NJPW is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. 7 additional wrestlers have now tested positive for the virus. This brings the total number of 9 infected people on the NJPW roster. 2 wrestlers also tested positive for the virus following Wrestling Dontaku Night 2.
While NJPW has not announced which wrestlers have tested positive, Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, and YOH were the wrestlers removed from Wrestling Dontaku Night 2. According to updates from NJPW1972.com, 2 of those wrestlers presented to the May 3rd show with a fever. Those wrestlers would later test positive for the virus, while 4 additional wrestlers were kept off the show as well.
Following these positive tests, NJPW tested its entire roster and 7 more additional positive tests were confirmed.
“In light of this news, all those who had close contact with the infected parties, in addition to every wrestler on the roster, received PCR tests, with a further seven wrestlers testing positive,” an NJPW update reads.
All 9 wrestlers who tested positive are said to be experiencing mild or no symptoms.
“All those who tested positive are experiencing mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. According to protocols and under medical advice, all are isolating and receiving appropriate treatment,” NJPW’s statement continues.
NJPW recently cancelled planned shows in Yokohama on the 15th and inside the Tokyo Dome on May 29th.
NJPW announced today that they have postponed both Wrestle Grand Slam events scheduled for later this month. The events were to have taken place May 15th in Yokohama and May 29th from the Tokyo Dome. Kazuchika Okada was to have challenged Will Ospreay for the IWGP World title on the 29th.
The promotion is working on determining new dates for the event. Tickets for the event will be valid for the new date. Refunds will be available for ticket-holders unable to attend on the rescheduled date.
6 wrestlers were taken off the Wrestling Dontaku Night 2 show on May 3rd. Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, and YOH were all removed due to health and safety protocols. It was later revealed that 2 of those wrestlers then tested positive for COVID-19.
NJPW Statement On Postponed Events
“On Friday May 7, the Japanese government announced an extension to the state of emergency currently in place in Tokyo and other prefectures,” reads an update from NJPW1972.com.
“In light of this announcement, as well as current COVID-19 infection status, and in order to prevent any potential further spread of the virus, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the decision to postpone the Wrestle Grand Slam events in Yokohama Stadium and the Tokyo Dome previously scheduled for May 15 and 29 respectively.”
Will Ospreay Reacts
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay posted a video reacting to this news. While he understands the issue of safety, he is convinced this is all a conspiracy orchestrated by Kazuchika Okada to avoid getting in the ring with him.
After NJPW pulled several wrestlers from yesterday’s Wrestling Dontaku Night 2 event, the promotion has revealed that 2 wrestlers have tested positive for COVID-19. NJPW has not revealed who the two wrestlers that have tested positive are, however.
Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, and YOH were all removed from yesterday’s event. A scheduled IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match between El Desperado and YOH was scrapped from the show.
The two wrestlers who recently tested positive were both discovered to have a fever the morning of the show.
“According to protocol, they were taken for immediate testing, while those that had close contact with the individuals in the last two events were removed from proceedings. NJPW has learned that the individuals’ tests were positive for COVID-19,” reads an NJPW update on NJPW1972.com.
Both wrestlers are said to be experiencing mild symptoms and are under medical care.
Two NJPW wrestlers have tested positive for COVID-19.
NJPW has two significant events upcoming this month. On May 15th, the promotion presents Wrestle Grand Slam in Yokohama Stadium. No matches have been announced thus far fro that show. Then on May 29th, NJPW will present Wrestle Grand Slam from the Tokyo Dome. Kazuchika Okada is currently scheduled to challenge IWGP World Champion Will Ospreay on the show.
Wrestling Dontaku night 2 this morning from Fukuoka has undergone several lineup changes due to COVID-19 protocols. 6 wrestlers have been removed from the event. The scheduled IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match between El Desperado and YOH has been scrapped entirely.
Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, and YOH were all removed from the event. NJPW explained the changes in an update on its website.
