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NJPW HIROSHI TANAHASHI ~ FINAL HOMECOMING REPORT
NOVEMBER 2, 2025
GIFU, JAPAN AT GIFU MEMORIAL CENTER GYMNASIUM
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Chris Charlton, Walker Stewart
(1) BOLTIN OLEG & SHOMA KATO & TATSUYA MATSUMOTO vs. KATSUYA MURASHIMA & MASATORA YASUDA & ZANE JAY
Oleg blocked a suplex from Jay with one of his own and crushed him with a big splash, setting him up for the Verdict and the win.
WINNERS: Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato & Tatsuya Matsumoto at 9:19
(2) HIROMU TAKAHASHI & GEDO & DAIKI NAGAI vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles & Hartley Jackson)
Fujita and Eagles took care of Hiromu and Gedo with stereo moonsaults off the apron while Jackson knocked Nagai out with a lariat and the Jagged Edge.
WINNERS: TMDK at 9:20
(3) EL DESPERADO & KUUKAI & TIGER MASK & YAMATO vs. DRAGON DIA & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & KUSHIDA & YUKI YOSHIOKA
Tiger planted Taguchi with an avalanche Butterfly suplex for a nearfall, but Taguchi immediately picked one arm and leg to shock him with a pinning combination.
WINNERS: Dragon Dia & Ryusuke Taguchi & Kushida & Yuki Yoshioka at 7:56
(4) YOH & MASTER WATO & SHOTA UMINO & YUYA UEMURA & TORU YANO vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Dick Togo & EVIL & Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi)
Wato knocked Evil into the referee with a dropkick, allowing Kanemaur to blind him with whiskey mist. Evil clobbered Wato with his title belt and Togo got the pinfall for the win.
WINNERS: House of Torture at 6:17
– After the match, Evil said that Yoh, Master Wato and Toru Yano didnâ€t deserve to hold NEVER Openweight belts. Evil posed with two belts and prepared to attack Yano with one, but Aaron Wolf showed up to make the save and put him down with a judo throw.
(Pomares†Analysis: A set up for a future six-man tag title match at a Road show, but most importantly New Japan keeps on hyping up the arrival of Aaron Wolf. I donâ€t know how well heâ€ll do, but itâ€s nice to see New Japan seemingly commit to pushing a younger guy.)
(5) BULLET CLUB (Clark Connors & Yuto-Ice & Oskar) & SHINGO TAKAGI vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Templario & Jakob Austin Young & Callum Newman & The Great-O-Khan)
Connors put Newman down with a snap powerslam while Yuto beat Young with a jab and a running knee strike.
WINNERS: Bullet Club at 12:14
– After the match, Callum Newman attacked Yuto-Ice, starting a brawl between United Empire and Bullet Club, until referees and the Young Lions were able to separate them.
(Pomares†Analysis: United Empire has been somewhat of a mess over the past year or so, but itâ€s clear New Japan sees something in Callum Newman. I wouldnâ€t be surprised if Newman goes on to have a deep run on World Tag League or challenges for the tag titles at one of the Road shows alongside O-Khan.)
(6) BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X) vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Douki & Sho) – Super Junior Tag League Finals Match
Sho and Douki tried to blindside Ishimori and Robbie, but were quickly thrown out of the ring. Ishimori and Robbie drove Sho and Douki into rows of chairs in the crowd. Back in the ring, Bullet Club crushed Sho with a tag team wheelbarrow splash for a two count. Douki swept Ishimori off his feet, allowing Sho to pull him crotch-first into the ring post. House of Torture drove Robbie into the ring post and pressed his crotch into while pulling Ishimoriâ€s legs. Sho tossed Ishimori into a bunch of chairs while Douki snailed Robbie with an umbrella.
Back in the ring, Douki hit Ishimori with a double stomp and distracted the referee, allowing Sho to blast him with a chair shot for a two count. Sho and Douki dropped Ishimori with a double gutbuster before stretching all of his limbs at the same time. Ishimori caught Sho off-guard with a handspring enzuigiri, reaching Robbie for the hot tag. Robbie clocked Sho with a chop and took him down with a dropkick. Robbie knocked Sho off the apron with handspring kicks and rammed him into the guardrail with a suicide dive. Douki tried to Irish-whip Robbie into the ring post, only for Robbie to do a backflip using it and land on him.Â
Back in the ring, Robbie put Sho down with a rolling senton and a standing moonsault for a two count. Robbie cracked Sho with an enzuigiri and Ishimori planted him with a sliding German suplex. Robbie crushed Sho with a running Shooting Star Press and Ishimori got a nearfall with a jackknife pinfall. Sho drove Robbie and Ishimori into each other and held onto the referee, allowing Douki to nail Ishimori with a chair shot to the back. Sho and Douki put Ishimori down with a sunset flip powerbomb and trapped him in the Darkness Stretch. Ishimori barely managed to reach the ropes, only for Sho to distract the referee, allowing Douki to pull him back to the middle of the ring.
