More big matches official for Battle in the Valley
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- El Desperado vs Taiji Ishimori
Singles record: 3–2 Desperado
The first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defence on American soil in nearly six years will see new champion El Desperado seek the first defence of his fifth reign.
His opponent, Taiji Ishimori was the champion on a fateful night in March 2019 in Madison Square Garden, and wound up losing the gold. After a victory in Wrestle Dynasty’s Lucha Gauntlet Match, Ishimori asserted his claim and now will battle Desperado in their sixth singles encounter. Back in June of 2024, the two men headlined Dominion in the biggest Best of the Super Jr. final of the modern era, and an explosive battle saw Desperado victorious. Now, after Desperado regained his junior title from DOUKI at Wrestle Kingdom, and Ishimori snuck in his victory January 5, champion and challenger will fight for pride, the prestigious title, and to show the world that the era of the once much lauded ‘big three’ in junior heavyweight wrestling is still not done.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Konouske Takeshita vs KUSHIDA
The biggest weekend in professional wrestling in the Tokyo Dome was no more demanding than on Konosuke Takeshita. Insistent on showing the world that Japanese pro-wrestling was best in the world, Takeshita overcame first Shingo Takagi and then Tomohiro Ishii to leave with both the NEVER Openweight and AEW International Championships.
Backstage, Takeshita was confronted by Boltin Oleg, the Kazakh having beaten Takeshita during the G1 and wanting a chance at the Alpha. Takeshita would say he’d soon be back in Japan to take a fight with Boltin, but in the meantime, he’ll deal with KUSHIDA. Defeat in Wrestle Kingdom 19’s Tokyo Terror Ladder Match has put KUSHIDA a rung off on the ladder to success, but the Timesplitter will seek to recover in his first NEVER challenge since 2014.
NJPW World TV Championship- El Phantasmo vs Jeff Cobb
One of the high points of an emotional weekend in the Tokyo Dome came when El Phantasmo won the NJPW World TV Championship in a sensational four-way bout. Returning from a bout with cancer, ELP had not missed a step, but had missed Jeff Cobb on the way to victory. While it was a Thunder Kiss 86 on Ren Narita that sealed the deal in the Tokyo Dome, Cobb was well on the way to the win himself. Now, with no three- or four-way distractions, Cobb and Phantasmo will go head-to-head for the TV gold.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship- Gabe Kidd vs Tomohiro Ishii
What started as a partisan NJPW versus AEW fight between Kenny Omega and Gabe Kidd in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Dynasty became a unifying force as both Kidd and Omega were united under the thrall of combat. Kidd undoubtedly earned the respect of Omega and the world, but as he continued to utter that ‘NJPW is number one’, he still has to prove that standpoint in the ring. Tonight, he faces Tomohiro Ishii in a fight that will be every bit as spirited as both Kidd and Omega, and Ishii’s memorable battle with Konosuke Takeshita over AEW International and NEVER Openweight Championships.
STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships- West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson) vs Roppongi ReVice (Rocky Romero & YOH)
Roppongi ReVice may have been absent from the Tokyo Dome cards, but were certainly active behind the scenes at Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty. That action included Rocky Romero and YOH challenging new champions Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at New Beginning in Osaka, and that in addition to gunning for NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag gold tonight. The West Coast Wrecking Crew completed a very long journey to get to the top of the STRONG tag heap, and tonight have to protect that spot against a hungry CHAOS side.
Sumie Sakai Retirement Match- Sumie Sakai, EVIL & SHO vs Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki
The teams are now set for Sumie Sakai’s last ever match in San Jose. With Sakai being such a loved and respected figure in pro-wrestling, Hiromu Takahashi took the task of finding partners for this mixed 6-person tag very seriously. Needing to find two women, he found two of the best in STARDOM’s Icon Mayu Iwatani, and the ever colorful Yuka Sakazaki. Yet after a backstage attack on Hiromu Takahashi, Sumie’s partners were revealed as EVIL and SHO of HOUSE OF TORTURE! Sumie’s last match has seen her try to bring SHO and EVIL back around to the kinds of people who she aided in their respective US excursions; will they see the light before her career comes to an end?
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Hechicero
Singles record: 2–1 Sabre
Zack Sabre Jr. will face Hechicero in a special singles match in San Jose. In 2024, the llave alchemist Hechicero reunited in ring with ZSJ after six years apart, and the result was a win for the maestro on home turf in Mexico. Then Sabre would get a victory back on his own home ground in London later in the summer. That has led to the need for a rubber match on the neutral territory of the San Jose Civic, as all eyes will be on perhaps the two finest technicians in the world.
Fred Rosser & Matt Vandagriff vs TMDK (Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito)
More tag team action will see a TMDK side fielded by Shane Haste and Bad Dude Tito to take on Fred Rosser and Matt Vandagriff. STRONG Survivor for well over a year, Vandagriff lost that spot in the kickoff to Strong Style Evolved against Zane Jay. Later that night, Tom Lawlor took a Tequila Screwdriver from Bad Dude Tito that left he and Rosser eager for revenge against TMDK. Yet with Lawlor indisposed, Vandagriff saw an opportunity to move up the card. Will the brash and arguably disrespectful Vandagriff be able to gel with the Academy coach?
STRONG Survivor- Zane Jay vs Viento
The first kickoff match of the night will see Zane Jay defend his STRONG Survivor spot for the first time against Viento. Jay’s firm fundamentals drilled in the NJPW Academy saw him to be the first to put away Matt Vandagriff in over a year to take the STRONG Survivor label at Strong Style Evolved. Now he faces the exciting luchador Viento in his return to NJPW for the first time since Fantasticamania USA. The STRONG will survive, but who will it be?
Fans can also expect to see AZM, Mina Shirakawa, Maika and HANAKO in action representing STARDOM- keep your eyes out for announcements on this loaded San Jose card!