“One wrestler who was scheduled to appear on today’s Wrestling Dontaku Day 2 card presented with a fever on the morning of the event,” NJPW’s update reads. “This individual is currently undergoing thorough examination and PCR and antibody testing. In addition, another wrestler who has been a part of events since May 1 in Beppu and has since also presented with a fever is also undergoing evaluation.”
The scheduled IWGP World Championship match on the show was not impacted by the changes. Will Ospreay will still face challenger Shingo Takagi on the card. The winner of that match will face Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Grand Slam. That event will take place from the Tokyo Dome on May 29th.
Ospreay was recently interviewed by NJPW1972.com about being the new champion.
“It sits with me. It sits well with me. It’s all about the journey. Years ago I saw what was then the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on a guy I admired in AJ Styles, and he said to me ‘if you want this, you’ve got to come to Japan’.”
“I feel like there’s two sides to me. Half of me is that 14 year old boy with stars in their eyes. The other half is the 27 year old man who’s all business. I don’t have friends or brothers except the United Empire. Everyone else is trying to take food off of my table and I’ll walk over anybody to stop that. It isn’t a dream, it’s reality, and I have to do all it takes to stay at the top of this mountain.”
Will Ospreay is set to defend his IWGP World Championship on night 2 of Wrestling Dontaku tomorrow against Shingo Takagi. He recently sat down with NJPW1972.com and spoke about his run as champion.
Ospreay was asked how he feels being called the IWGP World Champion.
“It sits with me. It sits well with me. It’s all about the journey. Years ago I saw what was then the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on a guy I admired in AJ Styles, and he said to me ‘if you want this, you’ve got to come to Japan’,” Ospreay said.
Ospreay was also asked about his United Empire faction and what he enjoys about having them with him.
“I enjoy having them there. You see a lot of shenanigans from seconds in New Japan. But I’m different. I don’t need Jeff Cobb and Aaron Henare to help me win a singles match. We work together in tags of course, and we’re training hard together to help improve there. But I never need help in singles matches.”
— Will Ospreay • ????????? (@WillOspreay) May 3, 2021
Whoever comes away from Wrestling Dontaku as IWGP World Champion will face Kazuchika Okada on May 29th at Wrestle Grand Slam. Ospreay spoke about the importance of that match and facing Okada once again.
“The history with Okada is against me. I only beat him once, and that was the one and only time I needed help to win a match. If, when I beat Shingo, Tokyo Dome is May 29. It’ll be my third big singles match in under two months, and Okada has had a lot of rest.”
The full interview with Will Ospreay can be read here.
Jon Moxley defeated KENTA to retain his IWGP United States Championship on an episode of New Japan Strong in February. AEW recently revealed that Moxley will defend that title May 12th on Dynamite against NJPW’s Yuji Nagata. NJPW announced last night on New Japan Strong that both Nagata and Moxley will be in action on next week’s show.
Jon Moxley will team with Chris Dickinson next week on New Japan Strong to take on the team of Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita.
Wednesday May 12, Mr. IWGP, Yuji Nagata, challenges for IWGP US Heavyweight gold against the Deathrider Jon Moxley on @AEW Dynamite!
In a recent interview with NJPW1972.com, NJPW President Takami Ohbari spoke about the importance of New Japan Strong to the promotion.
“Up to now, New Japan has been exclusively about Japan,” he said during the interview. “Until very recently, the only way to see a New Japan wrestler live outside of Japan was in another company. And vice versa; the only path to wrestlers from overseas to compete in a NJPW ring was an incredibly difficult one. What we have in STRONG is a mid-way point. That’s what I’ve always wanted to build. Now we have a place for wrestlers from all these other promotions to get together. It’s a place for wrestlers you’ve never seen before and matches you’ve never seen before. Without a practical example, it was hard for me to go out in that press conference in November 2019 and say ‘listen, this is going to benefit fans all over the world’, but now it’s happening.”
