New champion crowned at NJPW Road to King of Pro Wrestling event
DOUKI has recaptured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
He defeated El Desperado in the main event of Monday’s Road to King of Pro Wrestling show at Korakuen Hall.
The match was not without controversy due to repeated interference from DOUKI’s House of Torture teammate, SHO. Despite SHO having been banished from ringside before the bout officially began, he returned later and struck Desperado with a wrench and sheet pan, allowing DOUKI to lock in the DOUKI-chokey for the win.
“I guess the only logical reason to end such a great Junior Heavyweight Championship reign would be to end it in the most controversial and displeasing way possible,” wrote our own Cory Michaels in today’s recap of the show.
It was the 99th title change in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship’s lineage. Desperado’s fifth reign with the belt ends after 275 days and eight successful title defenses.
For DOUKI, he regains the title he lost due to match stoppage at Wrestle Kingdom after he suffered what was at first thought to be a broken arm, and later revealed to be a dislocated left elbow. He missed over five months before returning that June at Dominion. DOUKI’s first reign with the title lasted 183 days with four successful defenses.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.