New Japan Pro Wrestling returns to Long Beach on September 30th, 2018. Only 3 matches have been confirmed for the show thus far, however.
The promotion has 3 big shows before Long Beach and will likely only announce more matches after the Destruction in Kobe event on the 23rd. In lieu of announcing more matches, NJPW has confirmed that several wrestlers will be apart of the show.
NJPW has just confirmed the following wrestlers for Fighting Spirit Unleashed on September 30th:
- Kota Ibushi
- Kenny Omega
- Evil
- Sanada
- Tetsuya Naito
- Tomohiro Ishii
- Kazuchika Okada
- Hiroshi Tanahashi
More Wrestlers Announced for Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Long Beach, CA!https://t.co/7OTwvRF4BM@tanahashi1_100 @rainmakerXokada @s_d_naito @KennyOmegamanX #njpw #njpwUSA pic.twitter.com/JHrWHopUpT
— njpw_global (@njpwglobal) August 28, 2018
Fighting Spirit Unleashed Lineup
- IWGP United States Championship
Juice Robinson (c) vs Cody
This will be Juice Robinson’s first defense of the title he won back in July. Following his title victory over Jay White, Juice only went 3-6 in the G1 Climax. He was sporting a broken hand during the tournament, however.
Robinson was trained by Cody’s father and often uses Dusty Rhodes’ trademark jabs during his matches. Cody defeated Juice at Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 4th, 2017.
- IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (c) vs The Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
The Young Bucks won the IWGP Heavyweight Championships at Dominion in Osaka back in June. They then defended the titles against Evil and Sanada successfully at the G1 Special in San Fransico. Later that show, however, the Bucks were the victims of a beatdown at the hands of the Firing Squad.
The last time the Bucks were in the same ring as the Firing Squad, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Taiji Ishimori defeated them and Marty Scurll for the NEVER 6-Man titles.
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament (Semi-Final)
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll
Hiromu Takahashi was forced to vacate “Mr. Belt”, his name for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Takahashi will be out of action for 9-12 months after sustaining a neck injury at the G1 Special in San Francisco.
The other semi-final match in the tournament will be between Bushi and Kushida on September 23rd.