On last night’s edition of Impact Wrestling, a vignette for NJPW’s El Phantasmo was shown to preview the 34-year-old’s pending arrival in the promotion. ELP going to Impact comes on the heels of NJPW’s David Finlay and Juice Robinson doing the same. FinJuice are the current Impact Wrestling tag-team champions and wore the title bouts to the ring during a recent NJPW tour.
Phantasmo is a former 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. He’s also won the Super J-Cup tournament two years in a row in 2019 and 2020.
ELP is from Vancouver and began his training alongside other British Columbia bred wrestlers, Kyle O’Reilly and WWE’s Bollywood Boyz (aka the Singh Brothers).
Following the announcement of his forthcoming debut for Impact, Phantasmo named over a dozen wrestlers he wants to work with.
NJPW President Takami Ohbari recently commented on his company’s new approach to talent-sharing with other promotions:
“I will say this until I’m blue in the face: this is a star driven business, and the wrestlers are the focus,” Ohbari said in an interview with NJPW1972.com. “So if our wrestlers say ‘I want to wrestle that guy’ ‘I want to test myself against that guy’ ‘I want to show that I’m better than that guy’. Then it becomes our job as a company to do what we can to back them, make it happen and make it successful.”
Takami Ohbari took over from Harold Meij has President of New Japan Pro Wrestling in October. The change in management led to much speculation that NJPW could reverse its position on talent-sharing and working with other wrestling companies.
During a recent interview with NJPW1972.com, Ohbari clarified the company’s current position on the matter is to support wrestlers who wish to work for other companies.
“I will say this until I’m blue in the face: this is a star driven business, and the wrestlers are the focus,” Ohbari said. “So if our wrestlers say ‘I want to wrestle that guy’ ‘I want to test myself against that guy’ ‘I want to show that I’m better than that guy’. Then it becomes our job as a company to do what we can to back them, make it happen and make it successful.”
New Japan Strong
NJPW Strong
Ohbari continued to talk about the door is open for more American talent to wrestle for NJPW on New Japan STRONG, which airs Fridays on the New Japan World streaming service.
If there is someone who wants to come in and the fans want to see it, NJPW will work to make it happen. “When you look at things overseas right now, especially in the US, there are a lot of wrestlers who want to come to Japan, and can’t, right? Even if you get into the country, you have to quarantine. But STRONG is there for those guys.”
He added, “That is authentic, genuine New Japan Pro-Wrestling. If you want to be in NJPW, and you’re good enough, this door is open: come in, come do what you can do, and we’ll make sure the world can watch it. That goes for the fans too; if there’s a match you guys want to see, we’ll do what we can to make it happen.”
Ohbari’s comments come on the heels of several “Forbidden Door” type moves in recent months. NJPW’s David Finlay & Juice Robinson have been performing for Impact and are the promotion’s current tag champions. Yuji Nagata will be appearing on AEW Dynamite to face Jon Moxley next week for the IWGP United States title as well.
As announced last night, IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley will defend his title on the May 12th edition of AEW Dynamite. His opponent will be Yuji Nagata.
This will be the second time Moxley has defended the title in the United States. He defeated KENTA on an episode of New Japan Strong from the company’s Los Angeles dojo recently as well.
Moxley is one of only six wrestlers who have won the title since its inception in 2017. Kenny Omega became the inaugural champion that year after defeating Tomohiro Ishii in the finals of a tournament. Omega then dropped it to Jay White after a 210 day reign and 4 title defenses.
Moxley’s current title reign sits at 476 days as champion and 3 title defenses. His previous reign lasted 130 days but he was forced to vacate the belt due to injury before making any title defenses. Should he defeat Nagata on May 12th, Moxley will tie Omega for the most combined title defenses as well as the most title defenses in a single reign with 4. Juice Robinson and Jay White each had 3 successful title defenses during their respective reigns with the belt as well.
New Japan Pro Wrestling sent in word that three upcoming shows are being canceled due to the ongoing State of Emergency that has been declared in the country.
The May 8th, 10th and 11th events from Korakuen Hall have been affected. These shows are part of the Road to Wrestle Grand Slam tour.
