Wrestling Dontaku 2024 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3 and May 4, 2024, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka at Fukuoka Kokusai Center. Both nights featured nine matches, one of which was contested for two championships and the other for three contested for championships. The first night was headlined by Nic Nemeth defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi and the second night was headlined by Jon Moxley defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Ren Narita. This was the eighteenth event under the Wrestling Dontaku name.
Production[]
Storylines[]
Wrestling Dontaku 2024 featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.
Nic Nemeth, the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion, who defended his title against Hiroshi Tanahashi
The first night of Wrestling Dontaku 2024 was headlined by Nic Nemeth making his second title defense of the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. On February 23, 2024, at The New Beginning in Sapporo, Nic Nemeth defeated David Finlay to win the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, marking his first championship outside his run with the WWE. After the match, Nemeth asked Hiroshi Tanahashi to be his partner in the following day in a tag team match, and also nominated him to be his first challenger for his title. However, Tanahashi was sidelined with a ankle injury forcing him to be pulled from the match. On February 26, NJPW announced the title match for Sakura Genesis on April 6, as it was expected that Tanahashi would be able to recover from his injury at the time of the title match, but three days later, NJPW announced that following further examination, their title match would be postponed to a later date, in order to allow Tanahashi to fully recover. On April 15, NJPW announced the title match for the first night of Wrestling Dontaku.
On May 3 in the first night of the event, after Nemeth retained the title against Tanahashi, he was attacked by David Finlay. Nemeth managed to fight back, forcing a break up. He would then challenge Finlay to a title match on the second night.
Jon Moxley, the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, who defended his title against Ren Narita
The second night of Wrestling Dontaku 2024 was headlined by Jon Moxley making his first title defense of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Ren Narita. On April 12, at Windy City Riot, Moxley defeated Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. With his win, Moxley became the first person to hold the WWE Championship, the AEW World Championship and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and the first "Global Grand Slam Champion". Post-match, Moxley took to the microphone to talk about the legendary figure he beat in the past but in his reign as champion, he wanted to face ‘the young, hungry lions’. Moxley delcared a title match to be his ‘graduation test,’ to his protègè Shota Umino, which he called out. Ren Narita, approched Moxley ducked him with his signature push-bar, Narita chocked Moxley and declared to be the next #1 contender. This led to Umino fend Narita and save Moxley with Moxley affirming that Narita had ‘just graduated from being a Young Boy to being a dead man’. The title match was announced on April 15.
Zack Sabre Jr., who defended the NJPW World Television Championship at the event
At Windy City Riot, Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Matt Riddle to win the NJPW World Television Championship for the second time. Following the match, Sabre announced that he was looking for a new challenge, which was answered by Jeff Cobb. Despite Cobb being ready to fight for the title, Sabre promised the match at a later date. Sabre layed his belt on the floor, while Cobb was picking it up, Sabre went for the Zack Driver before Cobb tried to body slam Sabre, only to retreat and politely asking for his belt, which Cobb gave before Sabre left. The title match was announced on April 15.
Yota Tsuji, who faced David Finlay
At Sakura Genesis, Yota Tsuji unsuccessfully challenged Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Afterwards, in a post-match interview, Tsuji was confronted by David Finlay, who was quick to point out his failure, after Finlay was forced to pull out of the 2024 New Japan Cup, due to an illness, before Bullet Club War Dogs engaged in a brawl with Los Ingobernables de Japón.
Also during the show, after Shingo Takagi won the NEVER Openweight Championship, he was attacked by Gabe Kidd, who proceed to claim that the NEVER Openweight Championship title had become a ‘joke’ in recent months, while also displaying his resentment toward NJPW at large, before challenging Takagi to a title match. The title match was announced on April 15.
At the event, KENTA and Chase Owens lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship to Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi. Afterwards, in a post match interview, KENTA was quick to blame his travel schedule and jet lag having flown into the building a mere 30 minutes before bell time as the reason to lose the titles. After Bishamon retained the titles on April 14 at Wrestling World, the following day, NJPW announced the title match for the event.
Matches[]
Night 1[]
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1P | Boltin Oleg and Shoma Kato and defeated Togi Makabe and Katsuya Murashima | Tag team match | 6:57 |
| 2 | House of Torture (Sho and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI and Taka Michinoku) | Tag team match | 7:29 |
| 3 | Just 5 Guys (Taichi and Yuya Uemura) defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman) | Tag team match | 9:14 |
| 4 | Guerrillas of Destiny (Hikuleo, El Phantasmo and Jado) defeated TMDK (Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste and Kosei Fujita) by pinfall | Six-man tag team match | 6:55 |
| 5 | Bullet Club (KENTA, Chase Owens and Taiji Ishimori) defeated Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi and Tiger Mask | Six-man tag team match | 7:34 |
| 6 | Los Ingobernables de Japón (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI) defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney and Gedo) by submission | Eight-man tag team match | 11:16 |
| 7 | House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Jon Moxley, Shota Umino and El Desperado | Six-man tag team match | 8:44 |
| 8 | Jeff Cobb defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (c) | Singles match for the NJPW World Television Championship | 13:28 |
| 9 | David Finlay defeated Yota Tsuji | Singles match | 22:22 |
| 10 | Nic Nemeth (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi | Singles match for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship | 17:22 |
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Night 2[]
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1P | Togi Makabe and Katsuya Murashima defeated Naoki Sakurajima and Jet Wei | Tag team match Frontier Zone |
7:07 |
| 2P | TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) defeated Tiger Mask and Shoma Kato | Tag team match | 8:10 |
| 3 | United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Francesco Akira) defeated Just 5 Guys (Yuya Uemura and DOUKI) | Tag team match | 7:53 |
| 4 | TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. and Kosei Fujita) defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman) | Tag team match | 9:25 |
| 5 | Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, Shota Umino and El Desperado (with Jado) defeated House of Torture (EVIL, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (with Dick Togo) | Eight-man tag team match | 7:33 |
| 6 | Hiroshi Tanahashi and Boltin Oleg defeated Just 5 Guys (Taichi and Taka Michinoku) | Tag team match | 8:57 |
| 7 | Los Ingobernables de Japón (Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI) defeated Bullet Club (Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney, Taiji Ishimori and Gedo) | Eight-man tag team match | 10:02 |
| 8 | Bullet Club (KENTA and Chase Owens) defeated Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) (c) | Tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship | 12:43 |
| 9 | Shingo Takagi (c) defeated Gabe Kidd | Singles match for the NEVER Openweight Championship | 21:23 |
| 10 | David Finlay (with Gedo) defeated Nic Nemeth (c) | Singles match for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship | 15:34 |
| 11 | Jon Moxley (c) (with Shota Umino) defeated Ren Narita | Singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | 25:18 |
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