Great-O-Khan retains KOPW title in Rural Revitalization match
Great-O-Khan retained the provisional KOPW title on Sunday.
He defeated Tanga Loa in a Rural Revitalization in Hamamatsu match on the March 31 Road to Sakura Genesis event. The unique match type featured best-two-of-three falls rules and a five-minute eating contest as the second fall.
The rules for the first round were that every pin attempt was worth one point. Loa ended up winning the round 9-8.
The food eaten for the second fall was originally supposed to be freshwater unagi (eel), which Hamamatsu is famous for. However, a late decision saw gyoza dumplings, another local delicacy, replace eel as the featured food.
With 30 seconds left, Loa began to slow down, needing sips of water to continue. After the five minutes expired, officials entered the ring to see how much eel each wrestler had consumed and awarded the fall to Khan.
The third fall was a strap match. Both wrestlers appeared to be showing the effects of having eaten too much during the second fall. It appeared as though either could vomit at any point. Khan would eventually hit an Eliminator and touch all four corners for the win.
The champion then addressed the crowd following his victory. NJPW1972.com wrote of his speech:
O-Khan proudly claimed that a new era, that with pro-wrestling being equated with himself, had already begun. O-Khan stated that it all began with Japan, and with the local areas; a grass roots movement that he was leading with a determination to make KOPW the most famed, and the most entertaining title in wrestling. As the loyal subjects bowed to their Dominator, the victorious O-Khan took his title to the next ground of conquest.
Sunday’s show did not air live on New Japan World but is now available on-demand. The full results are below.
NJPW Road to Sakura Genesis March 31, 2024 results —
- Jeff Cobb defeated Shoma Kato
- KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight defeated Gedo & Clark Connors
- Yuya Uemura, TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Taichi, & SANADA defeated Tomoaki Honma, Boltin Oleg, El Desperado, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
- Chase Owens & Taiji Ishimori defeated Tiger Mask & Hirooki Goto
- Ren Narita, SHO, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated YOH, Togi Makabe, & Shota Umino
- Yota Tsuji, BUSHI, & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, & TJP
- Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito defeated Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL
- KOPW Provisional Champion Great-O-Khan defeated Tanga Loa 2-1 in a Rural Revitalization in Hamamatsu match to retain his title
