# The Beast in the East
**The Beast in the East** was a professional wrestling special event produced by WWE, held on July 4, 2015 at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan (Ryōgoku Sumo Hall) in Sumida, [Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tokyo-ep6jg0kyrw), Japan, and broadcast live on the [WWE Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-network).[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-the-beast-in-the-east) It was the first time WWE broadcast an event live from Japan, reaching WWE Network subscribers in more than 140 countries, with a live telecast also carried in Japan on J Sports.[2](https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Beast_in_the_East) • [3](https://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-east-live-from-tokyo) The show is named for [Brock Lesnar](https://www.edgepedia.org/brock-lesnar), whose advertised return to the ring in Tokyo headlined the promotion of the event.[3](https://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-east-live-from-tokyo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | July 4, 2015, Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Sumida, Tokyo, Japan[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-the-beast-in-the-east) |
| Attendance | 8,646 (reported); the hall was sold out[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-the-beast-in-the-east) • [4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4) |
| Broadcast | Live on WWE Network at 5:30 a.m. ET/2:30 a.m. PT; live on J Sports in Japan at 6:30 p.m. JST; available in over 140 countries[3](https://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-east-live-from-tokyo) • [2](https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Beast_in_the_East) |
| Title change | Finn Bálor defeated Kevin Owens by pinfall to win the NXT Championship[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4) |
| Featured return | Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston in 2 minutes 38 seconds, his first match in Japan in nearly a decade[5](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=131683) • [6](https://www.von-erich-family.net/vonerichs/graphics/superstars/pdfs/Brock_Lesnar.pdf) |
| Main event | John Cena & Dolph Ziggler defeated Kane & King Barrett in a tag team match[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4) |
| Production | Commentary by Michael Cole and Byron Saxton; ring announcer Eden Stiles; running time about 2 hours[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-the-beast-in-the-east) |
## Background and broadcast
WWE announced on May 28, 2015 that Brock Lesnar was scheduled to appear at the July 4 live event in Japan, and the company subsequently promoted the show as a WWE Network special under the title *Brock Lesnar: The Beast in the East Live from Tokyo*.[3](https://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-east-live-from-tokyo) The telecast aired live in the United States morning slot of 5:30 a.m. ET, with replays later that day and on-demand availability on the WWE Network; in Japan, J Sports carried the event live on demand at 6:30 p.m. JST and replayed it on J Sports 4 the following Sunday.[3](https://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-east-live-from-tokyo)
For Lesnar, the appearance carried several firsts in one: it was his first match in Japan in nearly a decade, his first match since [WrestleMania 31](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania-31), and his first non-televised wrestling appearance for WWE since his 2012 return.[3](https://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-east-live-from-tokyo) • [4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4) • [6](https://www.von-erich-family.net/vonerichs/graphics/superstars/pdfs/Brock_Lesnar.pdf) He was building toward a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against [Seth Rollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-rollins) at WWE Battleground on July 19.[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4)
## Results
Two dark matches, not included in the broadcast, opened the card: Cesaro defeated Diego by submission with the Sharpshooter in 8:13, and The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) defeated The New Day (Big E and [Xavier Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/xavier-woods)) in 6:31 when Kalisto pinned Woods after a springboard 450 splash.[7](https://www.wrestling-infos.de/112947.html) • [2](https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Beast_in_the_East)
The televised card ran as follows.[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4) • [5](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=131683) • [2](https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Beast_in_the_East)
1. **Chris Jericho defeated Neville** by submission in about 16 minutes 21 seconds. Jericho, who had first competed in Japan in the 1990s, countered Neville's third Red Arrow attempt and won with the [Walls of Jericho](https://www.edgepedia.org/walls-of-jericho); the match ended to a standing ovation.[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4)
2. **Nikki Bella (c) defeated Paige and Tamina** in a Triple Threat match in 7:03, pinning Tamina after a forearm to retain the [WWE Divas Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-divas-championship).[5](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=131683) • [8](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2514375-wwe-the-beast-in-the-east-2015-winners-grades-and-reaction-from-tokyo-event)
