NJPW New Japan Soul 2025 Countdown (7/6/2025)

New Japan Soul 2025 Tour Concludes at Korakuen Hall

The final stop of the New Japan Soul 2025 tour is set to take place this Sunday at Korakuen Hall. The event starts at 6:30 JST/5:30 ET and will be available for live streaming. This event promises to deliver a thrilling lineup of matches, with the junior heavyweights taking center stage. A last chance to qualify for the G1 Climax 35 tournament is also on the line.

Full Match Card for New Japan Soul

• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs. Kosei Fujita
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & DOUKI (c) vs. YOH & Master Wato
• G1 Climax 35 Last Chance Play-In Gauntlet: Chase Owens vs. Satoshi Kojima vs. Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
• Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road & Tiger Mask 30th Anniversary: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tiger Mask
• Six Man Tag Team Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, & Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, & Hartley Jackson
• 10 Man Tag Team Match: Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma, Boltin Oleg, Yuya Uemura, & Shota Umino vs. EVIL, Sanada, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• Kick-off match 2: Masatora Yasuda & Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima & Daiki Nagai
• Kick-off match 1: Zane Jay vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto

Tanahashi’s Final Road Coincides with Tiger Mask’s 30th Year

Hiroshi Tanahashi will be looking to bounce back after his recent loss to Gabe Kidd. He continues on his Final Road, facing off against another wrestling legend, Tiger Mask, who is celebrating his 30th year in professional wrestling.

Tiger Mask, who first debuted in July 1995, is still active and has been a staple in the industry for three decades. At 54 years old, he aims to prove why he deserves to carry the Tiger Mask legacy. Their previous encounter in 2006 saw Tanahashi emerge victorious, and he will undoubtedly aim for the same result this time around.

Last Chance Gauntlet to Determine Goto’s Replacement

Hirooki Goto, a former IWGP World Heavyweight champion, will miss the G1 Climax 35 due to an elbow injury sustained during his defense against Zack Sabre Jr. at Tanahashi Jam on June 29. After further medical evaluation, he was deemed unfit to compete.

To find a replacement, NJPW organized a last chance play-in gauntlet featuring Chase Owens, Satoshi Kojima, Taichi, and Tomohiro Ishii. These four wrestlers previously lost their play-in matches during the tour but now have another opportunity to enter the G1 Climax. The dynamics of the match are intriguing, as Chase Owens from House of Torture appears to be the outsider, while there's a possibility that Ishii and Taichi could be the final two participants.

Former Champions Seeking Revenge

YOH & Master Wato recently lost the Jr. tag titles to SHO and DOUKI at Dominion. They were unaware of Yoshinobu Kanemaru’s replacement until DOUKI made a surprise return from injury to join House of Torture.

This time, the challengers are well-prepared and have momentum. YOH & Wato became part of the NEVER Openweight Six-Man tag champions after defeating SHO, Ren Narita, and Yujiro Takahashi. The question now is whether they can repeat their success and reclaim the Junior Tag Team titles.

“Young Punk” Challenges for Junior Singles Gold Again

Kosei Fujita, a member of TMDK, won the 32nd edition of the Best of the Super Junior, defeating YOH in the finals. He became the youngest winner in the tournament's history and earned another shot at the IWGP Junior Championship, currently held by El Desperado.

Fujita previously challenged Desperado at the New Beginning tour in February but was unsuccessful. However, he pushed the champion to the limit, with the match lasting over 23 minutes. Desperado, on the other hand, successfully defended his title in a brutal death match against Jun Kasai, marking his sixth successful defense in his fifth reign.

With both wrestlers aiming to continue their winning streaks, this match could potentially surpass their previous encounter. While Desperado holds a 3-0 advantage in singles competition, Fujita's confidence from winning the BOSJ should not be underestimated.

Other Notable Matches

In addition to the main events, several other matches are set to take place, including the 10-man tag team match and the two kick-off matches. Each match promises to add to the excitement of the night and showcase the talent within New Japan Pro-Wrestling.