First two championship contests set for Ryogoku

On April 6, Sakura Genesis 2024 will see NJPW make its spring pilgrimage to the home of sumo in Ryogoku. On a night sure to be full of high stakes action, and just six days before a massive event in the Wintrust Arena in Chicago at Windy City Riot, two big title matches are already confirmed.

Tetsuya Naito will seek his second defence of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship when he takes on the winner of the New Japan Cup. The last time he was defending against a Cup winner was back in 2020, where he fell in controversial form to EVIL. The King of Darkness is one of 28 participants in the tournament this year; will history repeat, or will there be another De Ja Pon!’ roll call end the night?


Also confirmed for Sakura Genesis, the IWGP Global Championship will be on the line when Nic Nemeth defends for the first time against Hiroshi Tanahashi. In the wake of his debut victory over David Finlay to snatch the white and gold on his first night in NJPW, Nemeth appealed to the Ace to form a tag team the next night. Thanks to an ankle sprain, that was not to be, but President Tanahashi is set to be back in full form in Ryogoku. In this battle of two perfectly matched classical pro-wrestlers, who leaves with the Global title?​

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Following further examination on an ankle injury sustained at New Beginning in Sapporo, Hiroshi Tanahashi will be absent from the New Japan Cup series, as well as Sakura Genesis on April 6 to allow for a full recovery.

His previously announced IWGP Global Championship match will be delayed until a later date to be determined.

We apologise to fans looking forward to seeing Tanahashi wrestle and appreciate your understanding.

The following changes have been made to forthcoming cards:

March 6 Ota
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & El Desperado vs Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI–>
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, El Desperado & Boltin Oleg vs Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI

March 10 Hyogo
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino, YOH & El Desperado vs EVIL, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru–>
Shota Umino, YOH, El Desperado & Boltin Oleg vs EVIL, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Tokyo’s biggest event of the spring

April 6 sees Tokyo’s biggest event of the spring, as Sakura Genesis takes place from Ryogoku Sumo Hall. Five title matches, the return of Jon Moxley and more highlight a stunning card!
LIVE in English on NJPW World!
Tickets available worldwide in English!

Main event: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship- Tetsuya Naito vs Yota Tsuji
Singles record: 1-0 Naito

The main event sees Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against New Japan Cup winner Yota Tsuji. Naito has had an eye out for Tsuji ever since his early Young Lion days, and Tsuji’s own admiration for Naito’s freedom of expression and ungovernable ways saw him to eventually face Naito one on one in his last match before going on excursion in 2021. Two years later, it’s that same connection that saw him return, joining LIJ, but not to be Naito’s underling, rather to surpass El Ingobernable in every way.

Before the New Japan Cup, Tsuji made a promise directly to Naito that he would be winning the tournament and soon enough taking the head of the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. While Naito has openly accepted the challenge, proud of LIj’s ability to better itself through competition, he has to be concerned with Tsuji’s incredible momentum, having gone through a demanding New Japan Cup bracket that ended with victory over a three time former winner in Hirooki Goto. On his victory at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Naito said that his next goal after achieving his roll call in the Tokyo Dome was to have many more all around the world, but Tsuji starts what might be one of the most demanding runs of his career.

8th Match: NEVER Openweight Championship- EVIL vs Shingo Takagi
Singles record: 2-2

The NEVER Openweight Championship is on the line when Shingo Takagi challenges EVIL. The New Japan Cup saw Takagi face the King of Darkness in the quarterfinals, but it was EVIL who prevailed, following a cavalcade of interference from HOUSE OF TORTURE. An infuriated Dragon would take out his frustrations the next night, ensuring that the same fate did not befall Yota Tsuji, who eliminated EVIL from the tournament and went on to win the trophy. Meanwhile, a tag encounter in Nagaoka at the Cup finals saw Shingo again embarrass EVIL before declaring that he would take the NEVER Openweight Championship from him to boot.

Through each of his NEVER reigns, Shingo has fought with pride and spirit, lending the ‘BMF’ credence to the gold. Yet EVIL has mistreated the title from jump, reducing the belt to tatters and spray painting it black. SHingo has declared that he will renovate the title entirely should he win, but will EVIL ensure that it’s still shrouded in darkness?

7th Match: Shota Umino & Jon Moxley vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita & Jack Perry)

Ever since Ren Narita turned his back on former friend Shota Umino and joined HOUSE OF TORTURE, the group has been the bane of Umino’s existence. Just as he thought he could put the dark spectre of Narita’s betrayal aside with a win in Korakuen Hall, he would be defeated by EVIL at New Beginning, and then Jack Perry would surface, leveraging the most hated group in wrestling to knock him out of the New Japan Cup.

Unable to take any more, Umino embarked on a vendetta against jack Perry, eventually securing a singles match with the Scapegoat at Windy City Riot April 12. Before that though, Umino has promised the return of someone to ‘punish’ H.O.T, and nobody is better fit for purpose than Jon Moxley. Mox would like nothing better than a violent tune up before facing Naito in Chicago next week, and in so doing, he meets Jack Perry in ring for the very first time.

6th Match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- SHO vs YOH
Singles record: 5-2 SHO

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is on the line when YOH challenges champion SHO. At New Beginning in Sapporo, SHO became perhaps the most controversial champion in the title’s 38 year lineage, defeating El Desperado via a tainted countout to lift the gold. One day later, former partner YOH would issue his own breed of justice, when he swiped the belt from under SHO’s nose, and continued to taunt the champion with his property through the New Japan Cup tour- a tour SHO had to miss due to ‘physical and emotional distress’.

