SAKURA GENESIS 4/1 at Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall) Full lineup & Tickets sales info▶︎ https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/20621?showCards=1

The cherry blossoms in full bloom can only mean Ryogoku Kokugikan (aka Sumo Hall) is ready to host the biggest event of the spring once more, as Sakura Genesis is upon us!

In the main event, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship is on the line as Kazuchika Okada faces New Japan Cup winner Zack Sabre Junior. Okada is on the verge of tying yet another record as he looks to make the 11th defense of his dominant reign. Yet in his way is the man who can make anyone, anywhere, anytime Just Tap Out.

In the semi main event, the saga of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi, the Golden☆Lovers and the Bullet Club continues. At Strong Style Evolved on March 25, the Golden☆Lovers came out on top of a phenomenal physically and emotionally draining battle with the Young Bucks. Yet after the match, it was Cody who was eager to keep stirring the pot. Cody is power hungry and desperate to lead the Bullet Club, but this is not a matter of empty ego. Meanwhile his tag team partner Hangman Page showed his potential in LA when he took Jay White to his limits over the IWGP US Championship. It’ll be impossible to ignore the next chapter in wrestling’s hottest drama unfolding in Ryogoku.

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will also be on the line in Ryogoku as Marty Scurll challenges Will Ospreay. At Strong Style Evolved, Ospreay had a fantastic match with Jushin Thunder Liger. After winning and paying his respects to the living legend, Ospreay made a challenge to Rey Mysterio Junior, who was sitting ringside.

This was all too gentlemanly for the Villain Marty Scurll, who stirred up bother by attacking Ospreay and snatching both the Junior Heavyweight Championship belt and Mysterio’s mask. Ospreay will have revenge in mind as he takes on his long held rival.

There are still more titles on the line in Ryogoku as Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI join SHO and YOH of Roppongi 3K to challenge El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.

That match will see a war between Los Ingobernables De Japon and Suzuki Gun continue, a war that also manifests itself in six man tag action at Sakura Genesis. EVIL, now recovered from a broken orbital bone, joins fellow IWGP Tag Team Champion SANADA and Tetsuya Naito against Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Junior (KES) and Minoru Suzuki. Naito has appeared to ignore Suzuki’s consistent provocations of late, but Suzuki says he took it as a sign that Naito ‘really wants the belt he said he had no need for’. Will Naito make a play for the Intercontinental Championship? And what about KES as they chase EVIL and SANADA’s tag belts?

An all star match with championship implications is also on the Ryogoku card as New Japan Cup finalist Hiroshi Tanahashi teams with the Flamboyant One, Juice Robinson and a fired up David Finlay against NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto, IWGP US Champion Jay White and YOSHI-HASHI. Juice put in a tremendous effort during the New Japan Cup and ended the tour with a pinfall victory over the NEVER Champion, which will draw a lot of eyes to him and Goto. Then there’s Finlay, unwilling to let go of the burning hatred he has for former friend and Dojo partner Jay White. After White retained the US title in Los Angeles, Finlay charged the ring and made a challenge for his belt on April 24 in Korakuen; in this match he’ll be eager to make a more physical statement.

Rounding out the title matches on April 1st is the Taguchi Japan team of Michael Elgin, Togi Makabe and Ryusuke Taguchi challenging the Bullet Club trio of Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Bad Luck Fale. The team of high speed, awesome power and buns of steel will nevertheless have a tough task against their all heavyweight opponents looking for their third successful title defense.

Former IWGP Tag Team Champions Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii take on Takashi Iizuka and Taichi at Sakura Genesis. The tag team scene is hotting up in New Japan to say the least, and this heavyweight clash is definitely one to watch.

Rounding out the April 1 card will be Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi facing the Young Bucks. The Bucks are still hurting physically and emotionally from their war with Ibushi and Omega at Strong Style Evolved, but as the Bullet Club continues their civil war, you’ll need to find out what Matt and Nick Jackson have in mind next.

All the unmissable action from Sakura Genesis will be live and in English on New Japan World! It’s all just part of a red hot spring lineup on the King of Sports Streaming Services! https://njpwworld.com/