Full card final for the biggest NJPW US event this decade
With massive demand for tickets at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, April 12 will see the biggest event outside Japan for NJPW this decade as Windy City Riot hits pay per view with a loaded card.
Friday April 12 Wintrust Arena TICKETS
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IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito vs Jon Moxley
Singles record: 1-0 Moxley
The main event of the evening sees the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the line, Tetsuya Naito looking to make his third defence of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Jon Moxley. Back at Battle in the Valley, Moxley issued a challenge to Naito for Chicago in what was at the time labelled a non title special singles match, declaring that there was ‘one more mountain left to climb’ in his already highly distinguished career. While Tetsuya Naito is a considerable mountain in terms of the most charismatic and effective competitors of the modern era, that summit became a good deal clearer on Saturday in Ryogoku when it was clear that the World Heavyweight title lay right at the peak.
Nobody in history has achieved what Mox will set out to on April 12- a global Grand Slam of WWE, AEW and IWGP World Heavyweight gold. While Moxley is not one to respect lineages of title belts in and of themselves, the chance to make history is an irresistable one for Moxley, who has not lost a singles match in a cerulean blue ring since the summer of 2019. Yet history and legacy is a similarly driving force for Naito. The first double IWGP Champion in history now feels he’s finally in the midst of the big run on top in front of packed arenas that he had always dreamed of having, and addicted to the adulation, has put himself in a bold, highly compacted schedule of title defences.
After narrowly beating Yota Tsuji at Sakura Genesis, Naito takes this fight a mere six days removed from Ryogoku, and weeks away from potential further bouts in Fukuoka at Donmtaku, Ontario at Resurgence and beyond. Naito has declared a desire to hear an exultant roll call in arenas around Japan and the world, but will Moxley take that dream away from him in order to attain the unprecedented? We find out in our main event.
8th Match: Nic Nemeth vs Tomohiro Ishii
Nic Nemeth’s first match in NJPW back at New Beginning in Sapporo might have been for the IWGP Global Championship, but the Wanted Man was keen to express that he wasn’t heading into the King of Sports as a well tenured pre-madonna. Nemeth took advantage of the opportunity before him and captured the Global gold from David Finlay in Sapporo, but was quick to assert himself as a fighting champion, immediately nominating Hiroshi Tanahashi for a title defence at Sakura Genesis.
Yet the Ace had sustained an ankle injury. Nemeth insisted that the match was not off, but only delayed until Tanahashi was at full health. Tanahashi is fast approaching 100%, but in the meantime Nemeth was without a dance partner for Windy City Riot- that was until he called out Tomohiro Ishii. Preparing for Tanahashi by wrestling his former NEVER Openweight 6 man Championship partner seems like a smart direction, but also the furthest possible path to the one of least resistance. Can he outlast Ishii in Chicago?
7th Match: NJPW World TV Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. vs Matt Riddle
Singles record: 4-3 Sabre
Matt Riddle makes his third defence as the third NJPW World TV Champion against the first holder of the belt, Zack Sabre Jr. With a like minded approach to professional wrestling, if not life at large, Riddle and Sabre were well familiar with one another on their respective rises through the independent scene through the middle of the last decade. When Riddle came into NJPW via Hiroshi Tanahashi and the World TV title, he saw an opportunity to pick up where he left off with ZSJ, but Sabre had other ideas.
Having taken all of 2023 to establish the World TV Championship, Sabre suggested that Riddle would be better served facing another member of TMDK rather than the Frontman. Riddle went ahead and did just that, defeating both Bad Dude Tito and Kosei Fujita in MLW, before now demanding his shot with Sabre. Now they will indeed collide with 15 minutes on the clock- who leaves with the gold?
6th Match: Riot Rules Tag- Team Eddie Kingston
No DQs. Team members revealed on entrance
There’ll be a Chicago street fight vibe to Windy City Riot when Eddie Kingston and Gabe Kidd continue their feud. At Battle in the Valley in January, Kingston and Kidd met over what was then the AEW Continental Crown comprising the NJPW STRONG, ROH and AEW Continental Championships. The bout ended in a double countout retention for the Mad King after Kidd successfully pushed Eddie’s buttons, resulting in a wild outside brawl. A post match attack afterwards saw the War Dogs get involved, which led Kingston to declare he was going to bring some dangerous allies to the fore at Wintrust Arena.
Two sides of the same coin, it can certtainly be argued that both Kidd and Kingston’s biggest enemies are themselves. While Kidd is fired up after some time off though, Kingston’s mental state has to be shaken after his hard won Continental Crown was broken up by Kazuchika Okada not long ago on AEW programming. Now with his house of cards threatening to tumble, will this be a key night of fortification, or will Kidd usher in collapse?
5th Match: Mustafa Ali vs Hiromu Takahashi
A first time ever junior heavyweight dream match pits Hiromu Takahashi against Mustafa Ali. Ali first made his presence felt with a video message relayed during Battle in the Valley calling out Hiromu for April 12. Ali declared that Hiromu’s eccentricities were no actions for the face of junior heavyweight wrestling on a global stage, while Hiromu, happy to accept the challenge, was not entirely aware of Ali’s impressive US resume.
When that resume included the TNA X Division Championship though, Takahashi’s motivation picked up. Ever since, he’s been requesting, in his own unique way, an X Division title match in Chicago. That’s question that Ali has deflected with the grace of a true politician; whether or not the gold is on the line tonight though, a win for the Time Bomb will doubtless force the champion’s hand.
4th Match: Shota Umino vs Jack Perry
Singles record: 1-0 Perry
HOUSE OF TORTURE has been a mill around the neck of Shota Umino ever since former friend Ren Narita stabbed his then tag partner in the back and joined the group during World Tag League. Since then, one step forward has been followed by two steps back for Umino against the group, most recently a Korakuen vanquishing of Narita being followed immediately by a loss to EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship and then a New Japan Cup exit at the hands of his opposition tonight, Jack Perry.
Perry burst onto the NJPW scene at battle in the Valley with a Glass Jaw knee to Umino, before tearing up his AEW contract. Embracing the Scapegoat name, the once AEW fan favourite sees a lot of his former self in Umino, including in his mind wasted potential and energy spent on pandering to the fans. That’s certainly something that one cannot accuse Perry of doing, as he embraced the most hated group in professional wrestling in HOUSE OF TORTURE, and now heads to Chicago where a crowd will be braying for his blood. Will Umino give the people what they want, and what he wants as well?
3rd Match: NJPW STRONG Tag Team Championships- Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) vs TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) vs Tom Lawlor & Fred Rosser vs West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
El Phantasmo and Hikuleo started 2024 in perfect form, as they became double NJPW STRONG and IWGP Tag Team Champions. When ELP’s former partner Taiji Ishimori cost GoD the IWGP Tag belts against Chase Owens and KENTA at New Beginning, it felt like a derailment, but still with STRONG gold, the Guerrillas were quick to get back on track. Wanting to demonstrate that the belts they hold are the premier tag belts in NJPW, the champions issued a four way open challenge for Windy City Riot.
TMDK answering should be no surprise, as upset exits in the tournament to crown the first STRONG champs are hungry to finally get their first gold in New Japan. West Coast Wrecking Crew compete as the foundation of tag team wrestling in NJPW STRONG, but the big surprise is that of Fred Rosser and Tom Lawlor. Much to the consternation of WCWC, Lawlor reacted to a lack of results in 2023 by joining forces with his once sworn enemy, and their hats are now thrown in this four way ring. In a highly combustible four way, who leaves with the gold?
2nd Match: NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship- Stephanie Vaquer vs AZM
New NJPW STROPNG Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer faces her first challenge since dethroning Giulia in Korakuen Hall this past month when she takes on AZM. High speed queen AZM has more wins than anyone in her reigns as former High Speed Champion in STARDOM, but the NJPW STRONG title is a different prospect. Using her first round exit in the tournament to crown the first champ at Resurgence last May as a springboard, Vaquer has rarely lost since, and currently holds a triple crown of gold, joining her STRONG title with CMLL’s World Women’s, and World Women’s tag belts. Can AZM prove fast and effective enough to cap off a highly anticipated international debut tour with a championship win?
1st Match: Minoru Suzuki vs Ren Narita
It’s been a chilly mid-spring in Chicago, but main card action will bring the heat from the jump when Minoru Suzuki goes one on one with Ren Narita. At New Year Dash 2023, Suzuki took a then recently returned from excursion Narita under his wing, promising that he could teach him the true essences of Strong Style that he sought to embody. Yet in the wake of a weak G1 Climax debut and a Best of Seven six man series that ended in a tie, Ren Narita secretly conspired to turn his back on Hontai and join with HOUSE OF TORTURE.
Ever since, Nairta has proudly proclaimed that HOUSE OF TORTURE is the true embodiment of Strong Style, but has not had to meet directly with the consequences of his betrayal of Suzuki- until tonight. As the King wrestles his first match in NJPW of 2024, will Narita be put firmly in his place?
Kickoff 2: Mina Shirakawa & Viva Van vs Alex Windsor & Trish Adora
Tag team action will see Viva Van return to the NJPW ring alongside Mina Shirakawa. Shirakawa just fell short of the IWGP Women’s Championship against Mayu Iwatani back in February but wants to get right back in the mix for gold, and will have the chance to alongside a highly capable partner. Yet with her opposition being the hard hitting Afropunk Trish Adora, and former two year plus RevPro Undisputed Women’s Champion Alex Windsor in her first NJPW match since Royal Quest II, competition will be as stiff as the striking.
Kickoff 1: STRONG Survivor- Matt Vandagriff vs Zane Jay
The STRONG Survivor concept continues into Windy City Riot. Since earning his way onto kickoff matches last October, Matt Vandagriff has defended his spot against all comers. His latest opposition comes in the form of Zane Jay; the NJPW Academy prospect showed his worth against Bad Dude Tito in the main event of the most recent NJPW Academy Showcase, and could stand to have a regular spot on big cards going forward.
but now that you bring it up, it actually has a lot of a different look now with Ali as X Division Champion. I wonder if that factors in at all
