Eight wrestlers to miss NJPW event due to COVID-19 protocols
COVID-19 protocols continue to force changes to NJPW cards.
Eight wrestlers have been pulled from Monday’s NJPW Summer Struggle event at Korakuen Hall. IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi and BUSHI will miss the show after also missing Sunday’s Summer Struggle event due to having fevers. Both have undergone PCR testing and are waiting for the results.
The other six wrestlers who were in the ring with Shingo and BUSHI on Saturday’s event have been pulled from Monday’s show due to contact tracing. Those talents are Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo and Dick Togo.
Naito, SANADA, EVIL and Yujiro worked on Sunday’s event despite being in close contact with Shingo and BUSHI on Saturday.
Gedo and Togo had been slated to participate in a Super Junior Tag League match on Monday’s show. Instead, they will forfeit the match to Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato. Taguchi and Wato will now face Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma in the opener.
Originally not slated to wrestle on this leg of the tour, Kazuchika Okada will now team with Toru Yano against Chase Owens and Jado on the show.
Shingo is currently still scheduled to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight title against EVIL in the main event of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Sunday, September 5.
Here is the updated card for Monday’s event:
NJPW Summer Struggle, Monday, August 16, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
- Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. SHO & YOH
- Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
- Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens & Jado
- Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI
- Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato