RevPro did not skimp on the action and starpower when they took over the Doncaster Dome on October 19th to present Global Wars.
Taking place the day before the NJPW Royal Quest show in London, the card saw some of the top stars from New Japan in action along with the mainstays of RevPro. Given the location and its lack of regular wrestling, typing the phrase “Hiroshi Tanahashi wrestled in Doncaster” still feels strange even though there is video proof of the match.
While the event itself was a big one for UK fans of New Japan, the show itself became even more must-see given the events that took place at the King of Pro Wrestling pay-per-view the Monday prior, which saw Zack Sabre Jr. win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and Hiroshi Tanahashi announce that he would be retiring in January 2026. With this in mind, both stars arguably got an even bigger reception from the fans than they would have if the show did not take place.
From UK homecomings to high-flying drama and hard-hitting action, Global Wars was a very diverse night of action.
RevPro Global Wars Delivers In Doncaster
Ahead of the show, the promotion pointed out on social media that around 700 tickets were sold for the show the night before. While the empty seats were noticeable, the crowd more than made up for it in noise with the venue itself. Kicking off the action for the night was the Cruiserweight title bout between champion Will Kaven and challenger Cameron Khai. A fun match that got the crowd warmed up well with some profanity-filled chants and hopes that Khai would win. Unfortunately for Doncaster, this was Kaven’s night.
The first match featuring New Japan stars was next with LIJ’s Hiromu Takahashi and Titan picking up the win over Callum Newman and JJ Gale. A nice mix of comedy, high-flying and stiff strikes, LIJ picked up the victory in a very strong match. With Newman and Gale remaining in the ring for an extended period after the bell, Charlie Sterling stormed to the ring to attack them both. The first women’s match of the night was next with AZM taking on Kanji. With the crowd split and possibly some fatigue from the previous match, both put on a great effort to get the fans into it and AZM is one to watch if you have never seen her in action before.
While the crowd were quiet for the women’s match, the arrival of Hiroshi Tanahashi brought the Dome to their feet with one of the loudest pops of the night. In a very fun 6 man match that saw The Ace team with Leon Slater and Zozaya to defeat Gabe Kidd, Connor Mills and Jay Joshua, all 6 gave the fans what they wanted to see with good heat from the heels and Tanahashi playing the hits and scoring the winning pin. While the mic audio was not the best in the venue, fans were able to make out his retirement announcement and teasing Zozaya and Slater may be New Japan bound soon. Giving a further announcement to the fans, The Ace let them know that he would be making another trip to the UK before he calls time on his career.
Earlier in the night, it was announced that due to travel issues, Lio Rush was unable to make it to the show, which the crowd were understandably upset by, especially as RevPro waited until later in the night to announce this. However, not one to disappoint, the New Japan roster being in the area massively benefited RevPro in this instance as Yota Tsuji was the surprise replacement for Mascara Dorada. Fighting around the ringside area and destroying the seated area at ringside, this match was many highlights of the night. Credit to RevPro for not letting the fans down with the sudden change to the card.
The match of the night came next as new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. faced off against Robbie X. From a head vs. heart perspective this was a hard one as although Sabre Jr. was the new champ it will always be difficult to not cheer a wrestler from my hometown of Lincoln, especially someone who took Will Ospreay to the limit in 2023 inside The Engine Shed. With the crowd behind Sabre Jr., the champ showed the fans why he is the best wrestler in New Japan right now but the match was anything but easy. Acknowledging the talent of Robbie X after the match, Sabre Jr. offered him a spot in TMDK, but the offer was refused. Like many stars on the card, it’s only a matter of time before more wrestling fans become aware of who Robbie X is.
Put in a difficult spot of having to follow the previous 2 action-filled matches, Women’s Champion Mina Shirakawa put the title on the line against Lizzy Evo. With the crowd once again slightly fatigued both performers got the fans back into it with a more submission-based style of match compared to the high-flying seen throughout most of the night. With repeated figure 4 attempts, Shirakawa emerged the victor.
Then came the most unpredictable match of the night as Michael Oku and Ricky Knight Junior fought to be the new number one contender to the Heavyweight Championship. With Oku previously rumoured for AEW earlier in the year, this match could have realistically gone either way. What was more surprising was that the Doncaster crowd were split virtually down the middle with a lot of fans wanting to see Knight come out on top. With chops echoing through the arena, this was as much of a physical bout as it was a fast-paced one. Oku did great at selling and making RKJ look like a formidable opponent. While Knight is able to pull off the big moves and get very convincing nearfalls [twice it looked like the match was legitimately over], some of the spots took just a few seconds longer than they should have. In the end Oku won with multiple splashes in a very competitive match. While he didn’t win tonight, it won’t be long before RKJ also gets a shot at the gold.
Capping off the night of action was New Japan’s Tomohiro Ishii taking on Luke Jacobs for the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship. Although flips and high-flying were a common theme throughout the night, this was the exact opposite. Two big men with stiff strikes, it was exactly as advertised and delivered. Once again wince-inducing with the chops and multiple exchanges of forearms and headbutts, neither could put the other away with the big moves. In the end, Jacobs checked out Ishii, leading to the referee calling for the bell. Oku came to the ring after the match, reminding the champion of things to come.
Overall Global Wars would have been a great show with just the RevPro talent in action. However, the inclusion of the New Japan stars elevated the show to next level. Definitely one to check out on RevPro’s on demand service, Global Wars put on a great collaborative show with something for every fan.
Results:
- Will Kaven defeated Cameron Khai to retain the Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship
- Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Titan) defeated Callum Newman & JJ Gale
- AZM defeated Kanji
- Hiroshi Tanahashi, Leon Slater & Zozaya defeated Connor Mills, Gabe Kidd & Jay Joshua
- Yota Tsuji defeated Mascara Dorada
- Zak Sabre Jr. defeated Robbie X
- Mina Shirakawa defeated Lizzy Evo to retain the Undisputed British Women’s Championship
- Michael Oku defeated Ricky Knight Jr. to become the new number one contender to the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship
- Luke Jacobs defeated Tomohiro Ishii to retain the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship
Featured image: RevPro
