Champion vs. champion match official for NJPW 52nd Anniversary show

The IWGP World Heavyweight and Junior Heavyweight champions will meet in March.

NJPW confirmed on Sunday that the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion will meet the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in a one-on-one match on March 6 in Ota. Previous anniversary shows have had similar champion vs. champion matches, the last taking place in 2021 when then World Heavyweight champion Kota Ibushi defeated Junior Heavyweight champion El Desperado.

Participants in this match will be determined on the final two nights of The New Beginning tour in Sapporo on February 23 and 24. El Desperado is set to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against SHO on the 23rd, while Tetsuya Naito will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight title on February 24 against SANADA.

Last year’s anniversary show had first round matches in the New Japan Cup that had Shota Umino defeat Yujiro Takahashi and David Finlay defeating Tomohiro Ishii. In the main event, Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi.