NEVER 6-Man gold at stake in Korakuen Hall

The Road to Wrestling Dontaku sees its first championship match on Tuesday April 20, as the NEVER 6-Man Tag team Championships will be on the line in our main event. Meanwhile, with the tour making its final Korakuen hall stop, and decisive matches being on the cards from here on out, who will make the biggest impact tonight?

Watch the Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour LIVE and in English on demand with NJPW World!

Main event: NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships: CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Yujiro Takahashi & KENTA)

Our main event Monday will see the trio of YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto defending the NEVER Openweight 6-Man tag Team Championships for the fourth time against the BULLET CLUB team of Taiji Ishimori, Yujiro Takahashi and KENTA. 

Since winning the titles on August 9 2020, the CHAOS side have been one of the most effective NEVER 6-Man championship teams in the titles’ history. Winning the titles in a tournament during the Summer Struggle tour, and retaining through three defences thus far, the side is only one defence away from Taguchi Japan’s V4 record, and at 254 days, their reign is the second longest to boot. Solid teamwork through years of close bonding has helped the champions through those defences, as has the rise of YOSHI-HASHI, who has filled the role of champion with aplomb, and become the team’s defacto captain. 

Yet BULLET CLUB, and KENTA in particular, have done all they can to diminish the Headhunter, and hobble his team’s momentum at every turn. when KENTA stole away YOSHI-HASHI’s signature ceremonial staff, it was the latest step in a targeted harassment of the Headhunter by KENTA that has continued for over a year and a half now. The question remains whether, after the prior night’s singles contests, that now with the titles at stake have the mind games played off for the challengers tonight? 

4th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan & Will Ospreay)

The semi main event tonight will see Los Ingobernables De Japon and United Empire face off in eight man action for the last time on NJPW World before decisive matches as the tour end approaches. Next week in Hiroshima, Aaron Henare will be going head to head with SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito will face Great-O-Khan, while Satsuma no Kuni on April 29 will be headlined by Henare and Jeff Cobb taking on Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi and on may 4, it’s Will Ospreay versus Shingo Takagi with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at stake. Outside of a hot start to the tour in Yokohama, the LIJ side has struggled in eight man action on the series thus far. Can they strike a blow to the United Empire tonight?

3rd Match: Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo & EVIL)

After eight and ten man action has kept Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano’s hands full with Gedo and EVIL through much of the tour, here we have straight tag team action in our third match of the night. When Gedo tagged with Dick Togo last week against Tanahashi and Yano, they had the match in the bag before EVIL turned the lights out on Yano and dropped him, allowing Togo to make the cover and secure the Far East Connection its first tag win in 20 years. 

Now, one might reasonably expect Togo to return the favour for the King of Darkness here tonight. Can the Ace and the Noboribetsu ambassador find a way to past what is effectively a handicap encounter? 

2nd Match: Suzuki-Gun (DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) vs BULLET CLUB (Jado, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)

Seven nights out of the eight on this Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour have seen this same clash between Suzuki-Gun and BULLET CLUB; a fact that will likely have both sets of opponents sick of the sight of one another, but for the fact that May 3 is fast approaching, and with it Zack Sabre Jr.’s singles bout with Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga’s ladder match with Taichi. In the six nights the two teams have collided so far, the scoreline is at 3:3, with Zack Sabre Junior picking up the win Sunday with a ZSJ style Wrist Lock. Will tonight see one team gain a clear advantage? 

1st Match: Tomoaki Honma, SHO & YOH vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

The night will kick off with Tomoaki Honma once again teaming with Roppongi 3K against Suzuki-Gun. The Honma, SHO and YOH trio have struggled to achieve success over the last week on the road, and although Sunday night saw YOH pick up a win with the 5 Star Clutch, it was heavily against the run of the match. Can the IWGP Junior Tag team Champions put together a strong showing one week before their titles are on the line against Desperado and Kanemaru?