In a press release sent in to SEScoops, NJPW wrote:
“We deeply apologize to fans who were looking forward to these events. Though matches with no fans in attendance were considered, NJPW has decided that, in order to act in the best interests of staff and wrestlers as they prepare for Wrestle Grand Slam in Yokohama Stadium May 15 and Tokyo Dome May 29, cancellation was the correct course of action.”
All other events on our current schedule are set to proceed as planned, though New Japan Pro-Wrestling will be in constant contact with local authorities with regards to restrictions and regulations. Visit njpw1972.com for the latest event information.
Jim Ross recently discussed IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay on the Grilling Jr podcast. JR discussed that while Ospreay is a ‘very good hand’ he still has a long way to go before he can be classed as one of the best in wrestling history.
“He’s now the greatest champion in the history of wrestling and nobody’s been better, are you sh*tting me?” Ross began on Grilling Jr. “Come on. He’s a very good hand. I called some of his matches back in the day, he’s very good and very unique, he creates his own style with a lot of British stuff.”
Jim Ross then discussed the former top Champions of New Japan, questioning whether Will Ospreay even ranks up to them at present.
“I think Will Ospreay is a great talent, but all of a sudden, because he did have a fantastic NJPW experience, is he the greatest ever?” Ross asked. “Is he even the greatest NJPW champion? It’s hard to say he’s better than [Hiroshi] Tanahashi, it’s hard to say he’s better than [Kazuchika] Okada or the list of all luminaries that held that title. I do think he’s very good, it might be a little early a week after his win to consider him the greatest ever.”
Jim Ross on Will Ospreay
JR finished by saying that he wants to see Ospreay appear for AEW at some point in the future. “I wish he wrestled in AEW, he’d do great here,” Ross noted. “He’s not from here you know, I don’t know if that means a lot to him or not. I know he could probably make more money than he’s making where he is, that’s my guess.”
“We know he’d have more creative freedom if he wrestled for Tony Khan than if he wrestled for Vince McMahon” Jim Ross added. “I think that’s one of the attractive things about our company that’s ever growing, you get to have a bigger influence on your creative. I know guys here in AEW that outline their whole program, I think that’s cool as hell. It gives them some creative release and wrestlers are creative by nature.”
Would you like to see Will Ospreay appear in AEW? Let us know in the comments
NJPW fans were given the chance to vote for the stipulation in the upcoming fight between Toru Yano and Evil. Both Yano and Evil picked their desired match and the vote was opened to the NJPW universe.
Evil suggested a darkness match, stipulating the lights to be turned on and off at thirty second intervals, until the three-minute mark. Following that, the lights would cut out for thirty seconds every three minutes.
Toru Yano suggested a Creation of Darkness Blindfold match, stipulating that a blinding hood be hung from each corner post. The wrestlers much first attempt to place the hood over their opponent. From then on normal rules exist with victor coming via pinfall or submission.
An the winner is…Toru Yano
The winner with 51.58% of the votes was Toru Yano and his creation of darkness blindfold match.
Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2021 Apr.18 2021 Backstage comments!
This stipulation is certainly an interesting one. Given that Yano is such a master of sneaky style that even Rocky Romero can be seen taking notes at his matches, you have to wonder what sort of cheeky deviousness Yano will be looking to spring on the former LIF member.
On paper, a matchup between the two should be a no brainer. However, if Yano has proven anything during his tenure with New Japan it is that he can beat absolutely anybody on his day. Just ask Tanahashi.
While many may laugh him off as a fool, Yano is a seasoned professional. When it comes to putting on matches that are shall we say less than traditional, he proves that perhaps he is truly the ace of New Japan.
The Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan from July 23rd to August 8th, 2021. Kazuchika Okada recently served as a torch bearer in the official Olympic torch relay.
Okada posted the following to Instagram of him posing with the torch:
“Everybody was waving and smiling as I made my run, so I wanted to return those smiles right back to them. It was a fantastic experience,” Okada said.
