NJPW releases cards for Wrestling Dontaku tour

NJPW has released the cards for their next tour, Wrestling Dontaku.

The tour will host both nights of Wrestling Dontaku, the Wrestling Hi no Kuni event, as well as Sengoku Lord.

NJPW has announced that both Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hiroyoshi Tenzan will miss the tour due to injury. Tanahashi is suffering from a left elbow injury, while Tenzan is dealing with a knee issue. NJPW says that there is no set timetable for either man’s return. 

Sengoku Lord on Saturday, April 20, is the first of four major shows on the tour. It will feature Kota Ibushi making his first defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, with him facing Zack Sabre Jr. The undercard will also feature an IWGP United States title match, as Juice Robinson defends against Bad Luck Fale. 

Wrestling Hi no Kuni will take place on Monday, April 29, and will showcase an IWGP Tag Team title match, as new champs Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa face off against Togi Makabe & Toru Yano. 

The tour concludes with a two-night Wrestling Dontaku event on May 3 and May 4. 

Night one will see new NEVER Openweight Champion Jeff Cobb defending against Taichi. Dragon Lee also makes his first defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, taking on former champ Taiji Ishimori. 

Night two will be headlined by Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against SANADA. The semi-main on May 4 will see Tomohiro Ishii face EVIL.

The tour will begin with a Road to Wrestling Dontaku show this Saturday.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Ryusuke Taguchi will defend their titles against Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Hikuleo at a Road to Dontaku event on April 22, while Shingo Takagi & BUSHI will challenge for SHO & YOH’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles on April 26.

Here are the full cards for Sengoku Lord, Wrestling Hi no Kuni, and both nights of Wrestling Dontaku:

Sengoku Lord (April 20, Aichi)

  • IWGP Intercontinental Champion Kota Ibushi defending against Zack Sabre Jr. 
  • IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson defending against Bad Luck Fale
  • Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO, YOH vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI, Shingo Takagi
  • Hirooki Goto, Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jay White, Hikuleo
  • Mikey Nicholls vs. Chase Owens
  • Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, Dragon Lee vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Taiji Ishimori
  • Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, Toa Henare, Jushin Liger vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku
  • Shota Umino, Ren Narita vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura

Wrestling Hi no Kuni (April 29, Kumamoto)

  • Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa defending against Togi Makabe, Toru Yano
  • Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero, SHO, YOH vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI, Shingo Takagi
  • Juice Robinson vs. Chase Owens
  • Mikey Nicholls vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Dragon Lee, Will Ospreay vs. Taiji Ishimori, Hikuleo
  • Jeff Cobb, YOSHI-HASHI, Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku
  • Tomoaki Honma, Shota Umino, Ren Narita vs. Toa Henare, Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura

Wrestling Dontaku night one (May 3, Fukuoka)

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Dragon Lee defending against Taiji Ishimori
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Jeff Cobb defending against Taichi
  • Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA, EVIL
  • Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls vs. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens
  • Rocky Romero, SHO, YOH vs. Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, Shingo Takagi
  • Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, Will Ospreay vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo
  • YOSHI-HASHI, Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku
  • Tomoaki Honma, Shota Umino, Ren Narita vs. Toa Henare, Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura

Wrestling Dontaku night two (May 4, Fukuoka)

  • IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against SANADA
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL
  • Rocky Romero, SHO, YOH vs. Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, Shingo Takagi
  • Dragon Lee, Will Ospreay vs. Taiji Ishimori, ? (Likely the debuting El Phantasmo)
  • Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls, Tomoaki Honma vs. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Hikuleo
  • Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, Jushin Liger vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Jado
  • Jeff Cobb, YOSHI-HASHI, Toa Henare, Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku
  • Shota Umino, Ren Narita vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura