April 8 sees spring spectacular
The full card is now set for Sakura Genesis. The annual spring spectacular in Ryogoku Sumo Hall will have a loaded lineup with five title matches, and ongoing intrigue around the struggle for power in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and beyond.
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Main Event: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship- Kazuchika Okada vs SANADA
Singles record: 8-1 Okada
When TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru formed Just Four Guys this January, a lot of talk was made of their plans to ‘change the landscape’ of professional wrestling. After a shaky start though, those claims gained traction when SANADA joined the group to make Just 5 Guys, and won the New Japan Cup a week later.
When asked what ‘changing the landscape’ really meant, SANADA would say that truly bringing about something unexpected, and leading the industry as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion would do exactly that. SANADA would admit that he is heading into this match on April 8 as the extreme underdog; 1-8 against Okada, the head to head record couldn’t be much worse, and Okada was damning in the wake of SANADA’s Cup win, suggesting all that Cold Skull had changed was his appearance and allegiance.
It is, in fact, eerily similar to Hirooki Goto’s shift from Hontai to CHAOS in the wake of his final to date failed challenge to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2016; a scenario in which Okada and Tetsuya Naito were central figures and instigators. Might this change for SANADA represent a final push to beat Okada, or to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship? Their last encounter in 2019, in Ryogoku ended in bitter defeat and rare emotion from Cold Skull in the post match. Yet SANADA has avenged one bitter 2019 defeat by winning the Cup in his home town of Nagaoka on March 21. Now the stars could align for him to avenge King of Pro-Wrestling 2019, and indeed change everything. Can a new intensity and his new modified DDT finish defeat the last boss of professional wrestling?
8th Match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- Robbie Eagles vs Hiromu Takahashi
Singles record: 2-1
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Hiromu Takahashi defends against Robbie Eagles. After a hard fought battle for the gold at the New Japan Cup final, Hiromu defended for the second time against Lio Rush. Yet he had barely enough time to catch his breath before Zack Sabre Jr. announced that his next challenge would come from the newest member of TMDK. That member was Robbie Eagles, a man who defeated Hiromu in a big title match spot in September 2021, and now looks to end the reign of the Time Bomb in Sumo Hall.
Robbie holds few things more dear to him than the prestige and legacy of the Australian wrestling scene, one with which TMDK is inextricably linked. Now part of the illustrious and long running faction, Robbie looks to bring IWGP badged gold to the group for the first time, but Takahashi’s drive to break defence records will make it very difficult for him to ‘surrender to the Sniper’.
7th Match: IWGP Tag Team Championships- Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher)
Tag record: 1-1
The IWGP Tag Team Championships will be on the line when Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI face the challenge of Aussie Open. Across their championship win at Wrestle Kingdom and two defences since, Bishamon have firmly established themselves among the tag team elite. Aussie Open too are more than worthy of that designation, and their 1-1 record with the tag champions underscore that point.
During the New Japan Cup, Kyle Fletcher earned a 1-1 singles record with Bishamon, beating YOSHI-HASHI and losing to Hirooki Goto, while Mark Davis went on a stunning run to the semifinals. It all adds up to a match April 8 that is near impossible to predict between two of wrestling’s finest duos.
6th Match: NJPW World TV Championship: Shota Umino vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Singles record: 1-1
Zack Sabre Jr. will put his NJPW World TV Championship on the line April 8 against Shota Umino. Heading into their recent Okayama New Japan Cup clash, Zack Sabre Jr. was dismisive of the young Roughneck Umino, but would have to eat his words when he lost to the rising prospect thanks to a center ring Death Rider. Umino had proven that he was able to defeat ZSJ, and earned his shot at the World TV gold in the process, but there was a large ‘but’ for Umino to overcome.
World TV Championship matches have a 15 minute time limit, and Umino’s victory was much nearer 30 minutes than 15. Now that he’s on the clock, can ‘Shooter’ shoot to his first NJPW championship, or will Sabre’s tekkers win the day?
5th Match: IWGP Womens’ Championship: Mercedes Moné vs AZM vs Hazuki
It’s double the challenge, double the money for Mercedes Moné’s first defence of the IWGP Womens Championship earned at Battle in the Valley. When initially asked what members of STARDOM’s roster the CEO of women’s wrestling had her eye on, Moné was quick to acknowledge high speed phenom AZM, albeit with backhanded praise and misreading of her name. World would reach the High Speed Champion, who wanted a shot, bur Hazuki would soon interject herself into the picture.
A former High Speed Champion herself, and a one time partner of AZM, ‘Wild Heart’ Hazuki has a history of short and intense battles with AZM, the most recent being in the first round of the 2023 Cinderella Tournament on March 26. Both favourites among STARDOM fans are unlikely to sit well with Mercedes’ big money and big ego attitude, but in a match where the champion doesn’t need to be pinned to lose her title, could one of the two challengers be leaving with the IWGP title?
4th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs Just Three Guys (Taichi, DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
The main event tonight will see the newest member of Just Five Guys challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Yet to join ‘J5G’, SANADA had to leave LIJ behind. While the members of Los Ingobernables De Japon offered grudging resignation at SANADA’s defection as opposed to outright anger, the move does automatically pit the two factions in distinctly opposing camps, and a six man battle will perhaps offer some closure for SANADA’s former teammates, or further ignite differences, tonight.
3rd Match: Master Wato, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs BULLET CLUB (David Finlay, El Phantasmo & KENTA)
Ten years ago, April in Ryogoku would see the first seeds planted in what would become BULLET CLUB. Now the group is approaching its tenth anniversary at Dontaku May 3, and is doing so in a wave of ill feeling and speculation. Not appreciative of David Finlay’s attitude on entering BULLET CLUB, and his no nonsense approach to business, El Phantasmo would agree to toe the line- if David Finay won the New Japan Cup.
Finlay is not in the main event at Sakura Genesis, because he did not win the NJC. ELP then has suggested he will look for leadership elsewhere, if the rest of the club won’t. With a lot to be smoothed over in six man action, match makers have instead stirred the pot tonight, as the opposite corner houses Tana Tonga, having been excised from the club he was a founder member of last year, and Hikuleo, who made the hop to Hontai to rejoin his brothers last September. With a lot f combustible elements, can everyone get along tonight?
2nd Match: United Empire (Francesco Akira, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL & SHO)
With Aaron Henare joining United Empire at Sakura Genesis 2021, and Francesco Akira joining the fold last APril in Ryogoku, the spring Sumo Hall event is fast becoming a key period for the United Empire faction. Tonight, the group take on HOUSE OF TORTURE in six man action, but could be leaving Ryogoku with IWGP Tag gold for Aussie Open, and might they have more big plays in mind in the near future?
1st Match: Shinnichi Champion Grand Prix Celebration Match
NJPW’s variety TV Asahi show Shinnichi Champion is celebrating finally winning the grand prize in a recent poll, one where the grand prize was a nationally broadcast TV special. During the special, much discussion was centered on classic entrance music, sparking this special match to start the night. This six man tag bout will have participants only revealed when they make their entrance, meaning that two wild combinations could be squaring off April 8!
