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The Social Round-up: London Calling

AUG.27.2019

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The Social Round-up: London Calling

This week, Royal Quest is looming large on the calendar, and in the minds of many a NJPW wrestler. The main event sees Minoru Suzuki challenging IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada. Given Suzuki’s dominance in the British scene, The King has a pseudo home field advantage over the Rainmaker Saturday night, and at the weekend’s RevPro events, where British fans will get a preview of the action to come, Suzuki teaming with Zack Sabre Junior against Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi. 

 

‘August 31 at Royal Quest, my IWGP title match. The day before at Revolution Pro Wresling, a double title match preview. A rematch, in fact (from Nippon Budokan on August 12). Heheheheh… London… York Hall… Revolution Pro Wrestling… welcome to our home…’

As Suzuki is looking to bring a brutal fight to the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, the semi-main event will see Zack Sabre Junior defend his British Heavyweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. The champion is promising things will get ugly: 

But Tanahashi, who is appearing this week in a steamy photo shoot for leading publication SPA! in Japan, is looking good as ever: 

 

‘Be careful to protect your ass-ets’

While ZSJ and Suzuki himself are leading the charge for Suzuki-gun in the UK, Taichi is holding down the home fort for the group at present. An impressive G1 behind him, he can now indulge in his favourite pastime; trolling Hirooki Goto on Twitter. 

 

Even without the restrictions of a Twitter character limit, this is too long of a thread to delve into, but culminated in Taichi’s statement of: 

‘When I beat Naito and Ishii (in the G1), I never demanded that I get a title shot. Something that corny? Not my style. I might have the right to make a challenge, but I’ll do that by other means. Eh, maybe I’ll ‘do a Goto’ and take a big old holiday to ‘find myself’, lol’

To which Goto recommended as long a trip away as possible, saying ‘Go for it! By boat.’  

Finally, Toru Yano found himself in Hokkaido this week. The city of Noboribetsu was holding their annual festival, and you can’t have a festival without the official sightseeing ambassador. With an ambassadorial decree of ‘check out my ride!’ Yano joined the parade in style on a giant demon chariot. Only fitting. 

 

 

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