NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 (Night One) Results

By Brie Coder

Welcome to Wrestling Inc's live coverage of Night One of New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 15. This event is available on NJPW World and FITE TV. The Preshow will begin at 2 AM EST with the 22-Man New Japan Rambo. Then, the Main Card will officially begin at 3 AM EST. Be sure to chime in on your thoughts about tonight's show in the comments section below. Additionally, share our live coverage through social media. Make sure to click the REFRESH button to continue to get the most current up to date coverage.

Commentators Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton welcome fans to the first night of Wrestle Kingdom 15! The show kicks off with the 22-Man New Japan Rambo, where the final four opponents will face off in a special four-way match for the KOPW 2021 trophy tomorrow night! The first two men make their way to the ring!

1. Chase Owens

2. Tomohiro Ishii

Both men waste little time as they begin the match. Chase Owens looks for a packaged piledriver. Tomohiro Ishii blocks his chances, which the audience claps towards. The third man is on his way.

3. Minoru Suzuki

Chase Owens rolls out of the ring once Minoru Suzuki's music hits. He lets Ishii take care of him first. Both Ishii and Suzuki trade forearms. Owens makes his return into the ring and whacks both men. They push him out of the way as the fourth man makes his way into the ring.

4. Yuji Nagata

Owens has Ishii in the corner. He stomps away as Suzuki and Nagata square off in the other corner. Suzuki gouges Nagata's eyes; the referee calls for a break. The fifth man enters.

5. Toa Henare

Toa Henare makes his presence felt by going after everyone once he enters the ring. The sixth man arrives shortly after.

6 Hirooki Goto

Toa Henare gets Yuji Nagata, and Minoru Suzuki eliminated. Both the eliminated men duke it out on the outside. Goto looks for a pinfall; he is unsuccessful. Right after, the seventh man enters.

7. Yujiro Takahashi

Goto lands an impressive spear in the center of the ring. Unfortunately, Toa Henare gets eliminated by Ishii. Owens and Yujiro Takahashi connect a double shoulder tackle on Ishii.
8. Yoshi- Hashi

Goto stomps away on Takahashi. Yoshi-Hashi holds Takahashi up while Goto lands a flurry of punches towards Takahashi's midsection. The ninth man enters.

9. Togi Makabe

Two more are eliminated in this round: Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi. The tenth man enters.

10. Tomoaki Honma

Tomoaki Honma sends Ishii crashing into the turnbuckles just before the 11th man comes in.

11. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Togi Makabe is eliminated just a few minutes after coming into the ring. Owens gets his boot up to block a strike from Ishii on the apron.

12. Rocky Romero

Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton are happy to see their commentary partner out there in the ring. Rocky grabs a hold of Honma's leg to send him over the top rope. He blocks the chance. On the other side, Owens was inches from being eliminated.

13. Douki

Rocky and Ishii join forces briefly before Rocky focuses solely on Douki. He sends him in the corner with a series of clotheslines. Douki disqualified himself for using a steel pipe on Rocky.

14. SHO

SHO goes right for Owens and tries to send him over the top rope. Honma was close to being eliminated over the top rope.

15. BUSHI

Yujiro Takahashi is eliminated in this round. Tiger Mask makes his way into the ring.

16. Tiger Mask

Tiger Mask flies off the top rope onto Rocky Romero. He rolls him up for a near-fall of 2. SHO is using all his weight to keep from falling over the top rope.

17. Bad Luck Fale

Bad Luck Fale and Ishii start to clash. Chase Owens helps Fale eliminated Ishii from the match.

18. Gabriel Kidd

Tomoaki Honma is eliminated in this round.

19. Yuya Uemura

Bad Luck Fale eliminates SHO. Also, Rocky Romero is eliminated, too.

20. Yota Tsuji

The Young Lions come together to try and eliminate Bad Luck Fale. He pushes all three men off of him.