Robbie broke the hold and managed to take Sho and Douki down with a double Pele kick. Douki blocked a handspring cutter and a deadlift powerbomb before catching Robbie with an uppercut. Robbie blasted Douki with a kick to the hamstring and a cyclone kick to the head. The War Dogs hit Douki with an inverted Lung Blower and the X Express, only for Sho to pull the referee out. Sho blocked a handspring move from Robbie by clobbering him with his wrench. Ishimori took Sho out with a jumping knee and took Douki down with a sleeper slam.Â
Ishimori put Douki in the Bone Lock, until Douki countered it with a crucifix pinfall for a two count. Before Douki could react, Ishimori drove him into the referee and nailed him with a low blow. Ishimori blocked a black mirror shot and clobbered Sho with it. Robbie took care of Sho with a top turnbuckle Sky Twister while Ishimori trapped Douki in the Bone Lock. Douki blocked the Bloody Cross and blinded Ishimori with red mist before beating him with a low blow and a roll-up.
WINNERS: House of Torture at 15:11 (***1/4)
(Pomares†Analysis: As much as I enjoyed the in-ring work in this, watching House of Torture steamroll the entire tournament feels incredibly unsatisfying. A very frustrating end to a tournament I usually enjoy. I donâ€t know what the plan is for WrestleKingdom, but based on what theyâ€ve done with the Junior division, I canâ€t be excited for anything they do with either of the titles.)
(7) YOTA TSUJI vs. HIROSHI TANAHASHI – IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
Tsuji put Tanahashi in a headlock, until Tanahashi reversed it into a double leg lock. Tsuji cornered Tanahashi, only for Tanahashi to catch him with a back elbow and a corkscrew crossbody. Tanahashi tried to hype up the crowd, only for Tsuji to nail him with a dropkick to the back. Tsuji put Tanahashi in a bodyscissors lock before transitioning it into a Camel Clutch. Tsuji dropped Tanahashi with a bodyslam and crushed him with a big splash for a two count. Tanahashi managed to take Tsuji down with a bodyslam, followed by a diving somersault senton. Tsuji avoided a sling blade and put Tanahashi down with a flatliner.
Tsuji trapped Tanahashi in a Boston Crab, until he was able to reach the ropes. Tanahashi withstood a barrage of chops, avoided Marlow Crash and hit Tsuji with a dragon screw. They traded numerous forearm strikes, until Tsuji collapsed into the ropes. Tsuji clobbered Tanahashi with a massive chop to the chest, only for Tanahashi to respond with Twist-and-Shout and a sling blade. Tsuji stopped Tanahashi atop the turnbuckle with a jumping knee and planted him with a superplex for a nearfall. Before Tanahashi could react, Tsuji trapped him in a Boston Crab.
Tsuji stopped Tanahashi from reaching the ropes and laid him out with a German suplex. Tanahashi blocked the Gene Blaster with a dropkick to the knee and put him down with a double wrist-clutch German suplex for a nearfall. Tsuji countered a sling blade with one of his own for a two count. Tsuji missed a diving splash, allowing Tanahashi to shut him down with a Gene Blaster. Tanahashi crushed Tsuji with High Fly Flow to the back before climbing the top turnbuckle again.
Tanahashi caught Tsuji with Aces High, but missed a second High Fly Flow. Tsuji immediately took Tanahashi out with a Gene Blaster, but was too exhausted to go for a pinfall. Tanahashi slapped Tsuji, only for Tsuji to lay him out with a single headbutt. Tanahashi countered the Gene Blaster with an inside cradle and planted him with a firemanâ€s carry slam. Tsuji blocked the High Fly Flow with his knees and beat Tanahashi with a Gene Blaster.
WINNER: Yota Tsuji at 20:05 (Still IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion) (****)
(Pomares†Analysis: A strong follow-up to their clash during the G1 and a worthy final title opportunity for Tanahashi. While I wish Tsuji had already reached a world title run, at least Iâ€m happy that New Japan is confident booking him as one of the final major matches Tanahashi ever has.)
– After the match, Yota Tsuji said that he would surpass all Hiroshi Tanahashi has accomplished before giving him the mic. Tanahashi put over Tsujiâ€s performance and thanked the Gifu crowd for one last time. As Tanahashi and Tsuji stood tall, Yuto-Ice showed up to confront Tanahashi. Yuto said that it took him a lot of time to be ready and officially challenged him to a single match on next weekâ€s Road show in Anjo. Tanahashi accepted the challenge, making the match official for next Saturday.