Kazuchika Okada holds the record for the most combined title defenses (30) and days spent with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1790). The title was recently unified with the Intercontinental Championship as the IWGP World Championship. Okada has been largely out of the title picture since dropping the belt to Tetsuya Naito on January 5th, 2020 on the second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14. He’ll challenge again for the belt on May 29th.
Upcoming Lineups In NJPW
The following matches are upcoming in NJPW:
April 28th: Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni – Night 1
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships SHO & YOH (c) vs El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
KOPW 2021 Toru Yano vs EVIL
Will Ospreay, The Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley knows who he wants to defend his belt against next. NJPW posted a video of Moxley calling out Yuji Nagata to Twitter recently.
“As far as the IWGP United States Championship is concerned, the way of the world aside, one thing has never changed, I call my own shots,” Moxley said in the video. “Just like I said January 4th last year at the Tokyo Dome when I won that belt, I’m big game hunting. And New Japan Pro Wrestling, I’m taking scalps from the hardest hitters in the game.”
“I have a deep respect for the legends of this sport. And I feel like things should be done a certain way. I’m not one for ego trips and grandstanding. I’m not one for talking trash on Twitter, so I’m going to make this real simple. Nagata-san, grab your 6-shooter, meet me outside the saloon at dawn and we’ll see who can get a shot off first. That is if you’re up to it.”
Moxley last defended the belt against KENTA on an episode of New Japan Strong. The match was filmed in the New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles. You can view Moxley’s full promo in the Tweet below:
New IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay has made an official challenge to CM Punk. The British wrestler appeared at a post-show press conference for Sakura Genesis and relayed a number of topics for fans regarding the future of the Championship and his stable the United Empire.
“Before I was champion, a man who sparked a whole lot of interest in pro-wrestling, CM Punk said he’d like to face Will Ospreay” The new IWGP Champion noted. “Now I have the biggest prize in pro-wrestling, so if you really want to prove you were the best in the world and not the best of a bad bunch, come over here and try and take this.”
CM Punk did once say that Ospreay was an opponent he would consider facing IF he were ever to return to the squared circle. Punk made the comments during the Swing and Mrs. radio show back in March 2020.
CM Punk on Will Ospreay
“For people I haven’t ever wrestled before? I think Will Ospreay” CM Punk noted on the show. “I would listen to your idea. But there’s — like, I said, there’s a lot of moving parts. But I’m busy doing other stuff.”
“And nobody, I think, has found the right combination of ways to approach me” Punk continued. “It’s not all up to me, ladies and gentlemen. It’s up to the people who actually run the companies.”
Do you want to see Will Ospreay vs CM Punk? Let us know in the comments
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s latest big event Sakura Genesis took place today from Ryogoku, Japan.
The main event of the show saw Kota Ibushi defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against NJPW Cup winner Will Ospreay. Ibushi was 2-1 heading into the match against the British sensation.
Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to become the second IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in the company’s history. The IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships were ‘retired’ earlier this year and made way for this new top belt in NJPW.
Will Ospreay – New Champion
Ospreay took the win after hitting a Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker to get the pinfall and win his first singles IWGP Championship in New Japan.
Following the match, Will Ospreay called out Kazuchika Okada. The former IWGP Champion appeared but before he could speak Shingo Takagi demanded that he get a shot at the champion first.
Takagi defeated Okada in the first round of the New Japan Cup, so he asked why Okada would deserve the title shot over him. Ospreay agreed and said that he would defend the belt against Shingo first and then come for Okada.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed that another new Championship will be coming to the company.
The NJPW Strong Openweight Championship was revealed on this week’s episode of NJPW Strong. This Friday’s episode saw the Road to New Japan Cup USA 2021 begin; and it was revealed exactly what each of the eight competitors in the single elimination competition this April will be fighting for.
The 2020 iteration of the New Japan USA Cup was held to determine who would go on to face IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Jon Moxley. That tournament was of course won by KENTA.
NJPW Strong Openweight Championship
English language NJPW website NJPW1972.com sent out the following regarding the brand new title.