When YOH foiled Yoshinobu Kanemaru’s attempt to bring the championship gold back to the HOUSE OF TORTURE, a challenge would officially be issued. The break up of the Roppongi 3K team YOH and SHO were once part of drove the foundation of HOUSE OF TORTURE in the first place back in 2021. Will this spat between two former friends see the group’s continued success, or its greatest downfall?

5th Match: IWGP Tag Team Championships- BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & KENTA) vs Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)

Bishamnon will challenge KENTA and Chase Owens for the IWGP tag Team Championships at Sakura Genesis. Nagaoka’s New Japan Cup finals saw Goto just fall short of taking the trophy for a fourth time, but he had little time to lick his wounds and restore his wounded pride as Owens and KENTA assaulted the Fierce Warrior and his partner YOSHI-HASHI. The Headhunter had scored his first ever singles victory over KENTA earlier int he New Japan Cup, and after Goto’s progression through the tournament came at the expense of Owenbs, a claim to the gold and a source of frustration was evident. How will this issue resolve itself in Ryogoku?

4th Match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships- BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) vs Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira & TJP) vs Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA)

The first of five championship matches in Sumo Hall sees the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships on the line in a three way match. With pride, confidence and a thirst for blood growing after the Dog Pound Cage Match between United Empire and War Dogs back in February, Francesco Akira went through the New Japan Cup tour consistently challenging champions Connors and Moloney, who haven’t been seen since New Beginning in Osaka. Yet as Akira and TJP wrestled in Nagaoka in winning form at the New Japan Cup finals, a message from the Intergalactic Jet Setters suggested their job would not be that easy.

Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA hold a tag win over the champions during Super Jr. Tag League last November, and haven’t forgotten that fact over the past five months. Now they’ve come to collect, but with chaotic competition, can they leave with the gold?

3rd Match: Just Five Guys (DOUKI, Yuya Uemura & SANADA) vs United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb)

Six man action sees Just Five Guys and United Empire facing off. Though the spring Ryogoku event has historically seen big things happening for both factions in the past, this year sees the two teams on the outside looking in. Yet with Taiwan seeing a tournament to crown new NEVER Openweight 6 Man Champions one week after Sakura Genesis might this match see one or both sides stake a claim?

2nd Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gedo & David Finlay)

Tag team competition will see the retun of David Finlay after health issues forced him out of the New Japan Cup. Many had the Rebel circled to win the Cup and be in the main event tonight in Ryogoku, and certainly the former Global Champion is looking to quickly make up for lost time. What does he have in store at Sakura Genesis?

1st Match: Ryusuke Taguchi & El Desperado vs TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita)

Our opening contest sees another return- that of Kosei Fujita fresh off sinus surgery. TMDK will be facing a one time Suzuki-Gun teammate of Zack Sabre Jr.’s in El Desperado, leading to a hot start on what’s sure to be a spectacular night!​

Shizuoka to see title action on road to Sakura Genesis

The KOPW 2024 Championship will be on the line March 31 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka when Great-O-Khan defends against Tanga Loa.

Loa upset O-Khan in the New Japan Cup, and despite the Dominator’s constant assertions that the Silverback was not up to the task, he continued to forcefully assert his case before a formal challenge was issued on March 18.

Since winning the championship during the Road to New Beginning, O-Khan has stated loud and proud that he would be taking the title to be defended around the country and not simply at the big tour ending dates. True to his word, this KOPW title match is set for March 31’s Road To live event, and the only way to watch the match as it happens will be in person at the venue. What rules will the competitors choose, and how will the bout play out?​

King of kaiju vs Hamamatsu Revitalisation set for poll


A special presentation on March 25 saw Great-O-Khan and Tanga Loa present their choices of rules for a match over the KOPW 2024 title, set to take place this Sunday March 31 at a non live televised event in Hamamatsu.


Challenger Tanga Loa was represented by Jado at the session, drawing considerable ire from title holder O-Khan. On behalf of his charge, Loa offered up a “King of Kaiju Match”. Much like a classical Texas Deathmatch, the bout will see conmpetitors look to score a pinfall, after which a ten count will be applied, the last standing being the winner. Jado claimed that this owuld prove Loa was the stronger competitor, while O-Khan sneered that ‘that’s something an ape would think up’.


In contrast, with his goals being to bring renewed interest in NJPW events in local areas of Japan, O-Khan proposed a ‘Rural Revitalization Match in Hamamatsu’. The match will be a ‘two out of three falls’ bout, but with very different interpretations of falls.

Round one will be under ten minute time limit most covers rules. Every pinfall attempt will count as one point in the scenario.

Round two will be an eating contest, with the local specialty of eel being the focus for five minutes.
Round three will see the two connected via a strap with the winner having to touch all four corners consecutively to win.

Having promised to defend his gold on non-televised events, Great-O-Khan reiterated the only way to watch the match live will be in person on March 31, though suggested that fans may be able to see the event after the fact on NJPW World.

Fans will vote on the rules on social media, with a 24 hour polling period starting at 10AM JST March 31.

Rules set after fan poll

March 31 will see the KOPW 2024 title defended in Hamamatsu, as Great-O-Khan puts the title on the line against Tanga Loa. With the belt on the line in a non live televised event for the first time ever, 14,704 fans voted for their choice of stipulations, with the results as follows:

Great-O-Khan: Rural Revitalization in Hamamatsu Match- 10,624 votes (72.2%)
Tanga Loa: King of Kaiju Match- 4080 votes (27.8%)

The match will officially be a Rural Revitalization in Hamamatsu bout. The match will be contested in a two out of three rounds format:

Round 1: ten minute most covers match (every pinfall attempt results in one point)
Round 2: five minute eel eating contest
Round 3: strap match (competitors joined with a strap, and must touch all four corners consecutively)

The only way to watch live will be in person March 31, but thanks to the personal request of Great-O-Khan, the match will air on NJPW World at a later date!​