New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/6/2025 53rd Anniversary Event

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/6/2025 53rd Anniversary Event

NJPW World Television Title Match - El Phantasmo (c) vs. Master Wato

ELP backs him up on the ropes then taps his chest and slaps him. Wato slaps him back. ELP takes him down and paintbrushes him in the head. They trade side headlocks. Wato headlock takeovers overs him then ELP does it to him. Wato does a head and double arm submission on him and ELP ropebreaks.

ELP shoulders him over. Wato flying headscissors him but ELP cartwheels through it. ELP flying headscissors him and Wato goes out. ELP misses a plancha outside and Wato flying headscissors him on the floor. Wato tope con hilos him.

Wato springboard euros him for 2. Wato dropkicks him in the side of the head. Wato bulldogs ELP for 2. Wato chinlocks him. ELP hits running forearms then he dropkicks Wato. ELP hits chops. They boot each other. ELP 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. ELP lariats him over the top. ELP plancha's him outside then hits a top rope moonsault outside.

Back in and ELP springboard swantons Wato. He then asai moonsaults him for 2. Wato hits a crucifix style bomb on him for 2. ELP release germans Wato then superkicks him for 2. Wato hurricanrana's him then rolls him up for 2. Wato sunset flips him then does a head and double arm submission on him.

They trade forearms. ELP lariats him then handspring lariats him. ELP hits a burning hammer for 2. Wato germans him for 2. ELP top rope hurricanrana's Wato then top rope splashes him for the win.

Thoughts: The selling wasn't the best here and I didn't like that the burning hammer was meaningless. Other than that, they had an athletic match here with a lot of flying.

BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa)

Chase backs up Oiwa in the corner. Chase hits shots on him then is armdragged. Oiwa armlocks him. Hart corner splashes Chase and Oiwa dropkicks Chase. Oiwa armlocks him and is thrown out. Chase dropkicks Hart through the ropes outside then rakes Oiwa's face with his boot.

Chase slams Oiwa. Oiwa and Fale stands on Oiwa. Fale chops Oiwa over. Oiwa hits shots on Chase and has his leg yanked. Chase backbreakers Oiwa for 2.

Oiwa back body drops Chase. Fale gets in and stomps on Oiwa. Fale misses a corner splash. Hart is tagged in. He hits lariats on Fale then corner splashes him. Hart flying neckbreakers Fale for 2. Hart pushes Chase into Fale then Hart enzugiri's Fale. Oiwa dropkicks Fale and Fale takes a double shoulderblock. Oiwa splashes Fale and Hart sentons Fale for 2.

Oiwa gutwrench suplexes Chase. Chase pulls him out and sends him into the rails. Fale lariats Hart then hits a big elbow drop on him for the win.

Thoughts: It was short and there wasn't much of a point to this one. Fale got put over for some unknown reason here.

Just 4 Guys (Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gedo, SANADA & Taiji Ishimori)

TI = Taiji Ishimori

Yuya's team gets nailed before the bell and Sanada throws Yuya out. Sanada chokes Yuya with a cable. Gedo eye pokes Taka then throws him out. TI then eye rakes Taka. Gedo foot chokes Taka. TI bangs Taka's head off the exposed buckle and rakes his eyes with his boot. Gedo snapmares Taka then does the same.

Taka misses shots on Gedo. Taka stomps a double team and eye pokes then slaps Gedo down. Tai gets in. Tai hits a side kick on TI then russian legsweeps Gedo. Tai helluva kicks TI then TI eye rakes him. TI handspring corkscrew kicks Tai.

Tai spin kicks TI then running lariats him. Yuya and Sanada get in. Yuya hits chops then armdrags and chops Sanada. Yuya flips out of a backdrop then backdrops Sanada. Sanada flips out of a german then tilt-a-whirls himself into a dragon sleeper on Yuya. Yuya escaps it then Sanada hits dropkicks on him. Yuya is tripped by Gedo on the outside.

Sanada brings a guitar in. He pretends Yuya hits him with it and the ref buys it. Yuya's team is then DQ'd.

Thoughts: This was stupid and not that much. Eye rake lovers will enjoy this one though. Yuya looked good and of course he ended up getting the short end of the stick here with the shortest segment.

House Of Torture (Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd) 

YK = Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Hooded people jump Ren and YK before the match. Ren and YK are sent over the top and it turns out to be Gabe and Drilla. Gabe sends Ren into the rails then chokes him with a shirt. Drilla then walks YK up the stairs and bangs his head off the steps. YK tries to throw Drilla over a rail. All four fight in the stands.

YK stomps on Drilla in the stands. Gabe tries to throw Ren off the entrance area in the crowd. Ren is sent then setn int othe steps. Gabe rakes Ren outside and Drilla is thrown into the seats. YK is then throw into the seats. Gabe chairs Ren then sends him into the post.

The match then "officially" starts. Drilla is sent into the rails then Ren is sent into the seats. Ren throws a beer at Gabe and stomps on him. We then go to a double countout as the fight continues.

Thoughts: This should have never started. It was bogus that people could get beaten up before the match and then the ref let the match continue. This was all brawling here with not a single shred of wrestling.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)

HT = Hiromu Takahashi

LIJ go after the heels before the bell. Yota bangs Evil's head off the buckles then corner splashes him. Evil grabs Yota by the hair. Yota shoulders him over. Yota tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Togo. Yota bangs Evil's head off the mat.

Evil takes a double team shot. Evil takes a dropkick to the knee and then a baseball slide to the knee. Naito is sent into the exposed buckle. Evil chokes Yota with a shirt and bangs his head off a seat. 

