7 Times Wrestling Dontaku Main Event Wasn’t For IWGP Heavyweight Championship

2001 – Kazunari Murakami and Naoya Ogawa vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Riki Choshu

After the initial Dontaku shows seemed to be on special matches, the next few years centred around the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. It wasn’t until 2001 that a special tag match was the show’s main event. As expected, a tag match needed to include legends, and it definitely shined with Kazunari Murakami and Naoya Ogawa facing Manabu Nakanishi and Riki Choshu.

It seems like tag matches have never had the same impact in the main event as singles and those for titles. By watching the match, it appeared to be the same here. Although all four wrestlers are incredibly talented, the match seemed a bit messy.

After the match ended, everyone began fighting, and it seemed like a chaotic end to a match that confused many fans. The match was in the midst of the company’s darkest period, and it might have reflected the conditions of New Japan at the time.

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2015 – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hirooki Goto – IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Although it was the secondary title in New Japan, the Intercontinental Championship was always at its peak when Shinsuke Nakamura held it. The wrestler will forever be associated with the title, and his feud with Hirooki Goto was no exception. It was a feud that dated all the way back to their Young Lion days. Their talent and dedication to the title meant that it main evented the 2015 Dontaku Show.

As expected, the match had quality wrestling, but the storytelling was out of this world. Hirooki Goto perfectly played the underdog who had a chip on his shoulder, and Nakamura never took him lightly, bringing out the best and worst in his opponent. The war combined all the best parts of their offence with strikes, strength, and passion.

Although Shinsuke might have lost the title, he and Goto ensured to elevate the title to the status that made it so prestigious. Being the first title that wasn’t the heavyweight title to headline Dontaku proved how respected the wrestlers were.

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2018 – Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page

Since the start of the Dontaku show, NJPW had only held one show for the event. Yet, in 2018, this all changed when the company did two consecutive shows. The main event was a special singles match between Kenny Omega and Hangman Page on the first night. The match was at the peak of the feud between Omega and Cody. During this time, there with a battle for leadership and control of the Bullet Club.

Compared to other main events, this was more personal. Both wrestlers were much more aggressive. considering how amazing both wrestlers are, it was a wrestling spectacular. Omega and Hangman Page are two of the most diverse wrestlers, combining speed, strength, and agility. With such animosity, they threw caution to the win and ignored any regard for safety.

In the end, Kenny hit some very aggressive V-Triggers and transitioned into the One Winged Angel for the win. For many, the reaction of the crowds was a reason it didn’t have the impact of a main event title match. Yet, it was essential for the faction’s storyline, which continued for months to come.

• Riki Choshu
• Antonio Inoki
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Jay White
• DONTAKU
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• NJPW

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