Andrade El Idolo Wins IWGP Global Heavyweight Title at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Event

Andrade El Idolo just walked into NJPW Dontaku and walked out with gold, but he had to go through a war to get it as he beat Yota Tsuji in a solid match.

At Wrestling Dontaku, Yota Tsuji put the IWGP Global Championship on the line against Andrade El Idolo, and the two didn’t waste a second getting into it. From the opening bell, it was full speed — strikes, counters, and even a brief moment of mutual respect when both men hit the Tranquilo pose after a standstill. That didn’t last long.

Tsuji took control early, hammering Andrade in the corner, but Andrade flipped the momentum with a spike and grounded the champion with a tight headlock. From there, the match turned into a highlight reel of chaos — Andrade hit a springboard Spanish Fly, Tsuji fired back with a Tsuji-cita, and both men kept pushing the pace without slowing down. Things got dangerous quick.

Tsuji attempted a Curb Stomp off the ropes, but Andrade countered into a powerslam on the apron and followed it up with a tornillo that changed the entire flow of the match. The back-and-forth kept escalating, with Tsuji landing a hurricanrana and another Spanish Fly, while Andrade answered with a brutal Running Double Knee Smash and a perfectly timed Spinning Back Elbow to shut down the Gene Blaster attempt.

By the final stretch, both men were running on fumes — trading heavy chops that left visible welts across their chests, headbutts, and desperate pin attempts that kept the crowd locked in.

Then it ended in a brutal sequence. Andrade drove Tsuji into the ring post before spiking him again on the mat, sealing the deal and ending the fight once and for all and thus, a new champion was crowned.

Andrade El Idolo leaves Wrestling Dontaku with the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, while Tsuji’s run comes to a violent end after one of the most intense matches of the night.

Do you think Andrade’s win sets him up for a dominant run in NJPW, or was this just the start of a bigger rivalry with Yota Tsuji? Let us know your thoughts.