NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Preview (5/3/25 & 5/4/25): Start Time, Match Card, How To Watch & Live Stream

One of the highlights of Golden Week in Japan has been the NJPW Wrestling Dontaku shows for many years now and this year will be no different with the company bringing the signature event to Fukuoka on May 3rd and 4th.

These two events will see the final matches of NJPW legend Tetsuya Naito and former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion BUSHI as both men announced they will leave the promotion following these shows.

Naito is one of the biggest stars of the past decade for the promotion and a former five-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. His final bouts will surely be very emotional as he teams with the rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon to face members of the Hontai stable on both nights.

Regarding Tetsuya Naito's future status with NJPWhttps://t.co/HPOpX7Ls8G pic.twitter.com/yTMTiIIvoO
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 16, 2025

Meanwhile, the first of the two-night event will be headlined by a battle for the future of one of the most iconic stables in not only NJPW history, but pro wrestling today, The Bullet Club.

David Finlay will lead his War Dogs stable consisting of Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors and Taiji Ishimori to do battle with EVIL's House of Torture consisting of Ren Narita, SANADA, SHO and Yoshinobu in the brutal Dog Pound Steel Cage Match.

The first iteration of this stipulation saw several different injuries and caused the retirement of Alex Coughlin. With the significant consequences the Dog Pound Steel Cage delivered last year, War Dogs and House of Torture should be bloody and live up to the chaotic feel of the first contest.

☠️12 years of BULLET CLUB ☠️

In 2024, the War Dogs conceived the hellish Dogpound cage.#njdontaku May 3- Dogpound Steel Cage- BULLET CLUB's Bloody Birthday!https://t.co/MaR7vk0iPc #njresurgence May 9 BC past vs BC present?https://t.co/gF0amdUTp9 pic.twitter.com/9rNAnkpRK0
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) May 2, 2025

The May 4th card will see Hirooki Goto defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against Callum Newman in the main event. Newman steps in for the recently departed Jeff Cobb who challenged Goto for the title before his abrupt exit from the company.

At just 22 years old Callum will become the youngest competitor to challenge for the most prestigious prize in New Japan Pro Wrestling, while Goto will look to continue his improbably successful reign as IWGP Champ in his fifth defense.

This bout should be crucial in the development of Newman and help to bring some kind of direction to the United Empire stable after the departures of Jeff Cobb and TJP.

Check out the last comments for champions and challengers for the Global and World Heavyweight titles from our press conference today!https://t.co/a6NEsEivpc #njpw #njdontaku pic.twitter.com/NIxcULf4Nc
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) May 2, 2025

Elsewhere, the May 3rd show will have AEW's Konosuke Takeshita return to Japan to challenge El Phantasmo for the NJPW World TV Championship, while May 4th will consist of Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura continuing their years long rivalry from the NJPW dojo to now fighting over the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in the semi-main event.

Here is everything you need to know about this Saturday and Sunday's NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 events.

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Start Time:

Time: Saturday 5 a.m. EST (2 a.m. PST)
Sunday 2 a.m. EST (11 p.m. PST)

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Location:

Location: Fukuoka Convention Center, Fukuoka, Japan

How to Watch NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2025:

Streaming: NJPW World

Match Card (Announced):

Saturday

Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors & Taiji Ishimori) vs. House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita SANADA, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) in the Dog Pound Steel Cage Match

Shingo Takagi vs. Shota Umino

Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road - Kinship: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the NJPW World TV Championship

Hontai (Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Ryusuke Taguchi) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)

Hontai (Yuya Uemura, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii & TAKA Michinoku) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Yota Tsuji, BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito)

Hontai (Master Wato, YOH, Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa)

Kickoff Match: Katsuya Murashima vs. Daiki Nagai

Sunday

Hirooki Goto vs. Callum Newman for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship

Hontai (Shota Umino, Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito)

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, YOH, Chikuzen Ryota & TAJIRI vs. TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Robbie Eagles, Kosei Fujita & Hartley Jackson)

Hontai (El Phantasmo & Boltin Oleg) vs. The Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero)

STARDOM Showcase: Maika & FWC (Hazuki & Koguma) vs. NEO Genesis (Starlight Kid, AZM & Yuna Mizunmori)

Hontai (Master Wato & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)

Batten Burabura & Mentai*Kid vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (Taiji Ishimori & Gedo)

Kickoff Match: Katsuya Murashima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jet Wei & Hitamaru Sasaki

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