The title represents the pinnacle of competition on NJPW STRONG on Friday nights, and will be contested for by wrestlers of any weight class. Things are going to get even more exciting going forward on NJPW STRONG; who of the eight in this year’s tournament will become the first holder of the gold?
New Japan also recently unveiled the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship belt. Many fans weren’t happy with the design, saying that it resembled the old WWE Divas ‘butterfly’ belt.
Do you think the new Openweight belt looks better than the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship? Let us know in the comments
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s latest big event Sakura Genesis will be taking place on Sunday 4th from Ryogoku, Japan.
The main event of the show sees Kota Ibushi defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against NJPW Cup winner Will Ospreay. Ibushi is currently 2-1 in their overall record.
There following preview for the massive bout comes from NJPW1972.com:
Ospreay’s number one contendership status was earned after a 30 minute war with Shingo Takagi. That bout showed off the Commonwelath Kingpin’s effortless ability to change gears between high flying high risk offense and intense, focused punishment.
It’s an ability that has evolved within Ospreay since making the transition to heavyweight; a transition that arguably began with the first ever in ring meeting between these two men.
New Japan Pro Wrestling unveiled the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship belt at Tuesday’s Road to Sakura Genesis event.
Kota Ibushi is the first IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. The belt was introduced following the unification of the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.
Ibushi’s historic first defense takes place this Sunday at Sakura Genesis. He will face Will Ospreay, winner of the recent New Japan Cup.
Here is a clip of the big reveal, along with some additional photos:
Believe it or not, some wrestling fans on social media had a mixed reaction to the new belt design. Some compared it to the retired WWE Divas ‘butterfly’ belt, while others compared the center plate design to the most notorious tattoo in the game.
Dan Beltzer created the new championship belt for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He issued the following statement on Wednesday in response to fans who are complaining about the new design:
I could have put the NJPW logo on a Winged Eagle and the internet still would have hated it.
Literally ANY belt would have been a let down in comparison to the v4, which has become in the last 12 years, one of the most beloved belt designs of all time.
The New Japan Cup USA tournament will run throughout April on episodes of New Japan Strong on New Japan World. The final qualifying matches for the tournament have now taken place and NJPW has released the full brackets for the tournament.
New Japan Cup USA 2021 Brackets:
Clark Connors vs. Lio Rush
Brody King vs. Chris Dickinson
Ren Narita vs. Tom Lawlor
Hikuleo vs. Fred Rosser
Semi-Final #1: Winner 1 vs Winner 2
Semi-Final #2: Winner 3 vs Winner 4
Finals: Winner 5 vs Winner 6
Qualifying matches took place throughout March for the tournament:
KENTA was the winner of the tournament last year. He defended the briefcase for months before finally facing Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship earlier this year. Moxley won the match. KENTA is not entered into this year’s tournament.
NJPW has also announced recently that beginning on Thursday, old episodes of New Japan Strong will air for free on FITE TV. NJPW is gearing up for April 4th’s Sakura Genesis event. Kota Ibushi will defend his IWGP World Championship against the New Japan Cup Winner Will Ospreay on the show.
New Japan Pro Wrestling is going to reveal the brand new belt for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship before champion Kota Ibushi defends it at Sakura Genesis in April. The company announced that the belt will be witnessed by fans during the Road to Sakura Genesis event on March 30 where Ibushi is set to team with Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the main event against Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. The announcement reads, “At Sakura Genesis on April 4, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi will defend his brand new title for the very first time against Will Ospreay in our main event. Days before this huge kard (sic) in Ryogoku, fans can witness the future of NJPW competition in Korakuen Hall. On March 30’s Road to Sakura Genesis event, the brand new championship belt will see its first public reveal!”
NJPW decided to unify the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship belts, both of which were held by Kota Ibushi. He defended both the titles successfully against El Desperado at the NJPW 49th Anniversary Show in Tokyo on March 4, 2021 which marked the final defense of the titles. Will Ospreay then won the 2021 New Japan Cup earning a title shot against Ibushi at Sakura Genesis.