21. Toru Yano

The 2020 KOPW Winner prefers to see what's going to happen before stepping into the ring. Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura are eliminated. The four men that are left are Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, BUSHI and Toru Yano. These four will compete for the KOPW 2021 Trophy tomorrow night!

Winners: Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, BUSHI and Toru Yano

**The Main Card**

Noritake Kinashi welcomes fans to the beginning of the main card of Night One of Wrestle Kingdom 15! A video package opens the show to promote what's in store for fans for both nights. We head back to the ring to see the first match of the evening, which is a No. 1 Contendership Match for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship tomorrow night!

Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo

As the men head down for their scheduled match, Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton and Rocky Romero pay tribute to Brodie Lee and say their hearts and prayers go out to his family at this time.

After the bell rings, El Phantasmo steps out of the ring and pushes the BOSJ Trophy off the table. He calls out Jushin Thunder Liger. As he's looking around for Liger. Hiromu Takahashi flies off the ring post. He does it again for a second time, and the fans clap. El Phantasmo sends Takahashi's head crashing towards the safety mats outside with a sunset flip. El Phantasmo walks across the top rope and connects a beautiful flip on the outside. Back in the ring, El Phantasmo slaps away at Takahashi's face. Takahashi fires back with several chops to create some distance.

ELP pays tribute to Kenny Omega with the Rise of the Terminator – the clapping part – before Takahashi steals his thunder. Takahashi breaks free from the corner with a series of chops. ELP stomps and twists away at Takahashi's right wrist. ELP drops on top of Takahashi for only a near-fall. ELP walks the top rope as Takahashi holds onto his hand. He bites ELP's fingers to connect a cradle piledriver off the top. Takahashi gets a near-fall count on ELP. ELP teases AJ Styles' "Styles Clash." His chances to use the move gets blocked. Takahashi and ELP find themselves with two more near-fall counts on each other.

Takahashi scoops ELP up towards the top. ELP escapes and knocks the referee off his feet. ELP takes this opportunity to connect a low blow to help him get a hurricanrana and frog splash off the top. ELP and Takahashi tangle in double rollups. ELP finally catches Takahashi with the Styles Clash but gets another near-fall. Takahashi throws ELP into the turnbuckle. ELP finds a way to roll him up for a close near-fall of 2.8. Takahashi counters ELP's CR2 with another rollup pin. And this time, he pins ELP's shoulders to the mat for a final three-count.

Winner: Hiromu Takahashi

Tomorrow, Hiromu Takahashi will challenge Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship!

Up next, the IWGP Tag Team Championships are on the line!

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi) (c) vs. The Guerrillas of Destiny

Zack Sabre Jr. is on the move as the match gets going. He helps Taichi get the lead on Tama Tonga with a choke. Tonga gets the Tangan Twist on a distracted Taichi. He gets a quick tag into Tanga Loa. G.o.D connect two over the top rope sentons. Tanga Loa only gets a 2 count on Taichi. Zack Sabre Jr. makes his way into the ring to show off his technical ability. He gets a mild reaction from the audience.

Tanga Loa gets locked up in a chokehold before Tama Tonga breaks it up. Tanga showcases an old school powerbomb for just another two count. G.o.D's Super Powerbomb is blocked by Sabre Jr. and Taichi. Sabre Jr. sacrifices his body by having his partner help him with a huge powerbomb off the top. Surprisingly, Tanga Loa kicks out of the pin at 2. All four men are down in the ring. With the help of Jado's interference, G.o.D. drilled Taichi with a loaded glove, then hit a tombstone on the former champion to gain the pinfall victory. G.o.D. is the new IWGP Tag Team Champions!

Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny

Next, the IWGP United States Briefcase is on the line!

Rights to IWGP US Championship Match: KENTA (holder) vs. Satoshi Kojima

Before the match begins, we hear from the IWGP United States Champion, Jon Moxley. He warns whoever wins this match that he's watching very closely.