(Pomares†Analysis: Very emotional moment for Tanahashi and Tsuji, as we are just over two months away from the end of Tanahashiâ€s career. Pleasantly surprised by Yuto-Iceâ€s challenge, as he has shown a lot of promise since his return from excursion and itâ€s genuinely cool to see him take part in Tanahashiâ€s retirement tour.)
(8) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. HIROOKI GOTO – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Goto pushed Takeshita to the ropes, only for Takeshita to push him back and blast him with a chop to the chest. Goto knocked Takeshita off his feet with a chop and hit him with a hip toss, followed by a shoulder tackle. Takeshita tried to go for a suplex over the ropes, but Goto blocked it and pulled him to the apron. Takeshita put Goto down with a DDT on the apron, followed by a draping DDT on the floor. Before Goto could react, Takeshita Irish-whipped him into the guardrail and cracked him with a boot to the face. Back in the ring, Takeshita put Goto in a facelock, until he reached the ropes.
Takeshita pummeled Goto with a series of knees to the head, until Goto responded with chops to the chest. Takeshita planted Gotoâ€s arm into the mat with a bulldog twice before putting him in a double wrist lock. Goto blocked a Blue Thunderbomb and knocked Takeshita away, setting him up for a lariat. Goto nailed Takeshita with Muramasa and dropped him with a back suplex for a two count. Takeshita cracked Goto with a forearm strike and a back elbow before laying him out with a Xploder. Takeshita knocked Goto off the apron with a big boot and crashed into him with a Tope con Hilo.
Back in the ring, Takeshita blasted Goto with the Takeshita Line, only for Goto to retaliate him with a vertical suplex. Goto attacked Takeshita with a corner clothesline, but Takeshita responded with a big boot and a Blue Thunderbomb for a nearfall. They exchanged several forearm strikes, until Takeshita collapsed off his feet. Takeshita managed to get up and continue the strike exchange. Takeshita landed on his feet off a German suplex and caught Goto with another boot to the face, but Goto shut him down with Ushigoroshi. Goto nailed Takeshita with a reverse GTR and turned him inside out with a lariat. Takeshita managed to knock Goto off his feet and snap his neck, setting him up for the chickenwing sleeper.Â
Takeshita sat Goto atop the turnbuckle and clocked him with a jumping knee. Goto blocked a superplex and planted him with Kaiten for a close nearfall. Goto kicked Takeshitaâ€s chest and put him down with GTW, but he kicked out at two. Takeshita blocked GTR and dropped him with the Bastard Driver, followed by a wheelbarrow German suplex. Goto immediately fired up and went for a lariat, only for Takeshita to turn him inside out with one of his own. They blocked Raging Fire and GTR, until Goto was able to connect with GTR. Goto struggled to make the pinfall, allowing Takeshita to kick out at two.
Takeshita blocked GTR with a poison rana and shocked him with a Power Drive Knee for a close nearfall. Takeshita immediately dropped Goto with a Last Ride powerbomb, but he still managed to kick out. Goto blocked a Power Drive Knee and ducked a lariat to blast Takeshita with one of his own. Goto flattened Takeshita Shouten Kai for yet another nearfall. Takeshita tried to go for a forearm shot, only for Goto to crack him with a headbutt and a strike to the back of the head. Takeshita blocked GTR with a forearm strike to the head and a pump knee, setting him up for Raging Fire and the win.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita at 24:21 (Still IWGP World Heavyweight Champion) (****1/2)
(Pomares Analysis: An outstanding main event to seemingly make Takeshitaâ€s spot in the world title match at WrestleKingdom official. Takeshitaâ€s title win has received a mixed reaction to say the least, but if this is the in-ring prowess we get as a result, I canâ€t complain too much.)
– After the match, Konosuke Takeshita shook Hirooki Gotoâ€s hand and made it clear that they still had a score to settle. Takeshita said that he would defend the title at WrestleKingdom and dared someone to step up to him. Yota Tsuji showed up to officially challenge Takeshita to a World Heavyweight title bout on the Tokyo Dome. Takeshita accepted the challenge, as long as Tsuji put his belt on the line.
(Pomares Analysis: Very happy to see Yota Tsuji being positioned as the top contender for the world title for WrestleKingdom. Not the biggest fan of doing a title vs title match, but Iâ€ll take it if it means New Japan finally pulls the trigger on Tsuji.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Final Homecoming was your average New Japan finals show with a bunch of undercard tag matches to give one final showing to all the guys in the tournament. I liked the work in the Junior Tag League finals, but I canâ€t honestly recommend a match so filled with House of Torture shenanigans and that ending. Thankfully both title matches delivered in spades and already brought some light into the plans for WrestleKingdom. Not a great final to the tag league, however you should still give the top two matches a watch.
You can contact me at mauriciopomares@gmail.com, on Twitter @PomiWrestling or on BlueSky @pomiwrestling.bsky.social
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