KOPW on the line in Yamagata
As we get ready for World Tag League from November 20, unfinished business, and more business to come from the key players on the NJPW roster sees the mini New Japan Road tour bring the action to Yamagata November 17.
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Main event: KOPW 2023: Taichi vs SHO
Singles record: 1-0 SHO
In a rematch requested not by former KOPW provisional champion Taichi but rather by the demented title holder SHO, the KOPW 2023 belt is on the line in Yamagata Friday. Back at Destruction in Kobe, Taichi’s reign was ended when Yoshinobu Kanemaru turned on his friend of seven years and betrayed Just Five Guys for the dark bosom of HOUSE OF TORTURE. Outside influence looks fairly certain to play a part in this one, but will Taichi reclaim the 2023 title with just a month and a half left in the year, or will SHO rack up his first defence through fair means or foul?
6th Match- Tomoaki Honma Homecoming: Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita & Ryusuke Taguchi vs Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Hiroshi Tanahashi
Honma’s Homecoming will see the yellow clad Kokeshi master recruit a unique team of Ryusuke Taguchi and Ren Narita to take on the current NEVER Openweight 6 Man Champions. While Honma’s recruitment reasoning might see some question, his choice of opponents certainly is not, and this could see the door open for a title opportunity for he and his side before the year is out.
5th Match: Just Five Guys (SANADA, Yuya Uemura, TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Dick Togo)
Before SHO and Taichi’s main event showdown, eight man action pits the rest of Just Five Guys against the rest of HOUSE OF TORTURE. Can justice prevail and prevent H.O.T hijinks from affecting the top match on the card?
4th Match: Shota Umino, Yuji Nagata, Minorui Suzuki & Tiger Mask vs Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Your eyes do not deceive you- Yuji Nagata and Minoru Suzuki are indeed on the same side of the leger. Enemies for two decades, it will take more than a little while for the fans, let alone the wrestlers themselves, to get used to being in the same corner, but it starts tonight- and against the most difficult, well oiled of teams, headed by a Shingo Takagi who will be hoping to return to Japan with his NEVER Openweight title intact from Texas.
3rd Match: CHAOS (YOH, YOSHIO-HASHI & Hirooki Goto) vs United Empire (Callum Newman, HENARE & Great-O-Khan)
Hirooki Goto’s return from MCL injury will see IWGP Tag Team Champions Bishamon back in the mix for the first time since their Kobe defence back in September. along with YOH, they’ll look to put their best foot forward ahead of World Tag League starting on November 20.
2nd Match: Master Wato & Toru Yano vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo & Taiji Ishimori)
With El Desperado vs Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship official for Wrestle Kingdom 18, the question of what happens elsewhere in the division on the road to the Tokyo Dome persists. One of the protagonists of Super Junior Tag League tags opposite the antagonist of the junior title scene over the last month when Wato faces off with Ishimori tonight.
1st Match: Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Boltin Oleg, Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima
A treat for the fans in Yamanashi sees TenCozy ride again in the opening match of the night. Yuto Nakashima and Oskar Leube have designs on forming their own ‘Young Blood’ tag team- can they show their worth against difficult veteran competition?