Satoshi Kojima puts up a great fight on KENTA at the beginning of the match with a tight side headlock. KENTA breaks the hold with the help of the ropes. Kojima crashes into KENTA with a big tackle in the center of the ring. On the outside, KENTA sends Kojima onto the floor with a DDT. He rolls him back into the ring and looks for a cover. Kojima kicks out at 2. Kojima fires himself up with two big Mongolian Chops, followed by more machine gun chops. KENTA counters back with a flurry of forearm strikes. KENTA sends Kojima flying off the top with a superplex. He gets a near-fall count.

KENTA looks for a suplex on the apron. Kojima reverses it into a beautifully polished DDT. Back in the ring, KENTA crushes Kojima with a double foot stomp off the top. He gets another near-fall count. KENTA sends Kojima crashing once more with a sidewalk slam onto the canvas. Kojima swats the IWGP Briefcase away. He gets a near-fall count on KENTA. KENTA gets up and rocks Kojima with his Busaiku Knee Kick. He does the same thing again and gets another near-fall. KENTA traps Kojima in his GTS and sends the legend down and out for the count. KENTA retains his briefcase and right to challenge Jon Moxley in the future.

Winner: KENTA

Back from the brief break, we gear up to see the first non-title singles match on the card.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Great-O-Khan

Both men lockup. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Great-O-Khan showcase their technical mat skills with a series of escapes. They restart the match. Tanahashi clamps on a side headlock. Great-O-Khan breaks out with a big chop to the chest. Great-O-Khan Mongolian Chops Tanahashi's grip on the ropes. He drags him around the ring to throw him up towards the ramp. He slams "The Ace" back-first onto the ramp and makes his way back into the ring with a chair. Tanahashi makes it back into the ring in time before the 20 count.

Back in the ring, both men trade forearms. Great-O-Khan launches into "The Ace" with a giant pump kick. The Tokyo Dome echos with three more Mongolian Chops from Great-O-Khan. He goes for a cover, and Tanahashi kicks out at 2. Tanahashi catches himself when he goes over the top rope again. He catches Great-O-Khan with the Twist and Shout for another 2 count. Great-O-Khan catches him with a big claw. Tanahashi tries to block O-Khan's Eliminator finisher. O-Khan switches his move set with a suplex. He gets another near-fall cover.

Tanahashi slides off the back to break free from O-Khan's claw again. He counters with another Twist and Shout. He picks up the chair that O-Khan brought in earlier but refuses to use it. "The Ace" flies off with two High Fly Flows to gain the pinfall victory!

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Up next, the co-main event will take place between "The Aerial Assassin" and "The Rainmaker!"

Will Ospreay (w/Bea Priestley) vs. Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada backs Will Ospreay into the ropes and goes for a clean break. Ospreay takes advantage with an attack. Okada sends Ospreay down on the canvas with a textbook DDT. On the outside, Okada sends Ospreay crashing into the guard rail. Bea Priestley came close to getting knocked out. Priestley talks a little smack to Okada, which leaves him on the receiving end of a big boot. "The Aerial Assassin" pulls some padding apart on the outside. After landing a few hard blows to the back of Okada's neck, "The Rainmaker" comes crashing out of the ring.

Back in the ring, Okada creates some distance with a huge backdrop. He keeps the momentum going with a big flapjack. He goes for a cover, and Ospreay kicks out at 2. Okada briefly gets the Money Clip locked in before Ospreay sends him towards the turnbuckles to break it up. Ospreay comes crashing off the top rope with a Pip Pip Cheerio forearm smash. He only gets a 2 count after that. Okada goes back to working the injured back of Ospreay with another backdrop and Heavy Rain. Ospreay stays alive with another near-fall. In the center of the ring, both men exchange a combination of forearm and chops. Okada dropkicks the EMPIRE leader off the ring post.

