NJPW Kizuna Road kicks off on June 14 at Korakuen Hall. The tour is scheduled to last for 12 events, concluding on July 2.
NJPW announced the lineups for the first seven events, including two major title matches on June 22 and 23.
On June 22, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships will be on the line with YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto defending against EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo.
June 23 will see Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against the Bullet Club duo of El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori.
June 22: NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships!
The main event of night six on Kizuna Road will see the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships at stake, as the CHAOS side of YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto head into their sixth defence against the BULLET CLUB side of EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo.
This challenge came as the result of a post match attack at Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall on June 7. One year ago at Dominion, EVIL was a NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion in LIJ, but when he aligned himself with Togo and BULLET CLUB, he cast the titles aside; titles CHAOS won in a tournament and have held onto ever since. With YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii gradually elevating the titles to main event worthy status, EVIL has decided to cast his hat back into the NEVER 6-Man ring.
BULLET CLUB trios have tried and failed to wrest the NEVER gold from CHAOS already: Jay White and G.o.D, as well as KENTA, Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro both fell in their attempts. Of all the possible combinations in BULLET CLUB though, this represents the dirtiest possible fight for the champions. Can their reign and elevation of the NEVER status continue? Or will BULLET CLUB drag the belts into darkness?
June 23: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships!
Night seven of Kizuna Road on June 23 will see the IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag Team Championships on the line in the main event as SHO and YOH, Roppongi 3K make their second defence against El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori. January 5 2020 saw Roppongi 3K seize the IWGP Jr. heavyweight Tag Team Championships to end a six month reign for ELP and Ishimori, but between Ishimori’s pandemic isolation and YOH’s knee injury, the two teams’ paths didn’t cross for the next 17 months.
Then, opportunity knocked for the BULLET CLUB side at Dominion. With Bloody Cross, Ishimori pinned SHO in the night’s opening ten man bout, moving to challenge SHO and YOH with Phantasmo immediately after YOH fell in his challenge to Desperado. Ishimori and Phantasmo are both equally eager, indeed, to become double Junior Heavyweight Champions, ELP being somewhat irked by Ishimori challenging Despe to the singles gold before he could. Could this be the first step toward Ishimori’s double title plans? Or will Roppongi 3K see a repeat of their Wrestle Kingdom 14 victory?
Also on the tour, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura look to graduate from Young Lion status by running the gauntlet.
Tusji is scheduled to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi, Taichi, Kazuchika Okada, Zack Sabre Jr, and The Great-O-Khan in his gauntlet matches.
Uemura will battle Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Taichi, and Kota Ibushi in his five bouts.
You can view the full lineups for each show by clicking here.
Fightful will have results following the conclusion of each event.