Lumberjack main event, eight man tag match added

Watch Destruction in Ryogoku LIVE in English on NJPW World October 9!

Following an eventful night at Destruction in Kobe, eyes turn to October 9 and Ryogoku Sumo Hall, where EVIL will officially challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship that rightfully belongs to SANADA. 

At a special press conference last week, SANADA requested that their match be made into a Lumberjack bout, reasoning ‘if (HOUSE OF TORTURE) are going to be out there anyway and get involved, why not have them their from the start and make this a fair fight?’ EVIL took the proposal ‘under consideration’, before finally accepting at Destruction in Kobe Sunday. 

Of course, EVIL’s acceptance has come at a time where SANADA’s championship has never been under more doubt. In Kobe, Yoshinobu Kanemaru defected from Just Five Guys  to bring the KOPW 2023 title to SHO. As Kanemaru formally joined HOUSE OF TORTURE, Just Five Guys has become just four. Furthermore, the emotional reverberations of Kanemaru’s betrayal has shocked Taichi into a leave of absence. It seems like EVIL and H.O.T hold a five on three advantage going into Ryogoku- can SANADA beat the odds, and the King of Darkness?

Newly added to the Ryogoku card is an eight man bout that pits Los Ingobernables De Japon against United Empire. On a mixed but positive night for LIJ, Shingo Takagi was able to put away a game Great-O-Khan while Tetsuya Naito booked his place in the January 4 2024 Tokyo Dome main event with a win over Jeff Cobb. At the same time, Yota Tsuji might have come up just short of Will Ospreay and the IWGP UK Championship, but his stock rose exponentially even in defeat after an incredible performance. Now Tsuji wants to get right back on track toward Wrestle Kingdom and may look to be the star of this eight man show.