Six matches official for TAMASHII’s debut event
On November 11, a new era arrives in Australasian pro-wrestling, as NJPW TAMASHII launches in Christchurch New Zealand. With the very best of the New Zealand Dojo, local stars and big names active in Japan all in one event, the full card is now locked in for an epoch making night.
On top in Christchurch, BULLET CLUB’s Bad Luck Fale and Taiji Ishimori will take on Aaron Solo and Tony Kozina. Part of the ever unpopular Factory in AEW and NJPW STRONG, Solo neither seeks nor receives much in the way of fan adulation, but the New Zealand Dojo graduate might get some from the fans in Christchurch in this homecoming of sorts, and a reunion with his trainer in head coach Kozina. Solo’s junior heavyweight status could well see him make a target of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Ishimori to boot, though the combination of speed and size on the BULLET CLUB side will be a tough one to overcome.
New Zealand Dojo’s Andrew Villalobos will go head to head with KENTA. KENTA and Villalobos was the first match to be announced for TAMASHII, a fitting series of events after KENTA wrestled the very first official match on NJPW STRONG back in 2020. Now KENTA once again breaks new ground for a new brand, while Villalobos seeks to make a lasting impression in the biggest match of his career.
Jeff Cobb goes head to head with Michael Richards. The powerhouse of the NZ Dojo, Richards has undergone a dramatic transformation since his appearance in the 2019 Young Lion Cup. Now he’ll seek to show the benefits of that diligent training and unstoppable work ethic; but can he make a mark on the Imperial Unit?
The Natural Classics of Tome and Stevie Filip will face NZ Dojo duo Rowan Davis and Nikolai Anton Bell. Recent additions to the NZ Dojo, Davis and Bell have nonetheless shown a great deal of potential. That’s all potential that will be put to the test against one of Australia’s most noteworthy tag teams. Two times MCW Tag Team Champions, with their latest reign recently ending at 490 days earlier this autumn, the Filip brothers will be looking to use TAMASHII as a long awaited springboard onto the world stage, and will want a convincing victory over their upstart opposition on November 11.
Jack Bonza will take on Jake Taylor in Chirstchurch. At a PWA event in Sydney in October, Bonza aligned himself with Bad Luck Fale and BULLET CLUB in a shock to the Australian fanbase. As news reaches Taylor in new Zealand, he will not be looking to let up on Bonza despite his alliance with his New Zealand Dojo master.
Young Lion tag team action will kick off the very first TAMASHII event as Richard Mulu and Mark Tui face Jordan Allan-Wright and Shep Alexander. Mulu and Tui are promising to bring their brand of ‘Polynesian Strong Style’ to TAMASHII and pro-wrestling at large, squaring off against one of the NZ Dojo’s most recent recruits in Alexander, and its very first in Allan-Wright.
