NJPW Battle of the Valley Results: Winners, Grades and Reaction to Mercedes Moné

Welcome to Bleacher Report's coverage and recap of the NJPW Battle in the Valley.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling hosted its first show in the U.S. of the year on Saturday. The event will have some significant implications as Jay White could wrestle his last match with the promotion.

However, Kairi vs. Mercedes Moné for the IWGP Women's Championship was the biggest selling point on the card. Fans were waiting with bated breath to see how the challenger would fare in her first post-WWE match.

Here's a look at the card for Saturday's event:

• Alex Coughlin defeated J. R. Kratos (C+)
• David Finlay defeated Bobby Fish (C)
  
•  Kushida, Volador Jr., Kevin Knight and The DKC defeated Máscara Dorada, Josh Alexander, Adrian Quest and Rocky Romero (C+)
  
• Kenta defeated Fred Rosser (Strong Openweight Championship) (C+)
  
• The Motor City Machine Guns defeated West Coast Wrecking Crew (Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship) (B)
  
• Eddie Kingston defeated Jay White (Loser Leaves NJPW match) (B+)
  
• Tom Lawlor defeated Homicide (Filthy Rules Fight) (C)
  
• Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Clark Connors Singles (NJPW World Television Championship) (B)
  
• Mercedes Moné defeated Kairi (IWGP Women's Championship) (A)
  
• Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship) (B+)

After a fun opening match, Bullet Club struck as Kenta ended Fred Rosser's 238-day reign as the strong openweight champion.

The match was pretty straightforward as Rosser survived all of the challenger's offense and looked to retain. In one of the highlights of the bout, Kenta started to do CM Punk's trademark taunt before the GTS. Then, he flipped off The Second City Saint, who was in the crowd, and missed his chance to land his finisher.

In the end, Juice Robinson ran down to the ring and hit Rosser with the left hand to God, leaving him open for the Go To Sleep. Kenta is the first Japanese-born wrestler to hold the Strong Openweight Championship.

Jay White vs. Eddie Kingston became one of the most anticipated matches of the night after the two raised the stakes on last week's episode of Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive.

During the press conference for the event, Kingston expressed his love for Japanese wrestling and let fans know he didn't plan on going anywhere. Tonight, he demanded that the Switchblade fight for the opportunity to represent New Japan.

The Mad King was defiant in the face of White's desperate attempts to cling to the place he called home for nearly eight years. This confrontation didn't feature the same captivating storytelling as his Loser Leaves Japan match with Hikuleo. No, this was a fight.

Ultimately, the two-time IWGP world champion earned Kingston's respect after it took two Northern Lights Drivers to put him away. In response, the San Jose crowd thanked him for his successful career.

Afterward, David Finlay attacked his longtime rival before he could address the fans one last time.

Zack Sabre Jr. defended the NJPW World Television Championship against Clark Connors in a superb match.

ZSJ goaded the challenger into trading strikes, but he controlled the pace throughout the match. He weathered the storm early on and targeted his opponent's arm every time he got the chance.

Connors turned it on in the last few minutes with a series of close pinning predicaments and submission holds. However, it was too late because the leader of TMDK's game plan worked to perfection as he forced him to tap out with a well-timed Fujiwara armbar.

After the match, Kevin Knight came out to stake his claim as ZSJ's next challenger for the television title.

NJPW sold out tickets to Battle in the Valley after Kairi vs. Mercedes Moné was announced and it showed as the crowd erupted as it began. It was the loudest the audience in attendance got all night.

Moné entered the arena wearing new gear as a tribute to the late Hana Kimura. You could see how much she reveres Japanese wrestling, and how much this moment means to her.

The former WWE star hasn't wrestled since May 13, 2022, but she hasn't missed a beat. The Blueprint dominated early on with the crowd behind her, but Kairi came roaring back.

It looked like the champion could retain when she locked in the Ikari, but Moné fought out and cinched in her trademark crossface. Then, Kairi hit her staggering spinning back fist to force a near fall.

San Jose crowd came alive again when Moné pulled out a sudden belly-to-belly suplex as an homage to her best friend and hometown star, Bayley. In the end, she blocked the In-Sane Elbow and survived a crossface, and executed the Moné Maker to become the new champion.

This was an excellent debut match. If you're a fan of joshi wrestling, you have to be excited to see who Moné faces next.

At The New Beginning 2012, Kazuchika Okada called his shot and defeated the ace of NJPW in what would become "The Rainmaker Shock." Their generational rivalry went on to span seven years and fourteen singles matches.

In the second main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi challenged the reigning IWGP world heavyweight champion in front of an American crowd. Okada initially took his old foe lightly, but the ace wisely targeted his knee.

Tanahashi worked for the remainder of this showdown to counter the Rainmaker at every turn. So much so, that it became clear that the ripcord lariat would inevitably decide the outcome of the match.

Okada finally landed his finisher in a decisive win and proposed that he and Tanahashi join forces again to challenge for the tag title. As he addressed the crowd, Moné returned to the ring and stole the show again. It was a perfect way to end the show.

This could be a preview of a potential tag team for the next NJPW and Stardom crossover show. What a time to be a fan.