NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2023 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan at the Fukuoka Convention Center. It was broadcast on NJPW World and TV Asahi.
Production[]
Storylines[]
After Just Five Guys member SANADA won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis on April 8, he was confronted by his former Los Ingobernables de Japón stablemate Hiromu Takahashi. Takahashi would challenge SANADA to a match, which SANADA accepted on the condition that Takahashi defend his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Yoshinobu Kanemaru, another member of Just Five Guys. Takahashi accepted, setting up an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between SANADA and Takahashi at Wrestling Dontaku.
Results[]
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Dark Match: Oskar Leube defeated Oleg Boltin, Ryohei Oiwa and Yuto Nakashima in a Young Lion Hat Trick Challenge Match (2:33)
- CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) in an Eight Man Tag Team Match (3:37)
- United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) in a Six Man Tag Team Match (5:28)
- Shota Umino & Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA) defeated United Empire (Aaron Henare, Francesco Akira & TJP) in a Six Man Tag Team Match (6:28)
- Just Five Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (w/TAKA Michinoku) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japón (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) in a Six Man Tag Team Match (7:17)
- Hikuleo (w/Jado) defeated KENTA (c) to win the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship (9:45)
- Zack Sabre Jr. (c) (w/Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) vs. Jeff Cobb (w/Aaron Henare, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis & TJP) ended in a Time Limit Draw in an NJPW WORLD Television Championship Match (15:00)
- Hiroshi Tanahashi & CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki & Ren Narita (c) in a Six Man Tag Team Match to win the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship (19:36)
- David Finlay (w/Gedo) defeated Tama Tonga (c) (w/Jado) to win the NEVER Openweight Championship (25:01)
- SANADA (c) (w/DOUKI, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Hiromu Takahashi (w/BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (27:30)
