NJPW Wrestling Dontaku now features two more championship matches.
KENTA will defend his NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship against Hikuleo at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku on May 3, according to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Hikuleo challenged KENTA to a match at NJPW Capital Collision.
In addition, Zack Sabre Jr will defend his NJPW World TV Championship against Jeff Cobb.
Both bouts were previously announced for the event, however they have now been changed to championship matches.
NJPW released the following:
Backstage at Sakura Genesis April 8, Jeff Cobb responded to Zack Sabre Jr.’s proxy challenge on behalf of Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls to Aussie Open with a challenge of his own. Cobb wanted a shot at the NJPW World TV Championship, a challenge Sabre accepted as long as he got past Tom Lawlor at Capital Collision. Though it was by no means a guarantee for Sabre, who just survived a very game Filthy One, it was a win for the Briton, who will now defend his championship for a sixth time in under four months at Dontaku opposite Cobb.
Also set for Dontaku was a singles contest between Hikuleo and KENTA, made after KENTA rocked the big man with a STRONG Openweight Championship shot. A belt shot now leds to a shot for the belt, as after KENTA retained against Eddie Edwards this past weekend at Capital Collision, Hikuleo demanded that the grudge match become a championship affair. Who emerges with the gold in the first ever STRONG Championship match on Japanese soil?
NJPW announcement
The current lineup for NJPW Wrestling Dontaku is :
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku (5/3)
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: SANADA (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Tama Tonga (c) vs. David Finlay
- NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Ren Narita (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada, TBA, & TBA
- NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Jeff Cobb
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship: KENTA (c) vs. Hikuleo
- Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
- Shota Umino, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight vs. Aaron Henare, Francesco Akira & TJP
- Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Kosei Fujita vs. Great-O-Khan & Aussie Open
- Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & YOH vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
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