Two title matches and elimination main event
The Road to Dontaku hits Hiroshima Sun Plaza on April 27. As we enter the Golden Week holidays, there’ll be no time for relaxation for champions TMDK and Great-O-Khan as they defend their titles, and War Dogs and LIJ continue their feud into an elimination main event.
Watch LIVE on NJPW World! (English to follow on demand)
Main event: 10 Man Elimination Tag- Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors & Jake lee)
The main event sees Los Ingobernables De Japon continue their tour long campaign against the War Dogs in ten man elimination. Four days after the two teams collide in a series of Korakuen hall singles matches, the elimination tag setting will see more unpredictable outcomes, and the chance for once side to show their dominance ahead of Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI challenging Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors for tag gold Monday, and Shingo Takagi vs Gabe Kidd, and David Finlay vs Yota Tsuji at Dontaku weekend.
A new layer to this elimination main event came on April 23 in Korakuen, when Jake Lee made a shocking appearance from Pro-Wrestling NOAH. Declaring that he was in NJPW ‘to destroy Tetsuya Naito,’ Lee has become a powerful ally for the War Dogs. Will he steer them to victory?
7th Match: KOPW2024 Rural Revitalization in Hirshima Match- Great-O-Khan vs Yuya Uemura
Two out of three rounds:
Round 1- Mazda Tyre Carrying Contest
Round 2- Hiroshima Lemon Eating Contest
Round 3- Tables Match
Great-O-Khan and Yuya Uemura’s first ever singles meeting comes within the unique environment of the KOPW 2024 title. O-Khan’s retention of the title against Tanga Loa on the Road to Sakura Genesis has proven to be the lone bright spot in a spring to forget for the United Empire, and Hiroshima is another ‘fiefdom’ the Dominator would like to claim on his grass roots campaign across the nation. Uemura though is in high spirits after having pinned O-Khan with the Strom Clutch at Sakura Genesis, and despite coming up shy of the IWGP Tag Team Championships in Taiwan alongside SANADA, feels he can get the job done on his own merits tonight. Could KOPW be the first title Uemura can call his own?
6th Match: NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships- TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Hikuleo & El Phantasmo)
Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls’ claim of being the best tag team to never hold NJPW gold came to an end at Windy City Riot, as the duo came out on top of a four way clash for the NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag team Championships. It came with the territory that neither ELP nor Hikuleo were involved in the decision- Nicholls took advantage of a heated situation between the West Coast Wrecking Crew and Tom Lawlor to get a flash jackknife pin- but while the former champions will not be making excuses, they are making a claim.
TMDK have their own considerable pride to think of as well, and won’t truly be considering themselves champions until they can make their first proper defence two on two, and against the Guerrillas of Destiny. Will they stay on top, or will it be a case of return to sender when it comes to the STRONG tag gold?
5th Match: Just Five Guys (DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Ahead of DOUKI’s challenge to IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO at Satsuma no Kuni April 29, a preview tag sees him team with TAKA Michinoku against SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. With two of wrestling wiliest veterans on the side of champion and challenger, this is sure to be an intriguing battle with more than a few corners cut on both sides.
4th Match: Tomoaki Honma & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Just Five Guys (Taichi & SANADA)
Tag teram actionpits Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomoaki Honma against Taichi and SANADA. On night one of Wrestling Dontaku, Tanahashi will take on Nic Nemth with the IWGP Global Championship at stake in the main event, with night two seeing a tag team combination of the Wanted Man and the Ace to face Taichi and SANADA. This will be a tune up and preview of sorts for that match then, as eyes go to Taichi and SANADA, who have been on the outside looking into the main event scene of late, and are looking to make moves.
3rd Match: El Desperado, Shota Umino & Tomohiro Ishii vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita & EVIL)
With Ren Narita getting set to face Jon Moxley for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on May 4, and Shota Umino coming up next for the winner in Ontario May 11, this is a potential preview match for the main event of Resurgence. Meanwhile, Desperado, Umino and Ishii makes an impressive and intimidating six man combo, with plenty of unifnished business between Desperado and former protege Narita, and Ishii always enjoying tearing into the H.O.T.
2nd Match: TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb)
Tag team action sees a preview of May 3’s NJPW World TV Championship match between Zack Sabre Jr. and Jeff Cobb, as they get set to do battle with 15 minutes on the clock and the TV gold on the line. Meanwhile Francesco Akira and Kosei Fujita are preparing to enter Best of the Super Jr., and will be looking to make their own marks in Hiroshima.
1st match: Tiger Mask, YOSHI-HASHI ＆Hirooki Goto vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA)
With Bishamon set to grant Chase Owens and KENTA in a rematch for the IWGP Tag Team Championships in Fukuoka May 4, another six man preview sees the champions trade Young Lion partners in Korakuen earlier in the week for the veteran and always salty Tiger Mask, who is sure to keep his junior heavyweight opposite number Taiji Ishimori in check.
Kickoff Match- Frontier Zone: Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano vs Rey Paloma & Hanzo
Rey Paloma and Hanzo step into the Frontier Zone to start the action off in Hiroshima. Long time veterans of the independent circuit, Paloma represents local indie Dove Pro, while the well experienced Hanzo will take his lucharesu influences from Universal and Michinoku Pro way back in the early 1990s into battle against two thirds of the NEVER Openweight 6 man Champions.
