Lots of New Japan news for the end of April & May:
First up, most of the matches for WRESTLING DONTAKU 2024 on 5/3 & 5/4 in Fukuoka have been announced including NEW IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley’s first defense. He said Shota Umino was going to be first…nope. This isn’t AEW so he can’t always call his shots and get them. Ren Narita gets next. First, here’s what’s set for 5/3:
Jon Moxley, Shota Umino & El Desperado vs. Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & EVIL
Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay
NJPW WORLD TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb for the title
IWGP Global Champion Nic Nemeth vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the title
5/4 so far:
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Nic Nemeth vs. Taichi & SANADA
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA & Chase Owens for the titles
NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Gabriel Kidd for the title
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Ren Narita for the title
On 4/27 as part of the Road to WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour in Hisoshima, there will be what looks to be a rematch of NEW STRONG Tag Team Champions Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls vs. Hikuleo & El Phantasmo for the titles. The champs lost the titles in a 4-way at Windy City Riot but weren’t the ones involved in the fall. Also set is KOPW 2024 Champion Great-O-Khan vs. Yuya Uemura for the title. The main event will be an LIJ vs. Bullet Club 10-man elimination tag match, and other graphics suggest DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku vs. Sho & Yoshinobu Kanemaru is set as well.
On 4/29 in Kagoshima, the annual Wrestling Satsuma No Kuni event IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Clark Connors & Dilla Moloney vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI for the titles, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Sho vs. DOUKI for the title and probably Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji vs. Gedo, David Finlay & Gabriel Kidd.
UPDATE: Whoever is IWGP World Heavyweight Champion on 5/11 will defend the title against Umino at Resurgence.
