New Japan Pro-Wrestling‘s next tour will begin with some star-studded matches.
In the aftermath of the G1 Climax 32 tournament, NJPW will kick off the Burning Spirit tour on September 2 with a show at the Yokohama Budokan. Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and others are set to compete.
September 2, #njburning kicks off live on @njpwworld in Yokohama!
Yano, Tanahashi & Okada face JONAH, Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito in the main event!
Hikuleo and Alex Coughlin return to Japan! Gideon Grey joins the United Empire!
Full card, preview: https://t.co/PAzXna8t3C pic.twitter.com/UqSsZXlvbk
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) August 22, 2022
The card is as follows:
- Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs TMDK (JONAH, Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste)
- Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) vs Suzuki-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
- Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & KUSHIDA vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Hikuleo & KENTA)
- United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo, Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale)
- Jado, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi vs United Empire (Gideon Grey, Francesco Akira & TJP)
- Ryohei Oiwa, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo)
- Alex Coughlin vs Kosei Fujita
The announcement, courtesy of NJPW’s official website, is as follows:
As we emerge from the G1 Climax, NJPW heads next on the Burning Spirit series through September. The Yokohama Budokan will see the start of the month long series, with returns, debuts and an all star main event.
Main event: Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs TMDK (JONAH, Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste)
The main event of the evening will see a TMDK trio take on Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano. The last time Shane Haste was in an NJPW ring in japan was Wrestle Kingdom 9, where ironically enough he was Toru Yano’s partner for the evening opposite Suzuki-Gun, but much has changed over seven and a half years. That includes the emergence of TMDK on NJPW STRONG, and JONAH and Bad Dude Tito’s impressive run all the way through g1 Climax 32. With JONAH looking to make a statement for himself and his group on the way to Declaration of Power and a big singles bout with Kazuchika Okada October 10, could TMDK be an unstoppable force?
6th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) vs Suzuki-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Los Ingobernables De Japon were left with a lot of questions to ask of themselves after G1 Climax 32. With SANADA and Tetsuya Naito all denied a win in the tournament of tournaments, they must all now reset and find new directions. Zack Sabre Jr. feels the same way, stating that ‘something has to change’ after Naito put him out of the running inside of two minutes at the Budokan. That new direction could well be in the tag team ranks, with a long line of contenders forming for FTR’s IWGP Tag Team titles. Might SANADA and Naito regain their passion for tag competition against dangerous Tekkers? And might Hiromu and BUSHI, or Desperado and Kanemaru have a similar taste for tag gold after United Empire seek to defend against Six or Nine in Kobe at the series closer?
5th Match: Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & KUSHIDA vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Hikuleo & KENTA)
The fifth match of the evening will see KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori’s ongoing ‘assessment’ continue, but the headline of this trios match is the return of Hikuleo to Japanese competition. After dominating on NJPW STRONG, the Young Gun now hits rings in Japan, and will seek to prove himself as a power player in Japan as well as the US tonight.
4th Match: United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo, Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale)
Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb are continuing to fight with Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale, continuing a tag rivalry from the spring, and both sides declaring themselves worthy of challenging FTR for the IWGP Tag titles. With both teams set for what will be a decisive direct tag match in Kove at the end of the tour, six man preview action sees them looking to make an impact.
3rd Match: Jado, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi vs United Empire (Gideon Grey, Francesco Akira & TJP)
The third match of the evening sees the debut of the latest United Empire member in ‘Lord’ Gideon Grey. The mastermind of Revolution Pro’s Legion faction in the UK, Grey is sure to be a key strategist, and a potential scout for the group, having managed Great-O-Khan through his United Kingdom excursion in 2018 and 2019. Will he be able to bring the IWGP Juniro Tag Team Champions Akira and TJP to success over Six or Nine with Jado tonight?
2nd Match: Ryohei Oiwa, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo)
CHAOS continue to battle HOUSE OF TORTURE on the leadup to a NEVER Openweight six man title clash later in the series. Tied to the worst elements of BULLET CLUB all year long, CHAOS want to see the back of EVIL’s crew once and for all, and hope to start that process with Oiwa tonight.
1st Match: Alex Coughlin vs Kosei Fujita
The Opening match of the evening will see the return of the Android Alex Coughlin. After a defective leg put him on the maintenance list for repairs, Coughlin is now back and looking to make a mark against Kosei Fujita; doubtless JR Kratos will be watching on from the US with a keen eye and keen anger.
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