Yujiro facekicks Naito on the ropes for 2 then legdrops him. Naito is dropped face first on the apron. Naito hits forearms on Sho. He atomic drops him then sends him into HT's boots. Shingo comes in and hits punches and chops on Sho. Shingo hits a double lariat then suplexes Sho.

Sho shoves he ref into Shingo. Shingo blocks a spear. Sho hits a punch and lariat combo on Sho. HT corner lariats Sho then basement dropkicks him. Sho twists HT's fingers then spears him. HT takes corner attacks then is chopped in the crotch by Togo.

Shingo lariats Sho from the side. Yujiro bites Shingo's hand then reverse ddt's him. Yota hits a forearm and superkick on Evil. Evil eye rakes him then sends him into the exposed buckle. Evil then tkes a double clothesline from Naito and HT. Naito dropkicks Togo in the knee and Togo's knees are banged off the mat. HT dragon screws Togo then taps him out with a grounded leg submission.

Thoughts: They didn't have enough time for everyone in this. It was just an average match with Togo losing as expected.

Yota curbstomps Evil after then Evil escapes his spear.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match - El Desperado (c) vs. Francesco Akira

They go into the corner and Akira clean breaks him. They side headlock each other. Despy shoulders him over. They trade chops. Akira flying headscissors Despy. Despy drives him into the rails outside. Despy then hits Akira with Milano Collection AT's phone.

Akira plancha's Despy outside. Despy is sent into the rails. They go back in and Akira neckbreakers him. Akira stomps on him and does a camel clutch. Despy kicks him in the leg in the corner and Akira basement dropkicks him.

Akira knees him in the gut then Despy yanks on his leg. Despy butt drops Akira's leg then goes for the stretch muffler but Akira ropebreaks. Akira leg lariats Despy. Akira dropkicks Despy off the apron. Akira then 2nd rope moonsaults Despy outside. Akira then tope con hilos him. Akira then asai moonsaults Despy for 2. Akira sunset flips Despy for 2. Despy stretch mufflers him and pulls on the arm. Akira hits a canadian destroyer.

Akira foot chokes Despy. Despy bangs Akira's knee off the mat. Akira rolls him into a double stomp. Akira superkicks him then hits speed fire for 2. Despy spinebusters Akira then backdrops him. Despy hits a pumphandle bomb on Akira for 2. Despy drops Akira on his knees then stretch mufflers him with the arm. Despy powerbombs him down and puts the hold on again.

Akira escapes an angel's wings and hits a meteora for 2. Despy boots Akira in the knee. Akira hits slaps then Despy slaps him. Akira lariats him. Akira meteora's him from behind for 2.

Akira germans Despy. Despy goes for a stretch muffler and Akira tries a pin off of it. Akira superkicks him and high kicks him. Akira goes for a meteora but his leg gives out. Despy hits an angel's wings for 2.

Akira hits head kicks on Despy from the mat. Despy bangs Akira's leg off the mat then stretch mufflers him with the arms. Akira then taps out.

Thoughts: It was solid match here with Despy working the knee of Akira and eventually winning with a submission on the knee. Akira did his part and sold and this fine.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match - Hirooki Goto (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tana gets big chants to start. Goto side headlock takeovers him and Tana headscissors him. Tana boots him in the gut and side headlocks him. Goto side headlocks him.

They collide with shoulders and Goto hiptosses him. Goto shoulders him over. Goto hits shots to Tana's head then stomps on him. Goto chinlocks Tana and elbows him in the head. Goto headscissors him and Tana ropebreaks.

Goto boots Tana in the corner. They trade forearms. Tana dropkicks him in the knee then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Tana elbow drops the knee. Tana pulls the leg around the ropes and dropkicks Goto in the knee. 

Tana boots the knee and Goto fires back with chops. Tana double boots him out of the corner then Goto lariats him.  Goto spinning heel kicks him in the corner then backdrops him. Tana does his own ushigoroshi to Goto.

Goto hits a reverse GTR and Tana slingblades him. Tana dropkicks Goto in the knee then Goto ushigoroshi's him. Tana dragon screws him several times then splashes the knee. Tana texas cloverleafs Goto and Goto ropebreaks.

Tana hits a slingblade. Goto gets up then Tana slingblades him again for 2. Tana goes up top and crossbodies Goto. Tana then misses a top rope frogsplash. Tna dragon screws him from the mat and Goto gets a 2 count on him.

Goto and Tana trade forearms. Goto hits a headbutt flurry. Tana slaps him then Goto hits a GTW for 2. Tana rolls him up for 2. Goto headbutts Tana. Tana hits 2 twists and shouts. Goto then hits a shouten kai for 2. Goto chest kicks Tana then elbow slices him on the knee to win.

Thoughts: It was a good match with Tana working the knee and Goto using some of his old mvoes to put him away. I don't know if doing two "work the knee" matches in a row was a great idea though. They hid Tana's weaknesses well here and it was nice to see this one last time.  

Goto talks on the mic after. He says he wouldn't be here if it weren't for Tana. Tana gets on the mic and tells Goto to lead NJPW to greater heights. Goto says he will. They call the NJPW main army and Chaos in. Goto calls in Yuji Nagata and says let's fight for the belt. Yuji agrees. They kind of hint that Chaos is joining the NJPW main unit and that ends up happening soon after this.

Overall thoughts: The midcard was absolute garbage here with stupid refs and no rules. The main and semi-main were both good though and helped save this one. I liked most of the opener but didn't like some things in it as well. I would still only give this a 6 out of 10 though as the undercard was rough.