Here is the full line-up for NJPW Sakura Genesis which will take place on April 4:
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c) vs. SHO & YOH
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi vs. The Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & a mystery partner
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
Bea Priestley is no longer a member of Will Ospreay’s United Empire faction. She was kicked out of the group, and seemingly Ospreay’s romantic life, at the conclusion of the New Japan Cup finals this weekend.
As it turns out, Priestley is not expected back in New Japan Pro Wrestling and the angle was likely her send-off. This was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Her contract with New Japan is ending very shortly and it’s not being renewed, she’s done with New Japan. And that is on her as far as the decision, it’s not on them. It’s not like they decided not to use her, it’s she decided not to do New Japan once her contract’s up.”
“This wasn’t an angle necessarily to do a big split-up. It’s possible she’ll come back on April 4th (Sakura Genesis), it’s only a couple of weeks away and she’s going to be in Yokohama which is 25 minutes from Tokyo.”
So, Priestley is finishing up with New Japan but may still be in the area for Sakura Genesis when Ospreay takes on Kota Ibushi. Ospreay has also promised that a new member of the United Empire will be revealed on the show.
Will Ospreay will have the chance to win the IWGP World Championship (formerly the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles) at Sakura Genesis on April 4th. He earned the right to challenge Kota Ibushi for the title after winning the 2021 New Japan Cup.
Ibushi and Ospreay have met 3x in singles competition. The first time was at WrestleKingdom 13 when Ospreay defeated Ibushi for the NEVER Openweight title. Ibushi has defeated Ospreay 2 years in a row in the G1, however.
NJPW has announced the full lineup for the show.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c) vs. SHO & YOH
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi vs. The Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & a mystery partner
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
Full card for Sakura Genesis!
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Ibushi vs Ospreay!
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Desperado & Kanemaru vs Roppongi 3K!
Will Ospreay Comments On Actions During New Japan Cup Final
Ospreay spoke backstage about winning the cup and delivering a cutter to Bea Priestley at the end of the show.
“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions that need answering” Will Ospreay began, speaking backstage. “I can answer some questions. I love the idea of being the best wrestler in the world.”
“As much as this trophy means a lot to me It doesn’t make me the best wrestler in the world, does it?” Ospreay continued. “Being the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion means you’re the best wrestler in the world, does it not?”
“And I love that more than I love anything, or anyone. So if I can give an OsCutter to a woman I love more than anything in the world? A woman that’s been in my life now for five years; I have a house, I have a family with that girl…but it means nothing to me.”
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced Wrestle Grand Slam featuring two stadium shows taking place in May.
NJPW Grand Slam will take place on May 15th at Yokohama Stadium and May 29th at the Tokyo Dome.
The events have several layers of significance for New Japan. The May 15th show will be the promotion’s first-ever show from Yokohama Stadium. March 29th will be their first show from the Tokyo Dome outside January in 16 years.
NJPW has yet to announce any matches for these special events, but is telling fans to “Stay tuned for details!”
As we reported earlier today, Marty Scrull will not be part of New Japan going forward as originally expected. News broke last week that Marty Scurll had filmed content that would be shown on an upcoming episode of New Japan Strong. As it turns out, NJPW has no plans to air the footage or have Scurll back in the company anytime soon.
The news was first reported by the Super J-Cast podcast and has also been confirmed by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. In an update to the news, Fightful Select have confirmed that talent backstage were not informed of Scurll’s involvement before he turned up to the tapings.
Scurll is believed to have filmed an angle with NJPW’s Rocky Romero at the promotion’s Los Angeles Dojo. Upon news of this leaking, there was a negative response amongst fans due to accusations against Scurll as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
Fightful noted that there were several people who worked the tapings that were not happy with the situation. These talents stated that would have been made aware of Scrull’s involvement ahead of time? They would have made it clear to New Japan officials that they didn’t want to work at the tapings.
