United Empire advances, Kota Ibushi returns and two championship matches in Kagoshima

April 28 and 29 will see NJPW head to Kagoshima for two nights of Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni.

Night two: United Empire advances!

Satsuma refers to the historical domain of Satsuma in Japan’s Edo period, based in Kagoshima Castle, near to Kota Ibushi’s home town. It’s an appropriate place then for the United Empire to advance and seek to conquer just weeks after Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to lift the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. After a crushing loss in Ryogoku, Ibushi will be stepping away from the ring to refocus, and will return on night two of Sastuma no Kuni on April 29. Teaming with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ibushi will revive Golden☆Ace to take on a formidable pair of opponents in Jeff Cobb and Aaron Henare. 

After Ibushi suffered his loss to Ospreay at Ryogoku, it was Cobb adding a brutal exclamation point, with a post match Tour of the Islands being delivered to the former World heavyweight Champion. This moment came hours after Aaron Henare was revealed as the United Empire’s X, with a new found aggression seeing him to an impressive victory. In Ibushi7s return, he will seek revenge against Cobb, while Tanahashi will want answers from his former partner and protege Henare. 

Also at night two of Satsuma no Kuni, Will Ospreay and Great-O-Khan will team up to take on Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito. After his world title victory on Sunday, Ospreay nominated Kazuchika Okada as his next challenger, but it was Shingo Takagi instead stating that he should get the first shot, and much wanted for revenge for a new Japan Cup final defeat. Shingo and Ospreay will meet for the fourth time at Dontaku on May 4, but a tag team preview is on the cards here tonight. Meanwhile, three days after Great-O-Khan and Tetsuya Naito meet in singles action on the Road to Dontaku, what fallout will take place in Kagoshima? 

Night one: Twin title matches!

On April 28, night one of Satsuma no Kuni will see a pair of championship matches. Top of the card, new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi 3K will defend their titles again in a direct rematch with El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. At Sakura Genesis, YOH returned with a vengeance, and landed Direct Drive on Kanemaru to bring his team their fifth IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship reign. Can RPG 3K retain in Kagoshima, with YOH set to aslso face El Desperado for the singles IWGP Junior Heavyweight gold at Dontaku? 

Meanwhile EVIL will take on Toru Yano for the KOPW 2021 trophy. EVIL eliminated Toru Yano during the New Japan Cup thanks to the efforts of Dick Togo, who turned out the lights in Korakuen Hall, allowing the King of Darkness to get a name appropriate jump on his opponent. At Sakura Genesis, Yano got some measure of revenge on Togo by placing a blindfold over his head to clinch victory for CHAOS, and now EVIL will look to assert his dominance over wrestling’s greatest polymath. What rules could either men bring to the table for this bout?

Plenty more hot action will be coming to Kagoshima at Satsuma no Kuni to end of April on NJPW World!