On the outside, Okada sends Ospreay crashing into the guardrails again. Ospreay tried to catch Okada with his OsCutter, but Okada moves out of the way. Okada comes in again with another big dropkick off the top. Ospreay gets another near-fall with a reverse Bloody Sunday. The fans clap in support of Okada. "The Rainmaker" escapes out the back door of the Stormbreaker with another missile dropkick. Ospreay rolls through for another 2 count. Okada crashes into a table. The camera zooms in on the welts that were forming on his back. Ospreay rolls Okada back into the ring. He sends Okada crashing onto the mat with a devastating powerbomb. But Okada kicks out! Okada gets served a tombstone off the apron.

Both men make it back into the ring by the 18th count. Okada teases a Rolling Rainmaker. Ospreay counters out of it with a big roundhouse kick. Okada tightly locks in the Money Clip. Bea Priestley crawls up onto the apron. Okada pushes Ospreay into his girlfriend. She takes a hard fall to the outside. He locks in the Money Clip again. Red Shoes checks in on Ospreay. He gets his foot on the bottom rope for a break. Okada yells for Ospreay to get up. As Ospreay gets up, Okada serves him two hard elbows. Okada traps Ospreay with a powerslam to the mat.

Ospreay surprises the crowd with a beautiful Spanish Fly for only a 2 count. Okada catches him with a big uppercut. Ospreay reins down a series of open-hand slaps and a big stomp to the side of Okada's head. Okada catches Ospreay midair with another devastating dropkick. He sends Ospreay off his feet with a Rainmaker. Ospreay catches the former Heavyweight Champion with a tombstone and Rainmaker. Okada kicks out at 2. Ospreay is in awe. Okada gets back up and sends the "Commonwealth King" with one final Rainmaker to secure his victory in this 35-minute bout!

Winner: Kazuchika Okada

And now, the main event!

IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

Both men exchange gratifying mat skills as the match starts. Kota Ibushi sends Tetsuya Naito out with a hurricanrana. On the outside, Naito throws Ibushi over, and he crashes onto the ramp. Ibushi makes it back into the ring by the 15th count. Naito rolls Ibushi through with a snapmare turned head scissors lockup. The current champion gets a near-fall of 1. Back on their feet, Ibushi leaps in the air with a dropkick that sends Naito back down on the mat again. He goes for a standing moonsault and a 2 count. Naito gains the upperhand temporarily with a neckbreaker on the outside.

Naito smashes Ibushi's into a bar before sending him back into the ring. Ibushi catches Naito with a powerslam. He runs over to the second rope to land a moonsault, but Naito catches him with a submission. Ibushi gets his foot on the bottom rope for a break. Naito taunts Ibushi to hit him. Ibushi does so and gets caught with a series of short elbow strikes. The crowd applauds in unison after he connects Gloria for only a 2 count. Ibushi catches Naito in the corner with a backflip/kick combination. Naito and Ibushi find themselves in no man's land before Naito throws Ibushi across the ring with a reverse poison rana.

Ibushi derails the champion briefly with some kicks. Naito comes back in with a Destino for only a 2 count. Ibushi sends Naito head first on the canvas with a Hitodenashi Driver. Both men make it up to a vertical base. They exchange forearm strikes before Ibushi knocks Naito's socks off with a hard-hitting lariat. Ibushi is desperate. He goes right for his Kamigoye and was so close to winning it before Naito kicked out at 2.9. He lands it again for a second time and gets the same results. Naito picks himself back up with a step-up enziguri. Ibushi catches him before he can land another Destino. Ibushi drives his knee into Naito for one more Kamigoye to become the new IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion!

Winner and New Double Champion: Kota Ibushi

Post-Match: Tetsuya Naito hands Kota Ibushi his newly won championships. They both share a moment before Naito leaves the ring. After, "Switchblade" Jay White makes an appearance to applaud, yet warn the new champion that he'll only have those titles for one night. He says that he's looking forward to exposing Ibushi for the fraud that he is.

Ibushi looks forward to defending these titles for the first time tomorrow night in the main event against White. He mentions that he will officially become a god tomorrow night if he retains the titles!

That concludes the first night of Wrestle Kingdom 15! We hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to join us for Night Two on Tuesday morning at 3 AM EST!

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