offense in. It was average. 

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Zack and Goto lock up. Goto backs him up on the ropes. Zack euros him on the ropes. Goto shoulders Zack over. Zack takes a double shoulder. Goto hiptosses his partner onto Zack. Hart takes double clubs from Goto and Yoshi. He no sells them at first but then goes down.

Yoshi chops up Zack. Zack takes him down by the arm and stomps it. Hart legdrops Yoshi's arm then suplexes him. Hart elbow drops Yoshi. Hart ties up Yoshi's arm in the ropes and pulls. Zack puts a hold on both of Yoshi's arms. Goto breaks it up.

Zack foot slaps Yoshi. Yoshi hits forearms and chops. Zack running euros him in the corner and Yoshi dropkicks him in the knee. Goto gets in. He shoulders over Zack. Goto spinning heel kicks Zack in the corner and backdrops him. Zack rolling armbars Goto.

Goto and Zack trade forearms. Zack pele kicks him in the arm. Zck then legsweeps and PK's him. Hart lariats Goto over. Goto lariats him off the ropes. Yoshi neckbreakers Hart. Hart spinebusters him then Zack twists Yoshi's neck with his feet. Hart sentons Yoshi for 2. Hart takes a double team then Goto ushigoroshi's Zack.

Goto lariats Hart. Hart then takes a double team elbow slice bomb. Hart is then pinned.

Thoughts: The finish was weak here with Hart going down to an elbow slice bomb. They did what they could with the time and it was acceptable but really not much else.

Goto stares at Zack after and Yoshi points at Oiwa on commentary.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano & Yuji Nagata vs. House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

Sho gets on the mic beforehand. Yoh rips up a poster for this show. Everyone fights and the heels get the advantage on Yuji. Yuji takes a group foot choke. Oleg helps out Yuji with a double shoulder then Oleg. Oleg splashes Kanemaru. Tana side headlocks Yujiro.

Yujiro and Tana bite each other's hands. Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Yano gets in and takes a turnbuckle pad off. He gives it to Yujiro then hits him in the back of the head. Yujiro hits the faces with the pad.

Ren and Yuji fight in the seats. Ren chokes him with a chair and throws him into the seats. Yano is sent into the exposed buckle then Yujiro headbutt drops him. Kanemaru knees and elbows Yano. Sho 2nd rope double axe handles Yano. Ren throws Yano out. Yano is then choked with weapons by the heels.

Ren chokes Yano. Yano spinebusters him. Yuji comes in and overhead belly to bellies Sho. He then hits chest kicks on Ren. Yuji corner facekicks Ren. Ren eye rakes him then takes forearms. Ren exploders Yuji then Yuji exploders him back for 2. Yuji crossfaces Ren then does his armbar to him. Yujiro breaks it up. Tana gets in and flying forearms Ren.

Tana hits shots on Ren then 2nd rope swantons him for 2. Ren facekicks Tana. Ren chokes Tana  then Sho spears Tana. Tana is put ina double leg lock by the heels. Ren eye rakes Tana and Tana hits a twist and shout on him. Kanemaru and Oleg go at it. Kanemaru hits dropicks to the knee. Oleg misses a corner splash in the exposed buckle and is ropped up for 2. Kanemaru is caught coming off the buckles then Oleg does karelin's lift to him.

Oleg takes corner attacks then Yujiro headbutt drops Oleg and Yano in the crotch. Kanemaru takes a double enzugiri then Tana hits a bad sling blade on Kanemaru. Oleg finlay rolls Kanemaru and pins him.

Thoughts: It was what you would expect with the heels cheating and being rough with the faces. Yuji had some of his moves done to him and was somewhat the focus of the match. I don't really get why they didn't have Yuji get the win on his show but it doesn't really matter. I don't mind Oleg using the finlay roll, but it's not a finisher.

Nagata and Tana talk on the mic after.

Overall thoughts: One look at the line-up told you what this was going to be. The matches all looked like they would be nothing and they were. There was absolutely nothing you needed to see here and this was all filler. I would give this a 4 out of 10 for the total lack of effort from the bookers and for everything being short.