Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

(PPV) event promoted by

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

(NJPW). It took place on September 4 and 5, 2021, at the MetLife Dome in

Tokorozawa is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 344,194 in 163,675 households and a population density of 4800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is located in the ce ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Production

Background

Wrestle Grand Slam was announced on March 4, 2021 as a two-day event which was originally planned take place on May 15 at Yokohama Stadium in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

and May 29 in the Tokyo Dome. On May 7, NJPW postponed the event due to the

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

in Japan. On June 16, NJPW revealed the rescheduled date to be July 25, as well announcing that the Yokohama event would be cancelled with a two event being held at the MetLife Dome in

Tokorozawa, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 344,194 in 163,675 households and a population density of 4800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is located in the ce ...

which is scheduled to be held on September 4 and 5. Wrestlers from NJPW's sister promotion

World Wonder Ring Stardom World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded i ...

was in pre-show matches on both days. Previously, Stardom had matches at Wrestle Kingdom 14 and Wrestle Kingdom 15; but due to NJPW and Stardom being on different broadcasting networks with

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

(NJPW) and Samurai TV (Stardom), they were only dark matches. This will be the first time Stardom matches will be streamed live on New Japan World with both Japanese and English commentary.

Storylines

Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome featured

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character as ...

heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. At

Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on July 25, 2021, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The event was originally scheduled to take ...

Robbie Eagles Robbie Eagles (ロビー・イーグルス　''Robī Īgurusu'', born 13 February 1990) is an Australian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, who currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Chaos (prof ...

defeated El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. A returning Hiromu Takahashi challenged Eagles for the title for Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome; Takahashi vacated the title earlier in the year due to an injury. After returning from Injury Yoh teamed with

Sho Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (sur ...

to defeat Suzuki-gun's El Desperado and

Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he also works as a backstage producer. Kanemaru is best known for his work in Pro Wrestling Noah, where he holds the records for the most reigns with the GHC ...

for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship after this Yoh would unsuccessfully challenge El Desperado for the title at

Dominion 6.6 in Osaka-jo Hall Dominion 6.6 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 7, 2021, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka-jō Hall and is the thirteen event under the Dominion name and seventh ...

after the match Bullet Club's Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo would challenge them for the title. At Kizuna Road,

Roppongi 3K Roppongi 3K was a professional wrestling tag team made up of Japanese wrestlers Sho Tanaka, Sho and Yohei Komatsu, Yoh, active from 2013 to 2021 in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team division. They were managed by R ...

lost the titles to Ishimori and Phantasmo. During Super Junior Tag League the pair would lose their first three matches; in their fourth match on August 16 against Suzuki-gun, Sho refused to break the submission hold that El Desperado put on Yoh and instead would leave the ring, forcing Yoh to submit. After the match, Sho attacked Yoh and said he was useless to him and also said that it was time for Yoh to retire. Thus breaking up Roppongi 3k and turning

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

for the first time in his career. Thus the two would face each other at Wrestle Grand Slam in Met Life Dome for the first time since breaking up. Seibu Dome Wrestle Grand Slam IMG 4844

At Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome Chase Owens won the provisional KOPW 2021 Trophy in a New Japan Rambo with

handcuffs Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

match by last eliminating champion Toru Yano in the weeks following Owens would outsmart Yano by not allowing him to cheat in his usual ways but he would force Yano to say "I Quit" multiple times which Yano refused. After this a poll was conducted to decide the stipulation for the Yano vs. Owens match at Wrestle Grand Slam in Met Life Dome, Owens suggested a Texas

strap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...

while Yano suggested a no disqualification "I quit" match with Yano winning the fan vote and thus the match was made official for the provisional KOPW 2021 Trophy. Kazuchika Okada defeating Jeff Cobb at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome, afterwards Cobb would attack Okada. In the weeks leading up to the event Cobb called Okada a "young boy" and would also make fun of Okada's shortcomings against him in tag matches. The singles match was made official for night 1 of the event while on Night 2 Okada would team with Chaos stablemate

Tomohiro Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He also makes additional appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work with the independent Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling ( ...

to take on Cobb and Great-O-Khan of the United Empire. At

Resurgence Resurgence may refer to: *Resurgence (spring), spring discharge, where water comes from the ground *Resurgence (pest) of (usually agricultural) pests, due for example, to the misuse of pesticides *Resurgence (Dutch Revolt), the period between 157 ...

Hiroshi Tanahashi would defeat Lance Archer to win the

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The current champion is Will Ospreay, who is in his first reign. History Backgr ...

, becoming first Japanese wrestler to win the title and the second Grand Slam winner. He would announce that he would like to defend his title against Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Grand Slam. The challenge was accepted by Ibushi and the match was made official for night 1 of the event. On August 17, Suzuki-gun's El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru would defeat IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo in the finals of Super Junior Tag League to earn a championship title shot at Wrestle Grand Slam. At Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome, Dangerous Tekkers defeated Tetsuya Naito and

Sanada Sanada is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Asami Sanada (born 1977), Japanese voice actress *, Japanese shogi player * Juzo Sanada (1923–1994), Japanese baseball player * Hiroki Sanada (born 1984), Japanese basebal ...

to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. After the match, Naito and Sanada demanded a rematch but they were interrupted by Chaos's Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi who demanded a match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship to which the champions agreed in return Goto and Yoshi-Hashi along with Ishii defeated both Suzuki Gun's team of Dangerous Tekkers and Minoru Suzuki and ''

Los Ingobernables de Japón (Spanish for "The Ungovernables of Japan" and often spelled without the accent as ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' in English-speaking countries), also shortened to ''L.I.J.'', is a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based in the New Japan ...

s team of Naito, Sanada and Bushi to retain the

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The title was announced on December 21, 2015, with the first champions crowned on January 4, 2016. Through NJPW's relationship with Ring of Honor ...

. A

Three-way tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ma ...

was set between the three teams on night 2 of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome. At Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome, Shingo Takagi retained his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. After the match, Evil and Dick Togo attacked Takagi and challenged Takagi for his title. The match was set was for night of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome.

Results

References

{{New Japan Pro-Wrestling 2021 in professional wrestling September 2021 events in Japan New Japan Pro-Wrestling shows Professional wrestling in Japan

Production

Background

Storylines

Results

See also

References