3. **Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston** by pinfall in 2:38, delivering repeated German suplexes and two F5s; after the match he also hit F5s on Kingston's New Day stablemates Big E and Xavier Woods.[5](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=131683) • [6](https://www.von-erich-family.net/vonerichs/graphics/superstars/pdfs/Brock_Lesnar.pdf)
4. **Finn Bálor defeated Kevin Owens (c)** by pinfall in about 19 minutes 20 seconds to win the [NXT Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-championship).[5](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=131683)
5. **John Cena & Dolph Ziggler defeated Kane & King Barrett** by pinfall in 23:50 in the main event, with Cena scoring the deciding Attitude Adjustment on Barrett.[2](https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Beast_in_the_East) • [4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4)
## The NXT Championship match
The Bálor versus Owens match was the most anticipated bout of the night and served as a homecoming for Bálor, an Ireland-born wrestler who had built much of his career in Japan.[8](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2514375-wwe-the-beast-in-the-east-2015-winners-grades-and-reaction-from-tokyo-event) Bálor entered in his Demon persona with special body paint, and Japanese fans greeted his introduction with a shower of streamers; Owens, playing the heel, tossed a bouquet of flowers out of the ring.[8](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2514375-wwe-the-beast-in-the-east-2015-winners-grades-and-reaction-from-tokyo-event) During the match Owens mocked [John Cena](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cena)'s signature offense, including the Five Knuckle Shuffle, before Bálor countered a Pop-Up Powerbomb and finished him with the Coup de Grace to end Owens' NXT Championship reign.[8](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2514375-wwe-the-beast-in-the-east-2015-winners-grades-and-reaction-from-tokyo-event) • [4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4)
WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami came to the ring to raise the hand of the victor. Owens declined to show his opponent post-match respect and walked out despite chants of "NXT" from the crowd.[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4) • [8](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2514375-wwe-the-beast-in-the-east-2015-winners-grades-and-reaction-from-tokyo-event) CAGEMATCH users rated the bout 8.54 based on 271 votes, and it received a four-and-a-quarter-star rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter scale recorded on the site.[5](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=131683)
## Significance
The event did not mark WWE's return to Japan after a five-year absence from the country, as the company had held live events in Japan in July 2014, but it remains the company's only event broadcast live from Japan.[2](https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Beast_in_the_East) • [9](https://wrestlefile.com/events/the-beast-in-the-east-2015/) • [10](https://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-returns-to-japan-this-july-for-the-first-time-in-five-years) The show ran about two hours, shorter than a standard pay-per-view, and its card mixed main-roster stars with NXT talent.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-the-beast-in-the-east)
## References
1. [WWE The Beast in the East Full Results & Match Card, The SmackDown Hotel](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-the-beast-in-the-east)
2. [The Beast in the East, Wrestling JAT Wiki](https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Beast_in_the_East)
3. [Brock Lesnar's historic return to Tokyo to air live on the award-winning WWE Network this morning, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/wwenetwork/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-east-live-from-tokyo)
4. [Brock Lesnar: The Beast in the East Live from Tokyo Results, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/beast-in-the-east/results-july-4)
5. [WWE The Beast In The East: Live From Tokyo, CAGEMATCH](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=131683)
6. [Brock Lesnar career chronology, von-erich-family.net](https://www.von-erich-family.net/vonerichs/graphics/superstars/pdfs/Brock_Lesnar.pdf)
7. [WWE "The Beast in the East" Ergebnisse + Bericht aus Tokio, Wrestling-Infos.de](https://www.wrestling-infos.de/112947.html)
8. [WWE Beast in the East 2015: Winners, Grades and Reaction from Tokyo Event, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2514375-wwe-the-beast-in-the-east-2015-winners-grades-and-reaction-from-tokyo-event)
9. [The Beast in the East 2015 Review & Final Grade, WrestleFile](https://wrestlefile.com/events/the-beast-in-the-east-2015/)
10. [WWE returns to Japan this July for the first time in five years](https://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-returns-to-japan-this-july-for-the-first-time-in-five-years)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › WWE promotion and brands › NXT and NXT UK events*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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